Rogers Cable has launched a 50 Mbps service based on DOCSIS 3.0 technology. At the same time, the company is making a foray into wireless home networking with a new gateway, a combination of a cable modem and a latest-generation Wi-Fi (802.11n) router.

The new 50 Mbps tier will be first available in Toronto in mid-August. Rogers said it will roll out the service in its other markets.

Rogers is apparently not taking advantage of the upstream bandwidth afforded by DOCSIS 3.0. The 50 Mbps service has an upstream rate of only 2 Mbps, according to DSL Reports.

And while Time Warner Cable and other U.S. MSOs have been having a difficult time instituting usage caps, Rogers has managed to do so successfully; its 50 Mbps tier has a consumption maximum of 125 GB per month – a cap that few but the most eager video downloaders are likely to exceed.

The monthly charge will be $150 (about $125 in U.S. dollars), roughly comparable to what Comcast is charging for its 50 Mbps tier, for example. 

Rogers says it will be the first MSO in North America using the N gateway, which it said was specifically designed for optimal usage on its network. The company provided no indication of the vendor supplying the combo modem/router.