To help continue Ottawa’s competitive edge in network research and development, some of the major players in the region have developed a new “living lab.” This one will allow startups and other companies access to carrier-grade advanced networking infrastructure to test their products with.
Specifically, this new lab is designed with access to pre-commercial 5G tech like low-band, mid-band (including NCLL) and high-band (mmWave) frequencies, alongside other testing facilities. This can help smaller companies test their technology without needing to go through a carrier. The press release says that it will be able to help with building robotics, smart buildings and even AI that needs to run over the internet. As time passes, I’m sure more use cases will pop up as well.
An undisclosed amount of funding for this project comes from CENGEN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, which is supported by $45 million in federal funding. Its goal is to set up areas in Canada to foster technological innovation, like this 5G lab. It’s working to create eight labs and has already established three others that focus on defence, smart mobility, and agriculture.
The new 5G lab is powered by Ericsson, which has had a huge research and development division in Ottawa for years. There’s actually a fairly large telecommunications sector in Ottawa in general, with Nokia, TSMC, CISCO and others all within a few blocks on the city’s western edge.
In a press release about the new 5G Lab, Ericsson Canada President said, “We are proud to provide access to our technology and deep expertise in 5G and network communications to drive the commercial success of Canadian startups and introduce new transformative technology across Canada’s key economic sectors.”
Beyond this new 5G lab in Ottawa’s Bayview Yards, the participants will also get access to Area X.O., which is another R&D complex for other emerging technologies in the city. This facility gives access to $54 million of infrastructure, capabilities and expertise at Area X.O.’s three integrated sites, including private and public testing areas, large drone, heavy vehicle, and defence R&D facilities.
Image source: Ericsson
Source: CENGEN
