New Canadian partnership in next-generation wireless technology (ENCQOR - Administered by OCE)
Sponsor
In partnership with the Government of Canada, the program will be administered on behalf of the Government of Ontario by Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and on behalf of the Government of Québec by Le Centre facilitant la recherche et l'innovation dans les organisations (CEFRIO) and PROMPT.
Program
ENCQOR (Evolution of Networked Services through a Corridor in Quebec and Ontario for Research and Innovation)
For More Information
ENQCOR Website [1]
Description
ENCQOR (Evolution of Networked Services through a Corridor in Quebec and Ontario for Research and Innovation) is a transformational Canada-Quebec-Ontario partnership focused on research and innovation in the field of 5G disruptive technologies, on adoption initiatives and system uses. ENCQOR establishes the first Canadian pre-commercial corridor of 5G digital infrastructure — the key to making the digital economy a reality. ENCQOR’s five-year strategy and unique focus on providing access to 5G networks to SMEs, researchers and academia means it is purpose-built not just for unlocking the technological promise of 5G in the near term, but for driving long-term economic growth in Quebec and Ontario and in the broader Canadian innovation ecosystem.
ENCQOR establishes the first Canadian pre-commercial corridor of ultra-high-speed, fifth-generation (5G) wireless - the key to unlocking the massive potential of smart cities, e-health, e-education, connected and autonomous vehicles, on-demand entertainment and media, and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others. It will also secure over 4,000 good, middle-class jobs, including 1,800 specialized 5G jobs, over the next five years leading to new innovations in wireless telecommunications. In addition, the project is expected to create jobs at SMEs across Ontario and Québec.
The ENCQOR project is spearheaded by five world-class digital technology companies — Ericsson, Ciena, Thales, IBM Canada and CGI — and brings together industry, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the public sector, centres for innovation, and universities.
5G is an emerging technology that has the potential to meet the explosion in consumer and industry demand for faster and higher-capacity mobile networks. With download speeds up to 100 times faster and latency (the delay between sending an electronic command and it being executed) reduced by a factor of 10 to 50 times, 5G has the capability to enable businesses to deliver solutions to the marketplace faster and better than ever before. As an open collaborative platform for research, innovation, and application demonstration that will be accessible across the Ontario-Québec corridor, ENCQOR will enable SMEs in the Quebec, Ontario and broader Canadian ecosystems to develop and deliver an entirely new generation of products and services. SMEs will benefit from ENCQOR in several ways, including:- Access to 5G Innovation Platform as a Service (iPaas) test beds to develop next-generation technology solutions
- Technical expertise, training, physical space, and support to help SMEs unlock the power of 5G networks to drive technological solutions
- Talent development as students and recent graduates can apply their expertise, leading-edge knowledge and tools to solving industry problems, while SMEs gain vital access to up-and-coming talent
- Support for customer development and engagement activities