Rogers and Communitech announce new 5G Innovation Lab

The new Waterloo, Ont. lab, opening in September 2019, will accelerate and launch smart city, IoT and enterprise 5G applications.

Rogers Communications has announced a three-year partnership with Waterloo, Ont. based tech hub Communitech to open a new 5G innovation lab to advance made-in-Canada 5G technology and commercialize 5G use cases.

As part of the partnership, the new lab, opening in September 2019, will accelerate and launch smart city, IoT and enterprise 5G applications.

“Canada needs a strong 5G ecosystem to thrive and grow in our increasingly connected world,” said Jorge Fernandes, CTO, Rogers Communications,  in a media release. “Our partnership with Communitech is part of our work to bring together experts from universities, businesses, start-ups and government so our country can lead in the digital economy. This new lab will help bridge the gap between concept and testing to commercialization and market launch for Canadian applications.”

Located in Waterloo, Communitech is a public-private hub that supports over 1,400 companies, from startups to scale-ups to large global players, helping them grow in the digital economy.

Rogers has committed to a multi-year program to bring 5G to Canadians and is building partnerships to create a robust 5G ecosystem.

Last year, the communications firm announced a multi-year partnership with the University of British Columbia to build a real-world 5G hub on the university’s campus. The company also announced a national infrastructure agreement with Ericsson to boost and densify its fibre-powered network with 5G-ready technology.

Rogers is preparing for 5G commercial deployment in 2020 and recently completed 5G test calls in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.