Despite the Pandemic, ENCQOR 5G Continues to Build Momentum, Passing the 600 SME Mark
Montreal (Quebec), April 27, 2021 – ENCQOR 5G is proud to announce that over 600 SMEs have joined the program since its launch in 2017. Participating SMEs are using ENCQOR 5G network solutions to modernize and transform a wide variety of sectors, including multimedia and entertainment, transportation, smart cities, healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture and mining. ENCQOR 5G is an initiative led by a consortium of its five founding partners (CGI, Ciena, Ericsson, IBM and Thales), the provincial governments of Quebec and Ontario and the Canadian government.
"By reaching the milestone of 600 SMEs involved in the program, ENCQOR 5G has enabled the establishment of a formidable ecosystem of cooperation between large companies, SMEs and academia, in just a few years. This cooperation has played an immense role in encouraging innovation and the development of 5G technologies across Canada, There is no doubt that the program is making a significant contribution to the growth and competitiveness of businesses in Quebec and Ontario," said Pierre Boucher, Director General of Innovation ENCQOR.
The project, implemented with the support of our mobilization partners, the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) in Ontario and Prompt and ADRIQ in Quebec, provides a no-cost pre-commercial platform for Canadian companies to develop and test the next generation of 5G technology solutions.
"I look forward to the coming months with confidence and enthusiasm as we see the continued commitment of our academic and business partners, despite the significant challenges posed by the pandemic. I invite SMEs interested in exploring the potential of 5G technology to visit our website to learn more about our testbeds and our various support programs," added Mr. Boucher.
A state-of-the-art 5G testbed
SMEs participating in ENCQOR can access ENCQOR's high-performance testbeds located in five innovation centers: Quebec City (Intelligence and Data Institute), Montreal (Centech), Ottawa (Invest Ottawa), Toronto (MaRS) and Waterloo (Communitech). ENCQOR is the only pre-commercial network in Canada that offers access to all three 5G frequency ranges, allowing researchers and developers to test a very wide range of applications and take full advantage of the possibilities offered by this technology.
You can learn more about the achievements of some of the SMEs by watching the short videos posted on the ENCQOR 5G website on the occasion of the 500 SME milestone. Other videos of SMEs will also be available soon on the ENCQOR 5G website.
About Innovation ENCQOR
ENCQOR 5G is funded by the governments of Canada, Quebec and Ontario, as well as key industry players: Ericsson, Ciena, Thales, CGI and IBM. It is implemented with the support of our mobilization partners, the Ontario Center of Innovation in Ontario and Prompt and ADRIQ in Quebec. The program's mandate is to bring together SMEs and academia to contribute to the advancement of research, innovation and application demonstration through a 5G pre-commercial testbed. ENCQOR 5G has five innovation centers located in Ontario and Quebec, offering a 5G platform where SMEs can develop and test new solutions.
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Source: ENCQOR 5G
For information:
Frédéric Tremblay
ENCQOR 5G
Tél.: (514) 874-1909