Source: Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada (NCE-RCE)

The Opportunity

Telecommunications has been one of Canada’s greatest success stories for over a century. Next generation networks, a $5 trillion market, present major opportunities for countries and companies that can move quickly. The industry is undergoing a fundamental change driven by the convergence of all content – voice, video, data, mobility – and the exponential growth of cloud based applications. By 2020, there will be 50 billion smart connected devices. In order to meet the fluctuating demand for network bandwidth, future networks will need to be dynamic, using technology such as software defined networks (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV). This transition is already underway, creating a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs and researchers to develop new products, applications and services.

How CENGN is Seizing the Opportunity

The Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks and its pan-Canadian consortium bring together the full supply chain of collaborators and competitors, including major equipment manufacturers, service providers, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and public and private research organizations. CENGN will provide companies and academic researchers with access to the world’s first multi-vendor platform for testing and validating advanced products and applications, allowing them to collaborate on new network technologies and services. The centre provides services that include validation, certification, conformance, performance testing and training, as well as access to business support services, facilities, mentors and investors. CENGN is structured to create a “market pull” that is scalable, replicable and financially sustainable; a best practices model designed to accelerate the commercialization of next generation communications solutions.

Among the Results

• Strategic areas such as healthcare, financial services, energy, resources and environmental protection are benefiting from CENGN’s efforts to catalyze the development of new cloud-based services
• The centre completed a five-city tour to find and support small and medium enterprises working on next-generation network technologies. The tour identified companies that could work with CENGN or its partners. With stops in Edmonton, Vancouver, Montréal, Toronto and Ottawa, the tour attracted 300 participants
• CENGN is building on the $600 million federal government investment in CANARIE, a world class fibre optic research network, by enabling companies and researchers to interact on commercialization activities that leverage CANARIE’s infrastructure
• By using the services of CENGN’s test platform, organizations such as service providers, financial institutions and Shared Services Canada can independently validate vendor products

About the Author

CENGN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, drives technology innovation and industry growth through our testbed, technical expertise, talent development, and partner ecosystem. Through our projects, CENGN enables small and medium Canadian Enterprises to test and validate promising technologies, removing barriers to product commercialization and accelerating market growth.

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