Telecommunications giant Telus is spending $6 million to install 5G infrastructure on the University of Ottawa campus as part of a deal that could see the two organizations partner to create new digital health and cybersecurity technologies.
The university said this week the agreement will spark research into “life-saving diagnostics and treatments” as well as new cybersecurity platforms, adding it will lead to “new curriculums and teaching methods” as students participate in cutting-edge research using 5G technology.
University of Ottawa vice-president of research and innovation Sylvain Charbonneau said 5G will be a “game-changer” for the city’s largest post-secondary institution.
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“Being among the first universities to transition to 5G means we can continue to attract top researchers and strengthen our capacity for impactful research that leads to real-life solutions to real-world challenges,” Charbonneau said in a statement.
Telus and uOttawa said they’re also hoping to launch two on-campus labs where researchers will work to pioneer new technologies, including “applications to monitor patient health, smartphone applications for mobile monitoring, digital health systems, the detection of cyberthreats and cyberattacks in real-time, and connected vehicular data to perform real-time analytics of traffic patterns, hazardous road conditions and sudden weather events.”
Telus chief technology officer Ibrahim Gedeon said the 5G network at uOttawa “will enable some of the most innovative researchers to drive advancements with private- and public-sector partners in medical technologies, autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity and smart-city technology.”
