Local partnership to study future of cities
Communitech and City of Waterloo join Rogers on 5G research collaboration
WATERLOO REGION — A new partnership of municipal, academic, and private-sector groups in Waterloo Region and across the province will study the future of cities and ways new technology can improve life.
Kitchener-based innovation hub Communitech will join the City of Waterloo, the University of Waterloo, Rogers Communication and others to explore how to prepare cities for the future amid demographic shifts, changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and new technology such as artificial intelligence, automation, and 5G networks.
They will also examine how 5G connectivity in particular could be used to improve the movement of people and goods, while also boosting safety and reducing carbon emissions.
“We’ve recognized that the challenges facing cities cannot be tackled by any one entity acting alone,” said Joel Semeniuk, vice-president of corporate innovation at Communitech in a news release Thursday.
“We are stronger together than apart, so have formed this collaborative to research and test solutions that will help our communities prepare for whatever the future holds.”
Other partners include consulting
firm PwC Canada, financial institution Interac, and the City of Brampton.
5G technology provides almost real-time connectivity to
mobile networks. Latency, or the delay between sending a request and a network response, could theoretically drop to one millisecond — or about a thousandth
of a second. That speed is critical for many new and developing technologies, such as self-driving vehicles.
Over the next six months, the collaborative will release research papers that “serve to inspire a sense of urgency among leaders” to better prepare cities across Canada for the future, the news release stated.
They will also host a series of virtual events and conversations on the future of cities, and launch pilot projects throughout Waterloo Region.
Rogers also announced Thursday the expansion of its 5G network into 10 additional communities in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. The service is now available in more than 170 communities nationwide, including Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the University of Waterloo campus.
Future 5G networks “will be a critical building block in advancing digital technologies to support Canada’s future growth and innovation,” said Rogers Communications chief technology officer Jorge Fernandes. “Essential to that is ensuring our communities have access to the digital infrastructure and technology solutions they need to thrive.”
For more information, visit communitech.ca.