TMCnet News
Ontario Government Announces $63 Million for CENGN in the 2017 BudgetOTTAWA, April 28, 2017 /CNW/ - CENGN, Canada's Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (NGN), a leader in the rapid commercialization of Canadian network products, applications and services, was announced in the Ontario 2017 Budget as a key player for the Ontario Government's 5G Technology initiative. CENGN has proven successful in accelerating innovations developed by Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This success is attributed to federal funding provided by the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE), and essential support from CENGN's members, a group that brings together top industry leaders in ICT and network solutions. This critical support from the Government of Ontario will enable even greater collaboration among industry, academia, research, and government bodies in critical and highly technological areas of NGN, software-defined networking, and network function virtualization across the province. The Ontario budget briefing identifies 5G networks (fifth-generation wireless technologies) as the backbone of future technologies. Ontario will invest $63 million over five years in CENGN's Cloud Expansion Project. The CENGN Cloud will connect 18 innovation centres across the province that directly support industries that underpin Ontario's economy, and provide SMEs with new advanced networking capabilities. This will advance the development and availability of next-generation networks and the many digital economy industries that leverage these networks. It will help firms to capitalize on key opportunities in fields such as Autonomous Vehicles (AV), aerospace, public safety, cybersecurity, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), mining, eHealth, smart agriculture, and broadband Internet architecture (rural and remote). CENGN's goal is to strengthen Ontario and Canada's leadership in global ICT and next generation networking. This initiative directly addresses this objective by helping to drive economic growth in Ontario, and deliver long-term benefit to its residents. For example, it will enable SMEs to test their products and services in the CENGN environment, and accelerate their time to market. This will catalyze the growth of SMEs, and the ICT sector as a whole. It will also help to address the future workforce needs of the ICT and advanced networking industry by enriching student and training programs, and creating a highly skilled talent pool. About CENGN – Canada's Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks CENGN members include: Cisco, EXFO, GENBAND, Fujitsu, Invest Ottawa, Juniper, Nokia, Rogers, TELUS, VIAVI, Wind River, and Zayo Canada. CENGN's Ontario academic partners include: Algoma University, Algonquin College, Brock University, Carleton University, University of Guelph, University of Hearst, Lakehead University, Laurentian University, McMaster University, Nipissing University, OCAD University, University of Ontario, University of Ottawa, Queen's University, Ryerson University, Trent University, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Willis College, Wilfrid Laurier University, Western University, University of Windsor, York University. CENGN's government and other organizational partners include: NCE, Ontario Centre of Excellence, MaRS, Invest Ottawa, Communitech, Mitacs. For more information visit www.cengn.ca Follow us @CENGNCanada SOURCE Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks |