Montreal, May 8, 2019 – The partners in the Open-Air Laboratory for Smart Living (LabVI) are pleased to announce that a new-generation 5G site recently went live in the Montreal's Quartier de l'Innovation. The foundations for the development of a next-generation mobile network are being laid.
The new network, installed at an existing LTE site on the roof of the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), has been set up to test the applications of the future, today. Engineers from Videotron and Ericsson worked on the innovative infrastructure, which supports mobile services and connected objects, and is connected to a high-capacity 5G radio antenna.
Connecting to the future
The unique site reproduces 5G features such as increased bandwidth, faster speeds, reduced latency, better geographic coverage and the ability to connect many objects simultaneously.
Videotron has its sights set firmly on 5G and has been testing the technology for several years, says Serge Legris, Videotron's Vice-President, Engineering and Chief Technology Planning Officer. We want to give the scientific community and start-ups the opportunity to test actual applications and projects at LabVI by making the connectivity of the future available to them. The open 5G network were deploying will help foster innovation and advance research.
Ericsson is proud to be part of the Open-Air Laboratory for Smart Living's evolution by contributing its latest 5G-compatible technologies and its connected-objects management platform, says Mike Sisto, Ericsson Canada's Vice President, Sales – Eastern Canada. These technologies enhance LabVI's services and capacity for innovation, making it possible to test new applications that will improve daily life.
5G technology at the heart of the smart life concept
The fifth generation of wireless communications, 5G, will revolutionize telecommunications. Its development is at the heart of the smart living concept, since it will support reliable, secure interconnection of an exponentially increased number of devices and objects, such as sensors and probes that can transmit information in real time.
Among other things, the technology deployed at the Quartier de l'Innovation under this project will help us advance toward the large-scale Internet of Things, an area in which 5G will play a key role.
With 5G, innovative technological applications that serve human needs will become a reality in the next few years, says Mr. Legris. They will be used in smart transportation systems, security, entertainment, healthcare, traffic control and AI. The possibilities are endless!
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About the Open-Air Laboratory for Smart Living
In 2016, Videotron created Canada's first Open-Air Laboratory for Smart Living (LabVI), in collaboration with Ericsson, École de technologie supérieure and the Quartier de l'Innovation de Montréal (QI). The LabVI, located in the heart of the QI, is designed for field-testing under real-life conditions of concrete technological applications with the potential to improve and simplify Quebecers' lives. The unique partnership brings together in one vast test site the knowledge, expertise and technology to implement various components of smart living, including 5G technology and the Internet of Things.
The Laboratory is a model of collaboration in which the community, academe, industry and the municipal administration work together to help make Montréal a leader in the next technological revolution. It is recognized by the Government of Québec as a Centre of Excellence for Next-Generation Evolved Network and Internet of Things. The Centres of Excellence promote the development of promising technologies in Québec's ICT sector to help drive the creation and commercialization of digital business solutions and accelerate the growth of SMEs and start-ups in these fields.
For more information, visit LabVI.ca
