uOttawa and TELUS partner to fuel connectivity, innovation, and economic growth in the National Capital Region

TELUS 5G technology will propel innovation, cutting-edge research and development in smart medicine, health, cyber security, and more

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 24, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - The University of Ottawa (uOttawa) and TELUS today announced a five-year partnership to transform the campus into a 5G-connected innovation hub. TELUS, a world-leading communications and information technology company, is investing $6 million to enable 5G technology across uOttawa's multiple campuses to accelerate cutting-edge research and innovation in the heart of our nation's capital. This collaboration will not only fuel multidisciplinary research to advance global health and life-saving diagnostics and treatments and cyber security, but will also transform uOttawa campuses and enrich the student experience through new curriculums and teaching methods as students participate in cutting-edge research leveraging the power of 5G.

"5G will be a game changer in how we live, work, conduct research and teach in an increasingly digital world," said Sylvain Charbonneau, Vice-President, Research and Innovation at the University of Ottawa. "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. This 5G investment allows us to immerse our students in the world's most advanced digital technology during these formative years so they develop important skills to shape the digital economy of the future."

TELUS is working closely with key partners including uOttawa, to bring innovative solutions that will improve the quality of life for Canadians and their communities by investing in Canada's next generation networks. This quantum leap forward in our ability to consume, process and analyze data leveraging 5G networks will propel the most advanced research in some of uOttawa's key strength areas like health innovation, smart medicine and cyber security and enable researchers to develop real-life applications that will dramatically transform how we live and work. 

"As TELUS continuously strives towards building sustainable Canadian intellectual wealth, we are excited to partner with the University of Ottawa to leverage the power of TELUS' technological and network products," said Ibrahim Gedeon, Chief Technology Officer at TELUS. "Our 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, cyber security and smart city technology. This 5G investment in our academic institutions and future Canadian leaders will generate sustainable financial and intellectual growth for all of Canada."

TELUS and uOttawa are also working on extending the partnership to include two on-campus 5G research labs that will contribute to cutting-edge research in new technologies such as 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.

This partnership builds on previous commitments made by both TELUS and uOttawa to fuel big ideas and strengthen cooperation among the brightest minds from tech businesses and students in the National Capital Region. Last summer, TELUS became the 5G Anchor Partner of the Kanata North Business Association's HUB350, just a few doors down from the University's Kanata-North campus in the Innovation Zone of Canada's largest Technology Hub. 

The TELUS 5G network now reaches 70 per cent of the Canadian population from coast-to-coast as part of its significant $54 billion investment in infrastructure and operations through 2024 demonstrating its commitment to connecting Canadians and driving remarkable social outcomes in our communities. To learn more about TELUS' 5G network visit telus.com/network.

To learn more about uOttawa's research and innovation programs, visit research.uottawa.ca.

About the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa ranks among the top 10 research universities in Canada and is the largest bilingual (French-English) university in the world. Rooted in its bilingual and Francophone DNA, it evolves at the intersection of cultures, at the heart of Canada's capital. This distinct environment provides a microcosm where new ideas about our collective future - national and global - come to life. uOttawa possesses the ambition and the ability to respond with ingenuity and creativity that our dynamic environment offers to the challenges and opportunities that our dynamic environment offers. It is committed to academic and research excellence and values cultural diversity, equity and inclusion. With more than 24 interdisciplinary research centres, institutes and hubs, and 27 core facilities, uOttawa promotes dynamic research collaboration and leverages Ottawa's government laboratories, industry and policymakers. For more information, please visit: research.uottawa.ca.

About TELUS 
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $16 billion in annual revenue and 16 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. We leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. In 2020, TELUS was recognized as having the fastest wireless network in the world, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better. TELUS Health is Canada's leader in digital health technology, improving access to health and wellness services and revolutionizing the flow of health information across the continuum of care. TELUS Agriculture provides innovative digital solutions throughout the agriculture value chain, supporting better food outcomes from improved agri-business data insights and processes. TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that delivers next-generation AI and content management solutions for global brands across the technology and games, ecommerce and FinTech, communications and media, healthcare, travel and hospitality sectors. TELUS and TELUS International operate in 25+ countries around the world.

Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS, our team members and retirees to contribute more than $820 million and 1.6 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. Together, let's make the future friendly.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us @TELUSNews on Twitter and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

SOURCE University of Ottawa

Isabelle Mailloux, University of Ottawa Media Relations, [email protected]; Donna Ramirez, TELUS Public Relations, [email protected]