SaskTel, Samsung Canada and provincial agency Innovation Saskatchewan announced Tuesday the launch of Saskatchewan’s first-ever 5G innovation labs.
Named the SaskTel 5G Innovation Lab – powered by Samsung, these new labs are designed and equipped to provide local businesses, university students, researchers and other innovators with tools and facilities “to unlock the full potential of 5G technology and develop innovative solutions that will shape the future of communication and connectivity across Saskatchewan,” a SaskTel press release says.
The 5G Innovation Labs are located at the Collider co-working spaces in Saskatoon and Regina, part of the Innovation Place research and technology parks.
“In close proximity to the province’s largest post-secondary institutions, a world-class research community and growing technology companies, the parks provide a ready-made gathering place for the labs’ users,” the release says.
“Innovation Saskatchewan is proud to be home to the 5G Innovation Labs,” Kari Harvey, CEO of Innovation Saskatchewan, said in the release. “This collaboration between industry and government shows the province’s commitment to ensuring the competitiveness of our tech sector and expanding opportunities through our evolving innovation corridor.”
“We live in a wireless world where everything from business to government, education to healthcare, financial transactions to social interactions are reliant on the wireless networks and technologies that connect us to people and resources all over the world,” SaskTel president and CEO Charlene Gavel said in a statement. “I want to thank both Samsung and Innovation Saskatchewan for partnering with us to bring these labs from concept to reality and we’re excited to launch the labs so that we can start pushing the boundaries of 5G technology to create a more connected future for our province.”
Initially launched in late 2021, SaskTel’s 5G network currently consists of more than 520 cell sites and covers nearly 85 per cent of the province’s population. SaskTel recently announced it has reached the halfway mark of its 5G network rollout.
“We are only just beginning to see the incredible possibilities 5G will enable for Canadian industries, and with these new Innovation Labs we are marking a critical next step in bringing these capabilities to life,” said Stephen Wiktorski, vice president and head of networks at Samsung Canada. “Together with SaskTel and Innovation Saskatchewan, we are proud to realize a new era of innovation in Saskatchewan.”
As the primary wireless solutions provider to SaskTel, Samsung is providing the latest 4G and 5G radio access network (RAN) and core solutions to help foster an environment for innovation, SaskTel’s press release says.
“Built on an advanced 5G RAN architecture, the ultra-low latency and high bandwidth capabilities of 5G will empower innovators to explore and create solutions across various industries from mining to agriculture to smart cities,” the release says.
“Samsung’s technology will be the catalyst for the advancement of use cases for wireless private networks and the Innovation Labs will provide the necessary environment for innovators to realize their solutions. Samsung’s industry leading designs and expertise in deployment will provide the assistance needed to get the Innovation Labs up and running.”
More information on the SaskTel 5G Innovation Lab is available here.
