More than 300 ICT Innovators and Industry Leaders Explore How Canada is Seizing Opportunity at the Next Frontier of Advanced Networking

November 28, 2018; Ottawa; Ontario: On Tuesday, November 27, CENGN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, brought together more than 300 delegates to explore how Canada can seize the opportunity at the next frontier of advanced networking and build its leadership in this global sector. This sold-out event demonstrated how Canadian innovators and firms are transforming their organizations by employing next generation network technologies and applications, and leveraging these capabilities to gain greater advantage, create new market opportunity and generate greater wealth.

Founded on the compelling theme Prosperity through Connectivity, emphasizing how all organizations, sectors and citizens can benefit from enhanced connectivity in the Age of Data, this one-day event enabled industry, academia and government to:

• Gain insight into the latest developments in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, including new market, technology development, and adoption opportunities and challenges
• Promote their leadership in ICT, with a focus on next generation networking and applications
• Discuss how next generation networks are revolutionizing our economy from e-health to autonomous vehicles, smart mining, precision agriculture, and financial services, to name a few.

Moderated by Amy MacLeod, Mitel’s Corporate Diversity Officer and Vice President of Strategic Communications, the Summit enabled participants to benefit from:

• More than 20 authoritative speakers anchored by keynotes from Jacob Glick, General Counsel for North, and Robert Bauer, Managing Director, Commercial Innovation at AIG & Head, Sharing Economy Practice Group (San Francisco). These leaders spoke to distinct business cases for continued investment in next generation networks, with a focus on the novel applications, opportunities and impact enabled by this mission-critical infrastructure.
• Provocative panel discussions on Business in a Hyper-Connected World; Connectivity Beyond the Smart City; and Transforming Vertical Markets Through Connectivity
• Canadian Network Innovator Pitches from eight of Canada’s top advanced networking small and medium enterprises including: Aditum Health; Breqwatr; Crypto4A; LoginTC; Solana Networks; SRC Solutions; Ukko Agro; Zighra
• The Next Generation Network Showcase featuring Canadian technology developers and industry leaders who have participated in CENGN-supported collaborative R&D and commercialization projects
• The announcement of CENGN Academy, which will create a skilled workforce by training students, professionals and organizations on next generation networking technology.
• A highlight of CENGN’s Student Internship Program, with special recognition to Sam Robillard, a fourth-year engineering student from Carleton University who leveraged his CENGN internship to become involved as a leader in the ICT community and work at Nokia, a CENGN member company.
• A wealth of networking opportunities with decision-makers, thought leaders and influencers as underscored by the incredible buzz throughout the conference

CENGN’s CEO and President, JC Fahmy, set the tone of the Summit with an opening presentation on the importance of collaboration between the ICT ecosystem to enable industry growth: “In an era of fierce global competition, it is essential for Canadian NGN innovators and firms to collaborate in new ways that leverage collective strengths, seize emerging opportunities and generate ROI that no single organization can achieve in isolation,” said JC Fahmy, President and CEO of CENGN.

“The third CENGN Summit underscored this need, highlighting Canadian NGN opportunity and impact in diverse technology fields, sectors, and regions. As we look forward, CENGN will build on the results achieved with our community to date and continue to take bold action to accelerate the development, commercialization and adoption of Canadian ICT and NGN solutions across in Canada and globally”.

The opening address delivered by Mr. Fahmy provided critical context on Canada’s opportunity to optimize and leverage NGNs, highlighting the global market’s increased dependence on connectivity to improve in verticals such as intelligent transportation, agriculture, mining, govtech, retail, energy and healthcare.

“The health industry is consistently striving to enhance hospital productivity and patient outcomes. Next generation networks and applications are enabling us to make significant progress on these objectives,” said Mari Teitelbaum, Vice President of Provincial Programs and CIO at CHEO. “As the confidentiality of patient information is a top priority for CHEO and fellow hospitals, cybersecurity is essential to the successful application of these technologies in healthcare. Organizations, such as CENGN, can play a key role in ensuring hospitals can adopt these new technologies safely.”

“Our company has built a smart agriculture solution ecosystem that allows farmers to improve yield by optimizing crop inputs with an initial focus on optimizing pesticide usage,” said Ketan Kaushish, Co-founder and CEO of Ukko Agro, and one of eight Canadian small to medium enterprises (SMEs) that participated in the NGN Innovator Pitch at the Summit. “Our solution includes pest prediction and plant growth models that analyze data gathered from on-farm weather sensors to help farmers assist in making key decisions, such as pesticide sprays, harvest timings, in real time. CENGN enabled us to test, validate and enhance the efficacy of this technology on a commercial-grade infrastructure, accelerating the commercialization of our solution.”

“The mining industry is experiencing a monumental transformation with the increasing adoption and deployment of new technologies,” said Don Duval, CEO of Sudbury’s NORCAT, one of the world’s leading advanced manufacturing and mining innovation centres. “Next generation networks and related applications are creating new capabilities and increasing mining productivity, performance, and safety. Our collaboration with CENGN, NGN SMEs, and multinationals is helping our clients develop, test, and demonstrate emerging technologies that are poised to transform the industry”.

The CENGN Summit underscores the value and impact of critical funding CENGN provided by the Government of Canada through the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE); and from the Government of Ontario through Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE). The third CENGN Summit was made possible by the generous support of the following sponsors: Bell; CloudOps Inc.; Huawei; Juniper Networks; Mitel; TELUS; Wind River; Algonquin College; CANARIE; Carleton University; Invest Ottawa; ORION; Ottawa Tourism; and the University of Ottawa. CENGN extends sincere thanks to all organizations for continued support of Canada’s next generation networking industry and innovation community.

View the CENGN Summit speaker roster, program, and photos at:
https://cengnsummit.ca/2018-photo-gallery/

About CENGN – Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks

CENGN is the Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks. Its mission is to accelerate the growth of the Canadian Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, enabling economic strength and prosperity, as well as innovation and competitiveness in this high-growth global multi-trillion dollar industry. Through the organization’s leading-edge technology infrastructure and expertise, and the creation of a globally recognized ecosystem of partners, CENGN helps Canadian small and medium enterprises overcome commercialization barriers and grow. CENGN collaborates with top ICT multinationals, the public sector, financial institutions, and academic partners, to solidify Canada’s leadership in next generation networks for the benefit of all Canadians. CENGN’s ecosystem includes members Bell Canada, Cisco, EXFO, Huawei, Invest Ottawa, Juniper Networks, Mitel, Nokia, Ribbon Communications, Rogers, TELUS, and Wind River. The company also partners with the federal government through the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) and the Ontario government through the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE). For additional information, please visit: www.cengn.ca

CENGN Media Contact
Rick Penwarden
Rick.penwarden@cengn.ca
Cell: +1 613-963-1200, ext. 329

About the Author

CENGN, Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, drives technology innovation and industry growth through our testbed, technical expertise, talent development, and partner ecosystem. Through our projects, CENGN enables small and medium Canadian Enterprises to test and validate promising technologies, removing barriers to product commercialization and accelerating market growth.

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