A five-year R&D partnership valued at more than CAD 470 million between Ericsson and the Government of Canada is set to put the country at the forefront of global development in next-generation communications technologies. The investment at Ericsson’s Ottawa, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec, facilities is expected to create and upskill hundreds of jobs, strengthening the sites as global leaders in 5G Advanced, 6G, AI, Cloud RAN and Core Network technologies.
The investment will also support the expansion of research facilities and staff support for quantum computing at Ericsson’s recently established Quantum Research Hub in Montreal.
The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, says: “As we continue to support innovation, we are creating good jobs, strengthening the middle class and ensuring Canada remains a global leader in technology.”
Börje Ekholm, president and CEO, Ericsson, adds: “Ericsson’s R&D investment partnership with the Canadian government, supported by world-class talent in Ottawa and Montreal, will boost innovation and ultimately help to improve the lives of millions of people. We are determined to lead our industry through continued R&D investment.”
The Hon. François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, says: “Canadians deserve strong, secure and reliable wireless networks and services. By investing in Ericsson Canada, our government continues to support and strengthen the 5G networks of today and 6G networks of the future. The partnership also further solidifies Canada as a global leader in next-generation networks and creates more well-paying jobs.”
The new investment will also enable Ericsson Canada to onboard up to 60 additional interns per year — 300 across the five-year timeline — to boost ongoing academic partnerships. Most of these students will be based in the Montreal and Ottawa R&D centers.
Already Ericsson’s key North American R&D facility, the Ottawa site occupies 25,000 square meters, of which more than 4,300 is solely dedicated to lab operations, including the recently established Ericsson Open Lab.
Jeanette Irekvist, president of Ericsson Canada, states: “Ericsson is proudly commemorating 70 years of innovation and operations in Canada this year. Today, we demonstrate our continued commitment to Canada with this high-tech R&D investment announcement. The benefits of this project will strengthen Canada’s technology expertise that is second-to-none, will bolster Ericsson’s world-class R&D centres and is a testament to the concentration of talent here in the Ottawa-area and in Montreal.”
Ericsson Canada has R&D centers and offices in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto and is among the leading R&D spenders in the country, averaging some CAD 345 million per year.