Telesat and ENCQOR 5G announced a new strategic partnership. Through a shared promise from public and private sector industry leaders to advance 5G technology forward, investment and collaboration in an ultra-high-speed communications infrastructure will not only enable further developments and innovation of 5G and next-generation digital communication technologies, but will also drive economic growth for Canada and bring internet connectivity to the entire nation, including in both rural and urban areas. In cooperation with the ENCQOR 5G program, Telesat will conduct demonstrations, trials and pilots that will advance 5G connectivity, particularly to industries operating in rural areas.

This includes the utilization of the ENCQOR testbed, satellite assets, as well as national and international 5G infrastructures. The partnership will also allow both Telesat and ENCQOR 5G to collaborate with other industries, academia, and organizations across Canada and around the world. ENCQOR 5G is a transformational Canada-Québec-Ontario program that includes anchor partners and digital technology leaders Ericsson, Ciena Canada Inc., Thales Canada Inc., IBM Canada, and CGI along with provincial coordinators that include Prompt, ADRIQ and the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI).

Since its inception in 2017, the organization has sought to establish the first Canadian pre-commercial corridor of 5G wireless communication technologies and unlock the massive potential of commercial and industrial industries (i.e., smart cities, e-health, e-education, connected and autonomous vehicles, on-demand entertainment/media, and IoT). In addition to securing over 1,800 high-qualified R&D jobs, ENCQOR 5G brings together a wide network of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), industry, government, researchers, and academia to collaborate on the creation and commercialization of new and disruptive products, processes, and services over a five-year span and beyond.