Ottawa to support Ericsson Canada on $470 million project to develop faster networks

OTTAWA – The federal government is partnering with wireless networking technology company Ericsson Canada to invest more than $470 million in a project that aims to push research and development toward creating 5G and 6G networks.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement today alongside Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne in Ottawa.

The project is supposed to create and provide training for hundreds of jobs in Ottawa and Montreal, while establishing Canada as one of Ericsson’s global research and development hubs.

The company says the five-year research and development partnership will put Canada at the “forefront of global development in next-generation communications technologies.”

The federal government says details about the project, including timelines and the level of public funding, will be confirmed in the near future and that discussions with the company are ongoing.

The partnership with Ericsson Canada is the latest investment the federal government is making in wireless technology, and follows a fall announcement on investing in the expansion of a Nokia facility in Ottawa.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2023.