Named the SaskTel 5G Innovation Lab – powered by Samsung, the new labs are designed to provide local businesses, university students, researchers and other innovators with facilities to unlock the potential of 5G technology. This includes developing solutions to “shape the future of communication and connectivity across Saskatchewan”.
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. Near the province’s largest post-secondary institutions, research community and growing technology companies, the parks provide a ready-made gathering place for the labs’ users. Their space and flexible accommodation will also provide an integrated experience for short and long-term use.
Initially launched in late 2021, SaskTel’s 5G network comprises over 520 cell sites and covers nearly 85% of the provincial population. Already able to deliver “hyper-fast data speeds”, SaskTel’s 5G network will continue to evolve to meet customers’ needs and support the emergence of new wireless technologies, according to the company. As the primary and wireless solutions provider to SaskTel, Samsung is supplying the 4G and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and core solutions.
In Canada, 5G Labs have become important because they “open vast amounts of data transfer”, creating networks that are more secure, clean and faster than previous technologies for users to test products and conduct research, noted the companies. This will particularly benefit the province’s core industries, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), agriculture, mining and healthcare organisations that rely on the advantages of a 5G network.