Ericsson And The Government Of Canada Sign Research And Development Cooperation Agreements Over 470 Million US Dollars

With R&D centers and offices in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, Ericsson Canada is one of the largest R&D spenders in Canada, spending an average of C$345 million per year. For 70 years, Ericsson Canada has played a vital role in Canada's innovation ecosystem, including supporting communications service providers through every generation of mobile communications. Ericsson Canada is also a partner of the National Ecosystem Network of Canada, which aims to promote the adoption and cooperation of 5G in Canada.

Ericsson and the Government of Canada Corporation have signed a five-year research and development collaboration agreement worth more than C$470 million that will put Canada at the forefront of the global development of next-generation communications technologies. Ericsson's investments in Ottawa, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec are expected to create and enhance hundreds of jobs, strengthening the factories' global leadership in 5G advanced, 6G, artificial intelligence, cloud RAN and core network technologies.

Ericsson President and CEO Ekorn Bao said: "We have already seen the benefits of next-generation technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence, but we are still in the early stages of their potential to transform our work, leisure and social lives. Ericsson's research and development with the Canadian government This investment partnership, backed by world-class talent in Ottawa and Montreal, will foster innovation that will ultimately help improve the lives of millions. We are determined to lead the industry through our continued investment in research and development."

Jeanette Irekvist, President Ericsson Canada, said: "Ericsson is proud to mark 70 years of innovation and operations in Canada this year. Today, we are announcing our investment in high-tech R&D in Canada as evidence of our continued commitment to Canada. Proceeds from this project will strengthen Canada's Second-to-none technical expertise that will support Ericsson's world-class R&D centers and demonstrate the concentration of talent in the Ottawa region and Montreal."

The new investment will also allow Ericsson Canada to take on an additional 60 interns per year (300 over five years) to facilitate ongoing academic collaborations. Most of these students will work at the research and development centers in Montreal and Ottawa. As Ericsson's main R&D center in North America, the Ottawa base covers an area of 25,000 square meters, of which more than 4,300 square meters are dedicated to laboratory operations, including the recently established Ericsson Open Lab.