UBC – BIG

The federal government and the Province of British Columbia are investing $1.9 million for high-speed internet projects in Keats Island and New Brighton.

Telecom company CityWest is responsible for the two projects that will bring high-speed internet access to a combined 663 households.

The projects are providing more details on a joint announcement the two governments made back in May, committing $108 million towards internet projects for the province.

The $108 million commitment falls into another, larger, agreement the two government bodies made, committing $830 million in March to connect all underserved communities in the province by 2027.

“Connectivity has become an essential tool for accessing services, pursuing higher education and doing business in today’s world. Making sure every community has access to high-speed internet is an investment in our province’s success,” Lisa Beare, B.C’s Minister of Citizens’ Services, said.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada

Rogers and the University of British Columbia (UBC) have teamed up to develop lifesaving projects powered by 5G technology.

Part of the focus of the partnership is directed towards wildfire management. The project will involve monitoring forest conditions in real-time through the use of a 5G network.

This would be vital for a province prone to wildfires and other climate-related disasters. According to the Government of British Columbia, 1,610 wildfires burned 868, 203 hectares of land this year alone. 35 percent of these were caused by nature and 60 percent by humans.

“The 2021 wildfire season in B.C. was the third-worst on record in terms of area burned,” said Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais from UBC’s department of earth, environmental and geographic sciences, in a press release.

A second project is focused on teleoperations. It will offer telemedicine to residents in remote communities using a system combining mixed reality, haptic technology, control theory and 5G.

Monitoring emergencies and disasters is another area of interest. The goal will be to create a medical platform powered by 5G slicing to address larger situations in a timely manner.

“5G is a critical part of Canada’s future and the ecosystem around leveraging its full potential is as important as building out the network behind it,” said Joe Natale, president and CEO of Rogers, in a statement.

This is the next step in an ongoing relationship between the two organizations. They first came together in 2018 with plans to build a 5G hub in Vancouver’s UBC campus.

MobileSyrup reached out to Rogers for more information regarding the project’s future availability once it’s completed.