Global experts lay the groundwork for 5G adoption at Ottawa meeting

OTTAWA, June 1, 2017 /CNW/ - More than 200 experts met in Ottawa to lay the groundwork for widespread adoption of 5G technologies, in Canada and globally, from 2020. Technologists, researchers and executives got together at the 4^th WWRF 5G Huddle on May 31 and June 1^st.

The fourth in a series of major international events, and the first held in Canada, the 5G Huddle examined fundamental changes in the way society and businesses function and how citizens live. There was consensus it will drive innovation in vertical markets everywhere, and general agreement that the most innovative carriers are not expected to use 5G commercially before 2020. Large-scale 5G rollout will most probably take even longer.

Sessions also covered the demand for new technologies to respond to the explosion of data both created and exchanged, the availability of new radio spectrum and the key radio and network technologies being developed to provide 5G services.

There were strong debates on whether and how the needs of vertical market sectors such as transport, health, agriculture, and utilities could be met using the emerging 5G technologies. These technologies are targeted to provide enhanced mobile broadband, massively dense networks supporting the Internet of Things, and fast and reliable networks to support remote operation of machinery including autonomous vehicles.

The 2017 5G Huddle also discussed the transition from 4G to 5G, namely, what needs to be done to lay the groundwork for widespread 5G adoption and ensure that we are prepared to capitalize on the opportunities and benefits ahead.

Kelly Gillis, Associate Deputy Minister at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, congratulated WWRF on its progress in leading the 5G discussion. She noted the window of opportunity for Canada to lead the world in 5G and noted that we are at an inflection point where ubiquitous connectivity, enhanced speeds, ultra-low latency and ultra-fast connectivity can lead to new services and new sectors of application.

Nigel Jefferies, Chairman of the Wireless World Research Forum said, "WWRF  is a global organization and we are very happy to bring the 5G Huddle to Canada during the celebration of the 150^th anniversary of Confederation, where we have launched our latest publication on 5G mobile technologies and their impact on developing countries. The Huddle has again produced some compelling visions of the future, and realistic and constructive discussions on the challenges and hurdles to overcome. 5G is on track to be delivered by the industry, but the critical importance of demonstrating the capabilities and potential of 5G to vertical market customers has been clearly shown here."

The Chair thanks Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada for their support of this conference.

About the WWRF

The Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF) is the unique global industry-academia organization addressing the where the wireless community can tackle the key research challenges. Founded in 2001 as a member-based not-for-profit organization, it runs high-profile conferences and technical meetings, with an extensive publication programme (www.wwrf.ch).

SOURCE Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF)

Nigel Jefferies ([email protected]); Karina Nees-Maric ([email protected])