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Western partners with Bell on 5G research initiative

LONDON, ON, June 11, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ – To accelerate 5G innovation in Canada, Western has partnered with Bell Canada to create an advanced 5G research centre – turning the campus into a ‘living lab’ that will help shape smarter cities and communications systems, boost drone security, better manage business continuity, and more.

Bell will invest $2.7 million and deploy 5G network equipment and infrastructure throughout the Western campus. The partnership will also fund research and development initiatives, training opportunities, and technological innovations.

“We continue to look for innovative partnerships that put our research community in a position to have real impact on society,” said Sarah Prichard, Acting Vice-President (Research). “By using campus as a ‘living lab’ for new technologies like 5G, we’re offering a unique opportunity to ask a full range of important questions across disciplines.”

The partnership will study 5G applications, including virtual and augmented reality use; smart vehicle and smart city applications; autonomous vehicles; industrial Internet of Things applications; multi-access edge computing; battery and small cell research; machine learning; artificial intelligence; and other technology for use in fields such as medicine, agriculture, transportation, and communications.

“Bell is pleased to further our relationship with one of Canada’s most respected universities, combining Bell’s technology expertise and Western’s excellence in academic research,” said Wade Oosterman, MBA’86, Bell’s Vice Chair and Group President. “We look forward to the contributions we will make together to keep Canada at the forefront of global network innovation.”

At Western, the partnership opens the doors to a range of research possibilities touching all corners of campus, including studies by:

  • Engineering professor Xianbin Wang, whose work improves security, efficiency and reliability of wireless communications;
  • Science professor Anwar Haque, whose research maximizes the efficiency and security of autonomous drones, connected vehicles and smart cities and homes;
  • Ivey Business School professor Bissan Ghaddar, whose work explores the intersection of smart cities, the Internet of Things, and optimization models applied to personal mobility; and
  • Ivey Business School professor Joe Naoum-Sawaya, whose research advances energy, water, mobility and telecommunications within smart cities.

“5G technology is about better connectivity,” said Mark Daley, Special Advisor to the President on Data Strategy. “Connectivity, across disciplines and with partners, is a core value of Western’s research culture. This partnership will enable research that is built on both the better technical connectivity of 5G technology, and the interdisciplinary connectivity between Western and Bell.”

About Western
Western University delivers an academic experience second to none. Since 1878, The Western Experience has combined academic excellence with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social and cultural growth in order to better serve our communities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western attracts individuals with a broad worldview, seeking to study, influence and lead in the international community.

https://www.bce.ca/news-and-media/releases/show/Western-partners-with-Bell-on-5G-research-initiative-1?page=1&month=&year=&perpage=25

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Take Action Today to Fix EI

cerb ei

The CERB is about to run out, and Employment Insurance is not prepared to support Canada’s workers.

We know that the federal government is already investigating making changes to the EI system, because they know that time is running out.

That’s why today, we’re encouraging members to speak up and make sure the government makes the right decision.

We just launched a new tool where you can click to call Minister Qualtrough’s office directly.

Visit unifor.org/FixEI to make your voice heard, and share this message with your membership.

EI rules must be changed to include more workers, deliver better financial support, and make the process faster, and these changes must be permanent.

Even before this crisis, the EI system had been whittled away so only 40% of Canada’s workers are even eligible for regular EI benefits. We have a chance now to make lasting changes to EI, for the better.

A stronger EI system will benefit more workers, and help stabilize the economy against future shocks. It is up to you to fix this vital service for workers today, and for the next generation. It’s clear that this program needs to be changed, dramatically.

I sent a letter to Minister Qualtrough outlining these solutions on May 19, read the letter here.

Before the CERB runs out, we need to build a better income protection system for workers who lose work through no fault of their own. In order to build that system, Canada’s workers must speak up, and tell the government what we need.

Thank you for your participation in this important action. Add your voice, and share the campaign to Fix EI with your local union members.

In solidarity,

Jerry Dias
National President

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Support Race-Based Data Collection on COVID-19

covid race based

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed how inequality influences the effects and the ability of many communities to be able to withstand this pandemic.It is also revealing the disproportionate impacts on racialized communities. For instance, in many large American cities, Black Americans are contracting and dying from COVID19 at a much higher rate than other groups. This has also been documented in countries such as the U.K., which has seen death rates in Black and other ethnic communities rise dramatically compared to white British citizens.

We are also seeing how certain essential industries, like meat processing, which are dependent on migrant labour and low-wage workers of colour, becoming viral outbreak hotspots with widespread infections. Indigenous communities are also at risk, often due to remote locations with little access to health care services and existing health issues.

That’s why Unifor calls on federal, provincial and municipal governments to direct relevant public health bodies (e.g. Health Canada, provincial health ministries, local public health units, etc.), and other data collection agencies and departments (e.g. Statistics Canada) to collect racial data on COVID-19 testing, infection and mortality rates. This should be standardized as much as possible to allow for greater cross-jurisdictional comparisons.

Tools and data must be owned and controlled by Indigenous groups and communities themselves, and any data collected must be used to facilitate immediate action.

This data is to be used for developing fair policies, equitable heath strategies, culturally appropriate resources for impacted communities and for addressing the racism and discrimination that exists in society.

We are asking Unifor local unions, leaders, and members to support this call to action by sending a letter to your municipality or Premier. Ask them to become an ally, and to support this demand, and show them that this request matters to workers in their region.

Download a template letter here, that you can complete and send in on behalf of your local union, committee, or yourself.

Get the letter.

Download the sharable (JPG).

FAQs

Why collect race-based data?

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed how economic inequality has affected the ability of many communities to be able to be able to withstand the impacts of a national and international crisis.

It is also revealing the disproportionate impacts on racialized communities. For instance, in many large American cities, Black Americans are contracting and dying from COVID19 at a much higher rate than other groups. This has also been documented in countries such as the U.K., which has seen death rates in Black and other ethnic communities rise dramatically compared to white British citizens. We are also seeing how certain essential industries, like meat processing, which are dependent on migrant labour and low-wage workers of colour, becoming viral outbreak hotspots with widespread infections. Indigenous communities are also at risk, often due to remote locations with little access to health care services and existing health issues.

It should come as no surprise that the impacts of systemic racism, discrimination and legacy of colonialism has created the conditions for racialized and Indigenous groups to become at higher risk of public health outbreaks. Poor labour market outcomes (e.g. low-wage service sector work and precarious jobs) results in greater risk of poverty, lack of affordable quality housing, food insecurity and less access to health care services – all factors that contribute to poor health and risk of illness and disease. For many Indigenous communities, chronic poverty compounded by the lack of clean drinking water, inadequate housing, lack of accessible and appropriate Indigenous-centered health services and proximity to environmental contaminants, also severely compromise personal and community health.

In jurisdictions across Canada, we do not know (aside for anecdotally) which groups are more likely to be contracting and dying from this virus because governments (at all levels) and health agencies are not collecting basic and critical race-based data. This lack of information is putting our communities at greater risk by accelerating the spread to those with the fewest means to protect themselves.

How does data collection help racialized communities?

Collecting and providing disaggregating race-based data help us to gain a deeper understanding of the public health impacts facing specific racialized groups based on common cultural (and other) characteristics, for example: Black, South Asian, East Asian, Latin American, etc.

For Indigenous peoples, data would be collected to understand the differences faced by various Indigenous groups, such as First Nations, Inuit and Métis. It recognizes and acknowledges that these are not homogenous groups, but rather distinct and unique, and as such, have different needs. 

This data also helps to expose systemic barriers faced by racialized groups and Indigenous people, including institutional racism, racial bias and discrimination that impedes equitable access to public programs and services and other critical areas such as housing, the labour market, and education.

Access to race-based disaggregated data is critical in order to create and develop proper evidence-based policy decisions and interventions at the government level while ensuring that public resources are allocated in most the strategic and effective way possible. Further, it can contribute to identifying gaps and barriers to existing programs while also leading to the development of more culturally sensitive services – all in an effort to increase accessibility amongst vulnerable groups.

Finally, we must ensure that protective measures are put into place to ensure confidentiality in the collection of this data. It is imperative that this information is not used by law or immigration enforcement or other government authorities to further police or surveille racialized and Indigenous people. This data is a tool to help us collectively build a better society – not to further oppress communities.

What type of data does Unifor want collected?

Unifor is supporting the growing calls for the collection of race-based disaggregated data as it relates to COVID-19 testing, diagnosis, treatment and fatalities. Ideally, in addition to data being collected on people’s race/ethnicity, we wish to ensure other key demographic information is captured, including gender, language, income, sexual orientation, disability, place of birth and immigration status.

This is all to acknowledge the additional intersecting factors that can affect one’s health, access to health services and overall standard of living. We also call for these data collection tools to become permanent so that we can better track and understand health inequalities and outcomes for various populations.

What is the current situation on race-based data collection in Canada?

Currently, there is no countrywide standardized or uniform race-based data collection as it relates to health, nor is it legislated or directed to collect such information. Rather, it is voluntary if a government, agency or individual organization decides to collect this. This gap has been raised by advocates for many years.

Even Statistics Canada continues to use outdated “visible minority” variables that leave out many groups. Lack of quality, consistent and disaggregated health data for Indigenous people in Canada has also been raised as largely inadequate and contributing to a limited understanding of Indigenous health outcomes.

This is not the case in other countries. In the U.S., for example, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) mandates that states by law must collect and release race-based data on testing and treatment during an outbreak (yet compliance, data consistency and release timeliness have been issues). In the U.K., legislation directs the National Health Service to collect data on ethnicity to monitor health outcomes, ensure racial equality and ensure no discrimination in the health care system.

The sharp rise and concentration of cases (infections and fatalities) amongst people of colour in several countries has cause advocates to renew demands for appropriate data collection in Canada. Continued lack of government action, however, is resulting in some agencies to step up to fill this critical gap. For example, Toronto Public Health (including some other Ontario municipalities) recently announced intentions to start collecting race and other sociodemographic data for those infected with COVID19.

Why is Unifor involved?

As a labour and social justice organization, highlighting social and economic inequities and advocating for evidence-based policy solutions is our primary goal and an extension of our ongoing equity and anti-racism advocacy work. This campaign is also important as it directly affects our members currently working in essential services.

It is critical that we know which groups are at greater risk of contracting the virus at the workplace, since we know racialized and Indigenous workers are over represented in certain key low-waged sector, such as retail, personal support work, cleaning, food service, etc. This data can also serve as a critical tool in bargaining with employers, as bargaining language around health and safety or other demands can be better developed when we know some of the key issues and risks facing our equity-seeking members in the workplace.

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Bell Canada selects Ericsson as 5G network equipment supplier

MONTRÉAL, June 2, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ – Bell Canada today announced that Ericsson will provide radio access network (RAN) equipment for Bell’s national 5G wireless network, including for the unique Wireless Home Internet service Bell has developed to bring high-speed Internet access to rural Canada. An existing supplier of 4G LTE wireless and other technology to Bell, Ericsson has to date signed 92 commercial 5G agreements with telecom providers worldwide and is the first company to enable commercial 5G networks on 4 continents.

“Bell’s 5G strategy supports our goal to advance how Canadians connect with each other and the world, and Ericsson’s innovative 5G network products and experience on the global stage will be key to our rollout of this game-changing mobile technology across Canada,” said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada. “Investment and scale in leading-edge networks is critical to national competitiveness, economic growth and resiliency, highlighted by the important role that Bell’s wireless, fibre and broadcast networks have played in Canada’s response to COVID-19. With the support of Ericsson and our other 5G partners, Bell looks forward to ensuring Canada remains at the forefront of the next generation of mobile communications.”

Niklas Heuveldop, President and Head of Ericsson North America, said: “We are proud to have earned Bell’s trust to be selected as one of their key partners and significantly expand our existing relationship to accelerate the transformation of their network with 5G mobile and fixed wireless technology. With our industry-leading 5G product portfolio, Bell will be able to provide Canadian consumers, enterprises and the public sector with innovative experiences and services whether they’re on the move or at home, regardless if they’re in urban or rural areas.”

Bell 5G: Building on wireless leadership
While Bell has focused fully on ensuring Canadians would remain connected and informed throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the company is poised to launch initial 5G as the economy opens up.

As with previous wireless and wireline network deployments, Bell is working with multiple equipment suppliers for its 5G rollout. This multi-vendor strategy has been key to delivering Canada’s best national mobile network with Bell 4G LTE, now available in every province and territory to more than 99% of the national population. Independent studies have found that Canadian 4G LTE networks like Bell’s rank with the fastest in the world – and even rival data speeds offered by initial 5G networks already available in countries like South Korea.

Bell’s initial 5G service will offer faster top-end data speeds than LTE at launch, and capable smartphones are already available from Bell including the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G series, LG V60 ThinQ 5G Dual Screen and Motorola Edge+. Bell 5G will continue to grow in speed, capacity and coverage as additional 5G wireless spectrum becomes available, including in the federal government’s 3.5 GHz spectrum auction later this year. Ericsson will also support Bell’s rollout of 5G-enhanced Wireless Home Internet service to more small towns and rural locations in future.

“Ericsson plays an important role in enabling Bell’s award-winning LTE network and we’re pleased to grow our partnership into 5G mobile and fixed wireless technology,” said Stephen Howe, Bell’s Chief Technology Officer. “5G’s high-capacity and near-instant connections will enable next-generation applications like mobile 4K video and immersive augmented reality, connected vehicles and industrial IoT automation on a massive scale, and our plan is to deliver the benefits of the 5G wireless revolution to cities and rural locations alike.”

About Ericsson
Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services, and Emerging Business and is designed to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson’s investments in innovation have delivered the benefits of telephony and mobile broadband to billions of people around the world. The Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York. www.ericsson.com

 

https://www.bce.ca/news-and-media/releases/show/Bell-Canada-selects-Ericsson-as-5G-network-equipment-supplier-1?page=1&month=&year=&perpage=25

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Bell to sell 25 data centre facilities to Equinix

  • Transaction underscores Bell’s focus on investment in networks and service innovation
  • Bell Business Markets becomes first Equinix Platinum Partner in Canada

MONTRÉAL, June 1, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ – BCE Inc. (Bell; (TSX: BCE) (NYSE: BCE)) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell 25 data centres at 13 sites to global interconnection and data centre company Equinix, Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at Cdn $1.04 billion.

“This transaction reinforces Bell’s strategy to focus investment on the network infrastructure, content and services necessary to advance how Canadians connect with each other and the world. Equinix, with its expanding platform of data centres here in Canada and worldwide, is well-positioned to maximize the opportunities these facilities represent for Canadian businesses in an increasingly global and interconnected data sector,” said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada.

“Our strategic redeployment of capital further underscores Bell’s commitment to champion customer experience by leading investment in communications networks and services, especially as Canada manages and recovers from the COVID-19 crisis,” said Mr. Bibic. “As part of ensuring a seamless customer experience for our enterprise clients, we are also pleased to announce today a partnership between Bell Business Markets and the Equinix Platform of global data centre services.”

Equinix is acquiring 13 sites representing 25 Bell data centre facilities in 8 cities across Canada; Bell will continue to own and operate 5 other data centres that are located in its network central offices in Calgary, Halifax, Saint John, St. John’s and Toronto. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2020 subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approval.

Equinix‘s Platinum Partner in Canada
As part of the transaction, Bell Business Markets becomes the first Equinix Platinum Partner in Canada, which will provide Bell enterprise clients with full access to the international scale of Equinix’s advanced integrated network and cloud solutions.

“Our new partnership with Equinix, built on the strength of Bell’s network, cloud service innovation and experienced professional services team, combined with Equinix’s global platform of interconnected data centres and business ecosystem, will deliver a superior customer experience for our Canadian enterprise clients,” said Tom Little, President of Bell Business Markets. “We look forward to working together to enhance the reach of our customers’ growing global digital operations while ensuring Canada remains a world leader in digital transformation.”

 

https://www.bce.ca/news-and-media/releases/show/Bell-to-sell-25-data-centre-facilities-to-Equinix-1?page=1&month=&year=&perpage=25