CENGN Announces Living Lab Partnership with Ericsson and Invest Ottawa

CENGN partners with Ericsson & Invest Ottawa for 5G Living Lab + Area X.O, enabling startups to test products in smart building, robotics, AI, agriculture.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA, September 24, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Pour la traduction en français, rendez-vous sur: https://www.cengn.ca/fr/information-centre/nouvelles/communiques-de-presse-fr/cengn-annonce-un-partenariat-de-laboratoire-vivant-avec-ericsson-et-investir-ottawa/

• The 5G Advanced Performance Living Lab will provide access to advanced infrastructure, expert support, and real-world testing environments that enable the validation of Canadian innovation for market success and drive technology adoption across Canada's key economic sectors
• The 5G Advance Performance Living Lab will be hosted at Invest Ottawa's Cours Bayview Yards
• This partnership will also provide co-funded access to Area X.O, the R&D complex for emerging technologies, powered by Invest Ottawa

Today, CENGN announced a Living Lab partnership with Ericsson and Invest Ottawa to advance Canadian innovation. Through the partnership, the CENGN Living Lab Initiative will now include co-funded access to the 5G Advanced Performance Living Lab, powered by Ericsson, located at Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s innovation hub. The Living Lab provides pre-commercial 5G technology enabling Canadian startups and scaleups to test and validate their cutting-edge products and services in critical sectors like but not limited to smart building, robotics, and applied artificial intelligence, accelerating their path to market readiness.

Supported by a $45 million investment from the Federal Government’s Strategic Response Fund (SRF),
CENGN’s national Living Lab Initiative aims to help over 100 Canadian startups and scaleups looking to prepare their innovative products and solutions for commercialization and industry adoption.

By offering access to advanced infrastructure, expert support, and real-world testing environments, the CENGN Living Lab Initiative drives technology adoption across key economic sectors. It plays a critical role in boosting Canadian industry competitiveness, fostering new Intellectual Property, and fueling the growth of the country’s most promising technology ventures.

CENGN Launches 5G Performance Living Lab, Powered by Ericsson

As Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, CENGN drives the innovation and adoption of advanced networking technologies in Canada through connected infrastructure, technical expertise and services, talent development, and the nurturing of a thriving innovation ecosystem.

The organization has expanded its services to include the 5G Advanced Performance Living Lab, powered by Ericsson. The Living Lab provides comprehensive pre-commercial 5G testing capabilities with complete spectrum coverage across low-band, mid-band (including NCLL), and high-band (mmWave) frequencies through ISED licensing and experimental bands. Leveraging real-world environments at Bayview Yards, the innovation hub and one-stop business acceleration shop operated by Invest Ottawa, the lab will empower startups and scaleups with the assets, infrastructure, and testing expertise needed to validate their innovative 5G solutions for commercialization in real vertical setups across global markets.

“Ericsson is proud to continue to support the Canadian innovation ecosystem by driving digital transformation and enabling advanced 5G network solutions to companies and startups that may not have the resources to access these technologies. By joining forces on CENGN Living Labs as a main technology partner, we are proud to provide access to our technology and deep expertise in 5G and network communications to drive the commercial success of Canadian startups and introduce new transformative technology across Canada’s key economic sectors.” Nishant Grover, President, Ericsson Canada.

CENGN Also Introduces Defence, Security, Mobility and Agriculture Living Lab, Powered by Area X.O

Beyond hosting the 5G Advanced Performance Living Lab, Invest Ottawa has also opened Area X.O, its multi-sectoral R&D complex for emerging technologies and ITB-certified NATO DIANA Test Centre, to the CENGN Living Lab Initiative. Startups and scaleups will gain co-funded access to $54 million of infrastructure, capabilities and expertise at Area X.O’s three integrated sites, including private and public testing areas, and large drone, heavy vehicle, and defence R&D facilities.

These 5G-enabled facilities include the 100-acre Ottawa Innovation Farm powered by FCC, providing active agriculture fields, agritech and vertical farms, specialized defence and security assets, the only drone and advanced robotics testing facility of its kind in Canada, and smart city infrastructure including 16 km of roadway, a railway crossing and intersections. Area X.O’s assets and supporting expertise provide real-world testing environments for defence, security, smart mobility, and agri-tech innovation, including autonomous drone and vehicle testing, swarm device coordination, and advanced crop and traffic monitoring.

“Together with CENGN and Ericsson, we are opening new doors for Canadian founders and firms to access world-class infrastructure and expertise right here in Canada’s Capital. Landing a first customer is one of the greatest hurdles that entrepreneurs face. By leveraging Bayview Yards and Area X.O as living labs, we are helping more startups and scaleups test and validate bold technologies in AI, defence, security, smart mobility, agritech and more. This accelerates time to market, drives global impact, and strengthens Canada’s ability to build, adopt and scale homegrown innovation, fueling jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for our region and our country.” Sonya Shorey, President and CEO, Invest Ottawa.

Federal Government’s ISED Invests $45 Million

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED)’s $45 million investment in CENGN aims to expedite the technology transformation of Canadian industry while directly supporting Canadian innovators through Innovation and Adoption Projects. The initiative provides co-investment funding up to $250,000 CAD for startups and scaleups and up to $500,000 CAD for projects with an adoption focus.

“Advancing Canada’s leadership in 5G and smart technologies is crucial for our economic growth and global competitiveness. By supporting collaborative partnerships like the CENGN Living Lab with Ericsson and Invest Ottawa, our government is giving innovators and entrepreneurs the tools and opportunities they need to accelerate the development of breakthrough solutions in areas such as smart buildings, robotics and applied AI. These partnerships help to build a stronger, more connected ecosystem—where Canadian ideas can be tested, refined and taken to markets worldwide.” The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.

This funding is expected to provide a major return on investment, including

- A significant boost in GDP growth
- The creation and safeguarding of critical tech jobs in Canada
- The launch of innovative Canadian products in the global market
- The generation of disruptive and impactful Canadian IP patents
- Sales growth and substantial follow-on investment for participating Canadian startups and scaleups
- Acceleration of Technology Readiness Levels for participating Canadian companies
- The entry of skilled professionals into critical digital technology roles nationwide

"With the 5G Advanced Performance Living Lab, Canadian startups gain invaluable access to facilities to test and commercialize cutting-edge AI solutions powered by advanced connectivity. This partnership is vital in boosting Canada’s leadership and competitiveness in the digital economy. I proudly support CENGN’s work in driving technological advancement and digital innovation." The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Empowering Canada’s Key Economic Sectors through CENGN Living Labs

Chris Joyce, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing of CENGN, explains the concept behind the CENGN Living Lab Initiative:

“By leveraging our comprehensive program services and funding alongside our partner’s pre-commercial 5G advanced testing environments, we are enabling Canadian innovators to bring their cutting edge technologies to global markets faster and with greater confidence. This initiative strengthens Canada’s position as a global leader in advanced communications. A technology that is transforming connected systems across industries and supports the country’s economic resilience and long-term growth.”

Startups and scaleups can access these services through an Innovation Project, where they utilize CENGN Living Lab environments and expertise to test, validate, and certify their solutions for market entry or expansion. Alternatively, a startup can participate in an Adoption Project, where they work directly with a potential customer to test and validate their solution against the customer’s needs and requirements.

Uniting a Pan-Canadian Innovation Ecosystem

Through CENGN, the Living Labs are connected to a greater pan-Canadian ecosystem of tech-leading organizations, innovation hubs, and sector-focused organizations. This ecosystem enables the accessibility and promotion of CENGN Living Lab services to startups and scaleups nationwide, ensuring all innovative Canadian companies can apply for a project.

“Carrying out a CENGN project enables our organization to deploy Solana's TrafficWiz solution in field trials and greatly accelerates our time to market. TrafficWiz delivers AI-powered Network Intelligence, providing visibility into network infrastructure and traffic - a must have for 5G and nextgen networks. TrafficWiz improves network performance, reduces downtime & secures the network.” Nabil Seddigh, President, Solana Networks.

Resources:

CENGN Living Lab Initiative – https://www.cengn.ca/strategic-innovation-fund/
ISED SRF Program – https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en/programs-and-initiatives/strategic-response-fund
Area X.O – https://areaxo.com/
Bayview Yards – https://bayviewyards.org/
Solana Networks - https://www.solananetworks.com/
5G Advanced Performance Living Lab - https://www.cengn.ca/living-lab-initiative/5g-advanced-performance-living-lab

Media Contact:

Rick Penwarden
Senior Communications Manager
CENGN -Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks
613-963-1203
Rick.Penwarden@cengn.ca

CENGN – Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks

CENGN, Canada's Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, drives innovation and adoption of applied AI, IoT, and advanced networking technologies through its Living Lab Initiative, technical expertise, and partner ecosystem. Through our services, we enable the digital transformation and competitiveness of the Canadian industry and the commercial growth of Canadian digital technology solutions. CENGN provides access to real end-user environments and the end-to-end testing services and expertise that accelerate validation, demonstration, commercialization, and adoption of digital innovation solutions across Canada and the globe.

Our unique expertise and positioning as a neutral third party in an ecosystem of technology, innovation, government, and academic partners, paired with a long track record of overperforming on program mandates, have made CENGN a trusted leader in delivering Government initiatives that support network technology innovation.

For more information on the CENGN Living Labs or for general inquiries on CENGN, please contact services@cengn.ca.

Ericsson

Over 70 Years of Connecting Canadians

For over 70 years, Ericsson Canada has been a cornerstone of the nation’s innovation ecosystem, supporting communication service providers through each mobile technology generation. Ericsson is also a key partner in the national ecosystem network aimed at fostering 5G adoption and collaboration in Canada. With R&D centers and offices in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, Ericsson Canada is among the leading R&D spenders in the country – averaging $345 million per year. The company’s commitment to global innovation in network sustainability is driven by its investments in R&D here in Canada and through partnerships with Environment and Climate Change Canada and leading academic institutions, focusing on how AI and other technology can help achieve climate action goals.

Invest Ottawa

Invest Ottawa is the lead economic development agency for knowledge-based industries in Canada’s Capital Region, facilitating economic growth and job creation in Ottawa. Guided by a vision to help realize Ottawa’s full potential as a globally recognized, innovative, inclusive, and future-ready city, Invest Ottawa delivers venture development, global expansion and talent programs and services that catalyze the growth and success of entrepreneurs and firms. These include small business training, mentorship, acceleration for technology firms, foreign business and investment attraction, local business retention and expansion in targeted sectors, commercialization and marketing Ottawa’s diversified economy and high quality of life. Invest Ottawa is also the manager of Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s innovation hub and one-stop business acceleration shop, and founder and operator of Area X.O, the R&D complex for next-gen smart mobility, autonomy, and connectivity technologies. Since 2017, the economic impact of Invest Ottawa and the businesses it supports exceeds $3.7 billion in GDP, 29,343 jobs, and $622 million in government revenues.

www.investottawa.ca

Rick Penwarden
CENGN
+1 613-963-1203
email us here

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