College partners with TELUS to provide 5G technology on campus | St. Clair College
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the college and the communications company to install 5G equipment on its main campus in South Windsor.
Peter Wawrow, Director of Applied Research and Development, discusses TELUS' 5G technology at an event earlier this year.

St. Clair College has partnered with TELUS to provide 5G technology throughout its Windsor campus.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the college and the communications company to install 5G equipment on its main campus in South Windsor.

TELUS says the equipment will allow the college community to increase wireless capacity and speeds, while laying the groundwork for advancements in emerging tech sectors, healthcare, agriculture and more.

“This technology will empower our students to take their studies to the next level,” said College President Patti France. “Having a connected campus with 5G technology, will allow students and faculty to conduct cutting edge research in the fields of automotive manufacturing and healthcare.”

St. Clair College had already been equipped with 5G technology in the Ford Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing and at the Toldo Health Sciences Centre.

Staff, students and researchers will now be able to utilize 5G across the entire campus in South Windsor, said Peter Wawrow, director of Applied Research and Development.

“For me testing autonomous connected vehicles is the first thing we can do, because we have a private road. We can deploy the connected vehicle through the campus and do some tests on that.”

Wawrow said remote healthcare is possible through a 5G network. “It could lead to the hospital of the future,” he said.

For example, in healthcare, sensors can be placed on equipment connected to a 5G network and that signal could be transmitted to remote locations.

“I see it as a test bed, so we could potentially have a living lab in the Health Sciences Centre and elsewhere on campus, where we’re testing out different pieces of equipment, and different sensors, that would allow us to do things remotely or virtually,” Wawrow said.

Windsor native Eros Spadotto, Executive Vice President, Technology Strategy and Business Transformation for TELUS, said he is delighted that the company is making this commitment to the region.

“Our customers enjoy the fastest network in the world today. Beyond lightning-fast speeds, 5G offers a leap in capabilities over today’s 4G networks, including increased capacity, ultra-low latency, network slicing and edge computing. These advancements are the foundation to power new applications serving smart businesses and communities, industrial automation, and digital healthcare,” Spadotto said. “These partnerships will bring some of the most cutting-edge telecommunications technology available today and in the future to our students, building on our promise to advance higher education and science, and unlocking new ways for technology to improve Canadians’ lives. 5G is critical to the health and competitiveness of our economy.”