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2006 news releasesSaskTel Renews TRLabs MembershipOctober 24, 2006 Saskatoon – SaskTel has announced a five-year membership renewal in TRLabs, Canada’s largest information and communications technology (ICT) research and development consortium. The announcement was made by SaskTel President and CEO Robert Watson at a TRLabs 20th Anniversary dinner and ICT networking event held in Saskatoon last night. SaskTel membership in TRLabs generates access to highly skilled graduate students and innovative new technologies produced by the TRLabs ICT research program. “As a charter member of TRLabs and a key component of its presence in Saskatchewan, SaskTel is proud to have been a part of the TRLabs story,” said Robert Watson, SaskTel President and CEO. “Our partnership with TRLabs provides valuable technical research to SaskTel and is simply the best way for SaskTel to support local economic development in Saskatchewan’s hi-tech sector.” “The ICT business model has rapidly transitioned from building networks to leveraging vast connectivity with applications and services society finds useful and/or entertaining,” said TRLabs President and CEO Dr. Roger Pederson. “We look forward to delivering results to SaskTel in emerging vertical market applications including home technologies, digital media, and healthcare services and technologies.” In noting TRLabs’ expected interaction with SaskTel, Pederson referred to a growth path for TRLabs and its industry members with research program re-focusing around vertical market opportunities of growing interest to industry – which capitalizes on 20 years of network-building experience as diverse as network systems, photonics, wireless, and data networking. Home Tech and eHealth have emerged as two research divisions. Generation of innovation for telecom companies remains an important research activity in the form of an ICT research division. A shift of research focus has been supported by adoption of a more flexible membership structure, shorter-term subscribed research and development project opportunities, and amendments to intellectual property policy to deliver a full service innovation menu to industry, consisting of longer-term applied research, shorter-term technology development, and commercialization support. "Considering the Internet is functionally only ten years old for most people, it’s easy to have a bold imagination in considering what the next ten years will bring," said TRLabs Director Saskatchewan Operations and SaskTel secondment David Milne. Milne cited examples of a number of innovations to come that will revolutionize Canada's economic and social fabric:
"Getting from today to an imagined future is what TRLabs is all about," Milne added. "In the journey lies vast economic opportunity. What TRLabs has become known for – alliance building, collaboration, networking, and brokering within an industry, university, and government consortium model – is more important than ever in helping industry capitalize on the opportunities." SaskTel joined TRLabs in 1991 and has benefited from the knowledge gained from the research results on at least eight research projects over the last 15 years. In addition, several SaskTel employees have been seconded to TRLabs over the term of the membership. This year marks the 20th anniversary of TRLabs. About TRLabs SaskatchewanTRLabs Saskatoon (est. 1992) employs 47 researchers and graduate students in the areas of ICT, microsystems and wireless. TRLabs Regina (est. 1996) employs 20 researchers and graduate students in the area of digital media - enabling technologies that improve sensory reception, interpretation and value of information. TRLabs' success at contributing to the growth of Saskatchewan's ICT industry has included training of 150 Masters and Ph.D. students in Computer and Electrical Engineering, generation of 23 patents issued or filed, and the production of 12 industry-commercialized technologies in the last five years. Graduates remaining in Saskatchewan reached 50% during the last three years. TRLabs member partners in Saskatchewan are SaskTel, Access Communications, iQmedx Software, Innovative Cardiac Care, Interactive Tracking Systems (Itracks), SED Systems, SIAST, Saskatoon Health Region, VCom, and the federal and provincial governments, respectively through Western Economic Diversification Canada and Saskatchewan Industry and Resources. About TRLabs (www.trlabs.ca)TRLabs creates innovative technologies and trains students to enhance ICT expertise and improve Canada’s global competitiveness. Labs in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, and Winnipeg employ 210. With 51 partner members representing a unique synergy of industry, government, and university, technology and applications research focuses on future network needs and demands in areas such as: data networking; digital media; health; home technologies; network systems; photonics; and wireless communications. In its 20-year existence, TRLabs has trained 840 highly skilled university graduates, created 310 technologies adopted for use by companies, and generated 161 patents issued or filed. About SaskTel (www.sasktel.com)SaskTel is the leading full service communications provider in the province offering competitive voice, data, internet, entertainment and multimedia services, web hosting, and text and messaging services over a state-of-the-art digital network. The Corporation also provides cellular and wireless data services, security monitoring services, directory services, and in-room communications services to the healthcare sector through Hospitality Network, telecommunications consulting service through SaskTel International, and has an expansion division in Alberta and British Columbia. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 4,000 permanent full-time employees. For more information, please contact : Chris Fields, TRLabs Michelle Englot, SaskTel |
