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Rogers unveils new Advisory Council for proposed THINKLab, the National Centre of Technology and Engineering Excellence to be created in Calgary

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2 years ago

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Western Canadian Advisory Council to guide new centre that will help train new graduates and build a pipeline for high-skilled technical talent to stay and work in Canada

Following close of proposed Shaw merger, THINKLab to bring 500 technology roles to Calgary’s rapidly growing tech sector, focusing on engineering, networks, digital and IT

Part of multi-year, $6.5-billion commitment to invest in Western Canada as part of Rogers and Shaw coming together, including $1 billion for Rural, Remote and Indigenous connectivity

CALGARY, Alberta, April 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rogers Communications today introduced the first members of its blue-ribbon Advisory Council to oversee a National Centre of Technology and Engineering Excellence to be established in the heart of Calgary following the close of its proposed merger with Shaw Communications. The Rogers THINKLab will bring together leaders from academic institutions, developers, and research partners that will foster made-in-Canada technology solutions to benefit consumers and businesses, while fuelling Canadian competitiveness.

The new Rogers THINKLab Advisory Council will guide and support strategic decisions to achieve THINKLab’s mandate with a focus on training talent, recruitment, and development. Inaugural council members include representatives from leading academic and economic organizations in B.C. and Alberta:

  • Deborah Yedlin, CEO, Calgary Chamber of Commerce
  • Bill Rosehart, Dean, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary
  • Laura Jo Gunter, CEO, NAIT
  • Kory Wilson, Executive Director, Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships, BCIT
  • Bala Kathiresan, President & CEO, BCNET
  • Rhys Andrews, Vice President, Education, Selkirk College
  • Robert Rohling, Professor and Director ICICS, UBC

Through the creation of THINKLab following the close of the proposed Shaw merger, 500 skilled technology roles will join Rogers Technology employees nationwide and contribute to the company’s mandate to create business opportunities through technology and to grow Canada’s talent pipeline. The skilled technology roles will focus on engineering and technical delivery across networks, digital and IT for the combined company, with an emphasis on 5G, DOCSIS & Fibre technology, Digital & Cloud, Data analytics, Multi-edge Compute, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, IoT and Cyber Security.

THINKLab builds on Rogers more than $25 million of national investment in 5G research and development. This includes strategic partnerships at leading Canadian institutions including UBC, University of Calgary, Communitech, Sheridan College, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), and the University of Waterloo. Shaw’s current relationships with NAIT, SAIT and Mount Royal University would be incorporated into the THINKLab post-close and the centre would develop new relationships with post-secondary institutions like Selkirk College.

The proposed combination of Rogers and Shaw will allow the combined company to accelerate the multi-generational investments needed to close the digital divide faster than either company could alone, including investing $2.5 billion to expand 5G networks and creating a new $1 billion Rural and Indigenous Connectivity Fund to bring reliable and high-speed connectivity to more communities across Western Canada.

Quotes

“We are excited to introduce the first esteemed members of our new advisory board, each an expert and leader in their own field, who will help guide this critical technology and engineering hub. THINKLab will leverage the incredible talent pool in Western Canada, while also bringing together the brightest academic talent across Canada to research, develop and deliver leading technology infrastructure and services to Canadians.”

– Jorge Fernandes, Chief Technology Officer, Rogers Communications, and head of proposed Rogers THINKLab

“Rogers’ THINKLab is a vote of confidence in Alberta and showcases our strengths as an innovative province. These 500 new engineering and IT jobs will build on our momentum as a global destination for investment and jobs in our flourishing technology sector.”

– Alberta Premier Jason Kenney

“The expansion of THINKLab to Calgary is yet another signal of confidence in our city’s thriving tech sector. As the sector continues to gain momentum, it’s critical that we build a talent pipeline of skilled workers to fuel the growth. This innovative collaboration will help boost Calgary’s competitiveness by producing and attracting even more qualified professionals to satisfy the demand of industry.”

– Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek

“Calgary’s growing technology sector continues to be in a global competition for talent. A critical way to ensuring we will have the skills and talent to fill the gaps and accelerate our economic potential is to locally develop, upskill and re-skill talent. Rogers THINKLab is an important investment in addressing these pressing challenges and will accelerate our ability to seize the economic opportunity that results in strong, sustained and diversified economic growth that benefits Calgary and Alberta.”

– Deborah Yedlin, President and CEO, Calgary Chamber of Commerce

“As the tech sector grows in Edmonton, Calgary and across Western Canada, we need skilled talent to drive business and our economy. THINKLab’s creation of 500 technology jobs is in perfect alignment with NAIT’s mission to graduate highly skilled talent through a polytechnic education. Given our shared focus, I’m honoured to join my fellow leaders on the inaugural Rogers THINKLab Advisory Committee.”

– Laura Jo Gunter, NAIT President & CEO 

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release includes “forward‐looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements about the potential timing and anticipated receipt of required regulatory approvals and the anticipated timing for closing of the Transaction.

We caution that all forward-looking information is inherently subject to change and uncertainty and that actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information.

A number of risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information or could cause our current objectives, strategies and intentions to change and readers should refer to Rogers’ and Shaw’s publicly filed reports for a description of such assumptions and risks. Accordingly, we warn investors to exercise caution when considering statements containing forward-looking information and that it would be unreasonable to rely on such statements as creating legal rights regarding our future results or plans. We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking information will materialize and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represent expectations as of the date of this news release and are subject to change after such date. 

Forward-looking information is provided herein for the purpose of giving information about the proposed Transaction referred to above and its expected impact. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The completion of the above-mentioned proposed Transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, termination rights and other risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, regulatory approvals. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the proposed Transaction will occur, or that it will occur on the terms and conditions contemplated in this news release. The proposed Transaction could be modified, restructured or terminated. 

All forward‐looking statements are made pursuant to the “safe harbour” provisions of the applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. Rogers and Shaw are under no obligation (and Rogers and Shaw expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or alter any statements containing forward-looking information, the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. All of the forward-looking information in this news release is qualified by the cautionary statements herein.

About Rogers
Rogers is a leading Canadian technology and media company that provides world-class communications services and entertainment to consumers and businesses on our award-winning networks. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. Today, we are dedicated to providing industry-leading wireless, cable, sports, and media to millions of customers across Canada. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For more information, please visit: www.rogers.com or http://investors.rogers.com.

For more information
[email protected]
1-844-226-1338

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Elevate Your Virtual Reality Experience with KIWI design RGB Vertical Stand, Now Available on Meta’s Website

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5 hours ago

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May 11, 2024

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LOS ANGELES, May 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Top-tier VR accessories provider KIWI design has launched its latest product, the RGB Vertical Stand. This Meta-authorized accessory, designed to deepen users’ immersion in the metaverse, is now available on the official Meta website.

“KIWI design’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of virtual reality accessories takes another leap forward with the introduction of our new products,” said Ray,the CEO of KIWI design. “We are always dedicated to bringing innovative upgrades to VR device accessories, with the goal of enriching users’ virtual reality experiences.”
The newly launched RGB Vertical Stand features a user-friendly modular design with push-in assembly, making it easy to set up and use. It is compatible with Meta Quest 3, Quest 2, and Quest Pro, ensuring widespread usability. With a magnetic USB Type-C connector, it provides an effortless way to charge and display your headset. Users can also customize their display with 16 pre-set ambient multicolor RGB light options.
With VR technology constantly evolving, users are seeking more immersive experiences. As a leading manufacturer of VR accessories, KIWI design is committed to enhancing the user experience, through unique product designs. Since its establishment in 2015, KIWI design has acquired over 100 patents and has a diverse product lineup, including head straps, facial interfaces, VR stands, charging accessories, and controller grip covers.
KIWI design has also actively participated in the Made for Meta program, which is provided by Meta to strengthen its partnerships with leading brands to deliver accessories that enhance Meta products with more choice and a richer experience for everyone. KIWI design’s participation in this program validates its high-quality design standards.
The RGB Vertical Stand for Meta Quest 3, Quest 2, and Quest Pro and another specially designed authorized charging dock for the Meta  Oculus Quest 2 are now available for purchase on both KIWI design’s website and Amazon. For more information about our brand and products, please visit our website and follow KIWI design on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and TikTok.
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WIO Taps Gracenote to Revolutionize Television Broadcast Reporting

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21 hours ago

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May 11, 2024

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LOS ANGELES, May 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — WIO LLC, parent company of the global TV broadcast airings platform, WIOpro™, has announced a new strategic agreement with Gracenote, the global content data business unit of Nielsen, to address the longstanding challenge of accurately tracking and collecting music royalties generated by broadcast television and digital programming, With this agreement, WIO will integrate Gracenote TV program metadata and show airings into its WIOpro™ (“When’s It On – Professional”) platform enabling performance rights organizations, copyright management organizations and other entities to better monitor broadcast schedules and identify when royalties have been earned.

By integrating Gracenote historical program data into WIOpro’s new LookBack™ feature, WIO is enhancing its reporting capabilities and empowering Collection Societies, Rights Management Companies and the royalty-earning community to more easily monitor and export broadcast airings and better understand collections opportunities.
“At WIO, we are committed to empowering collection societies and copyright holders around the world with our platform tools and unprecedented access to the best and most accurate television broadcast and streaming data available,” said Shawn Pierce, Co-Founder and CEO of WIO LLC. “We have enjoyed an incredible relationship with Gracenote for 10 years. With the solidification of this agreement, we are able to deliver an unrivaled dataset to the royalty and residual community in a way that has not been offered before.” said Adam Shafron, Co-Founder and CTO of WIO LLC.
“WIO’s platform developed to solve the difficult matter of royalty tracking only becomes more powerful based on the integration of accurate, timely and comprehensive Gracenote metadata,” said Scott Monahan, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Gracenote. “We look forward to the combination of WIOpro’s technology and Gracenote’s program metadata delivering on the promise of transforming music royalty collection so that rights holders can be fairly compensated for use of their work.”
WIO and Gracenote will be at the MusicBiz 2024 conference in Nashville, TN May 13 – 16. Contact Dave Pelman, COO of WIO LLC at [email protected] for media queries or to book an appointment for a product demonstration.
About WIO:WIO is a technology company dedicated to providing broadcast television and digital programming data tailored specifically for the royalty and residual collection industry. Through its platform WIOpro (wiopro.com), users obtain access to real-time broadcast insights, reporting and curated data delivery.
About Gracenote:Gracenote is the content data business unit of Nielsen providing entertainment metadata, connected IDs and related offerings to the world’s leading creators, distributors and platforms. Gracenote enables advanced content navigation and discovery capabilities helping individuals easily connect to the TV shows, movies, music, podcasts and sports they love while delivering powerful content analytics making complex business decisions simpler.
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IDTechEx Explores Printed Electronics in Electrified and Autonomous Mobility

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1 day ago

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May 10, 2024

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BOSTON, May 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Electrification, autonomy, and vehicle ownership saturation are causing a technological revolution in the automotive sector. These automotive meta-trends are driving drastic changes in electronic component requirements and present a high-volume opportunity for printed electronics to capitalize on.

Historically, printed electronics technologies have nurtured a close relationship with the automotive sector, with printed force sensors pioneering passenger safety through seat occupancy and seatbelt detection. As such, the automotive sector continues to represent the lion’s share of the global printed and flexible sensor market, which IDTechEx’s report on the topic evaluates as worth US$421M in 2024. However, if the automotive sector is to continue to be a reliable revenue stream, printed electronics technology providers must adapt to address the emerging technical challenges facing future mobility.
Augmenting autonomous vehicles with printed electronics
As vehicle autonomy levels advance, the increasing number and distribution of spatial mapping sensors required will need continuous performance improvements to ensure passenger safety. Emerging printed electronics technologies can augment these sensors, extending detection bandwidth and maximizing reliability during operation.
Transparent conductive films (TCFs) are being developed to heat and defog LiDAR sensor panels, ensuring the function is unperturbed by external environmental conditions. Properties such as high transparency and low haze are important for defogging. These properties can be easily tuned using the wide variety of material options available for TCFs, including carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires.
IDTechEx identifies printed heating as a leading application of transparent conductive films. This is attributed to diminishing growth prospects in capacitive touch sensing applications. Innovations in thin film coating techniques have enabled indium tin oxide (ITO) to dominate touch sensing applications, all but displacing TCFs completely.
Looking towards the future, printed electronics technologies could play a more active role in advanced autonomous driving. Emerging semiconductive materials, such as quantum dots, printed directly onto conventional silicon image sensor arrays can extend detection range and sensitivity deeper into the infrared region. Augmenting existing image sensor technology with enhanced spectral range could facilitate the competition of hybrid silicon sensors with established InGaAs detectors.
Printed sensors promise granularized battery health monitoring
Vehicle electrification is driving the sustained development and evolution of electronic management systems, particularly in the battery and electric drivetrain. A strong market pull exists for technologies that increase vehicle efficiency, range, and lifetime while reducing recharge times.
Printed pressure and temperature sensors measure battery cell swelling and thermal profiles, providing granularized physical data that can be used to optimize battery deployment and recharging. Moreover, hybrid printed sensors that combine integrated printed heating elements promise a solution to actively address battery temperature. IDTechEx estimates that printed sensor-enabled battery deployment and charging optimizations could be worth up to US$3000 in savings per vehicle.
There remains uncertainty about whether electrification trends will correspond to increased demand for physical sensors in electric vehicle batteries, owing to the utility of existing electronic readouts for managing deployment. Virtual sensors also pose a threat, where AI-enabled software models interpret data to predict and emulate physical sensor functions without the need for discreet components. However, emerging regulations regarding safety and sensor redundancy will likely favor measurable metrics and see automotive makers continue to adopt physical sensors. IDTechEx predicts that virtual sensors are unlikely to displace their physical counterparts – so long as low-cost sensors remain widely available.
Embedding printed electronics in the car of the future
IDTechEx predicts that global car sales will saturate over the next decade, with automakers increasingly looking for premium features and technical innovations to differentiate themselves from the competition. In-cabin technologies will be highly desirable – as the location where passengers reside and interact with the vehicle the most.
Lighting elements are emerging as a prominent differentiator, described as “the new chrome” by Volkswagen’s chief designer. The use of in-mold structural electronics (IMSE) enables the integration of embedded lighting elements using existing manufacturing processes. 3D electronics technologies are intrinsically attractive for automotive integration, as functional layers are conformable and lightweight while easily embedded within existing aesthetic elements.
Despite strong tailwinds, the adoption of in-mold electronics within automotive interiors has been sluggish. This is attributed to the challenges of meeting automotive qualification requirements, as well as stiff competition with less sophisticated alternatives such as applying functional films to thermoformed parts. Nevertheless, momentum is building, with technology providers like Tactotek partnering with Mercedes-Benz and Stallantis to progress the automotive validation of IMSE to TRL5.
Outlook for printed electronics in automotive applications
Just as printed force sensors heralded early passenger safety systems, printed electronics technology is poised to underpin next-generation innovations for the car of the future. But this time, the competition will be stiff. Critical cost requirements must be met, while desirable new functionality must address existing challenges faced by manufacturers. Printed electronics can play a role in supporting emerging electrified and autonomous mobility, such as augmenting LiDAR sensors or optimizing electric battery deployment. Demand for technologies that enhance passenger experience and vehicle aesthetics will continue to grow, and printed electronics can supply low-power, lightweight lighting solutions for these.
Sustained engagement from tier suppliers and manufacturers continues to make the automotive sector key to printed sensor market growth opportunities – a total market IDTechEx predicts will reach US$960M by 2034. Strong partnerships between material providers and printed electronics technology providers are complementary to those of the highly vertically integrated automotive value chains between tier suppliers and OEMs. Leveraging printing techniques to provide solutions that slot into existing manufacturing processes and designs will be crucial. In the medium term, the printed electronics technologies most likely to realize revenue potential are those that can adapt to service emerging challenges already known to the automotive industry.
For more information on IDTechEx’s research on this topic, please see their report, “Printed and Flexible Sensors 2024-2034: Technologies, Players, Markets”. Downloadable sample pages are available for this report.
For the full portfolio of printed and flexible electronics market research from IDTechEx, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/PE.
About IDTechEx:
IDTechEx provides trusted independent research on emerging technologies and their markets. Since 1999, we have been helping our clients to understand new technologies, their supply chains, market requirements, opportunities and forecasts. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com. 
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Media Contact:
Lucy RogersSales and Marketing [email protected] +44(0)1223 812300
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