On May 31 & June 1 2017, the Wireless World Research Forum (WWRF) hosted its 4th Annual 5G Huddle in Ottawa, Canada as part of the celebrations of Canada’s 150th birthday, a move which is supported by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) and the Radio Advisory Board of Canada (RABC). 5G will bring about fundamental changes in the way society and businesses function and how citizens live. It will drive innovation in vertical markets everywhere. But even the most innovative carriers are not expected to use 5G commercially before 2020, and large-scale 5G rollout will most probably take even longer.

With this in mind, the 2017 5G Huddle focused concretely on the transition from 4G to 5G, i.e. on what needs to be done to lay the groundwork for widespread 5G adoption and ensure that we are prepared to capitalise on the opportunities and benefits ahead. (Visit www.5ghuddle.ch for details.)

WWRF had these Huddles on 5G since 2014. The event is supported by ISED, RABC, CWTA and ITAC. The speakers are a mix of Canadian and International speakers. The event is managed by Forum Europe.

WWRF has a programme to recognize people who have contributed to developing wireless. In Canada, we have recognized Professor David Falconer of Carleton University on his work of LTE and has been quoted in over many research papers, Mr. Robert Simmonds (formerly of Clearnet fame) and Mr. Brian O’Shaughnessy, SVP & CTO, Converged Networks, Shaw Communications and Freedom Mobile.