Governments Invest $1.7 Million in NEWT

May 18, 2007 -- Western Canadian companies striving to develop wireless products and services got a boost today with a $1.7-million investment from Canada’s New Government and the Government of Alberta to the Network for Emerging Wireless Technologies (NEWT).

The funding will enable NEWT to continue providing support to wireless telecommunications companies in testing and developing pre-commercial products. Western Economic Diversification Canada’s $1.2 million contribution will be directed towards updating testing and development equipment used by NEWT’s industry members to accelerate product and application development cycles. The $500,000 in funding from Alberta Advanced Education and Technology will support NEWT’s operational infrastructure, which includes technical staff and resources that are made available to NEWT’s members.

"Canada’s New Government is supporting research, development and commercialization – key drivers that are stimulating economic diversification in the West," said Art Hanger, Member of Parliament for Calgary Northeast, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification. "Our investment of over $1.2 million will improve the movement of innovative products into the marketplace while strengthening the wireless technology sector and stimulating economic growth in Western Canada."

"Alberta is home to some of the world’s leading companies in wireless broadband technology, applications and services," said Doug Horner, Minister of Alberta Advanced Education and Technology. "NEWT played an important role in getting us this far, and this funding will help their organization continue supporting and stimulating the growth of Alberta’s knowledge economy."

NEWT provides hardware and software design, implementation, and test support to developers of wireless products and services. With its unique focus on facilitating commercialization within a technical development environment, NEWT is a key element of Alberta’s wireless and telecommunications industry.

"This investment in NEWT recognizes the significance of a global transformation taking place with the rapid adoption of wireless technologies," said TRLabs President and CEO Dr. Roger Pederson. "We need commercialization organizations like NEWT in order to enhance the ability to capture the benefits of this exploding industry in the form of economic growth, jobs, and prosperity."

"We are grateful to both levels of government for their continued support of NEWT," said Duane Sniezek, NEWT’s Chief Operating Officer. "Our role is an important one – assisting western Canadian companies with transformation of their wireless technology from an initial idea straight through to market."

NEWT is a not-for-profit division of TRLabs, Canada’s largest information and communications technology applied research consortium. NEWT now comprises over 55 industrial members and organizations from Canada, the United States, Finland, Germany, Singapore and China.

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