Wilson Tam of Rogers Communications, Canada

Since 2019, Rogers Communications has engaged in a strategic collaboration with two prominent Canadian institutions: the University of Waterloo in Ontario and the University of British Columbia (UBC) in BC. This collaboration has been dedicated to advancing research and development endeavors, with a primary focus on the dynamic realm of 5G technology and its multifaceted use cases. Rogers has demonstrated its substantial commitment by investing millions of dollars in the establishment of 5G smart campuses at both universities, providing services across the low-band, mid-band, and mmWave band spectrums, both indoors and outdoors. Furthermore, Rogers has fostered partnerships for over 20 funded research and development projects, all aimed at exploring ground breaking 5G technologies and their potential use cases

A standout partnership with the University of Waterloo has centered around pioneering work in network slicing, Open Radio Access Network (ORAN), and smart operation & planning of 5G networks.

Additionally, several pivotal projects conducted in collaboration with Waterloo have spanned areas such as asset tracking, teleoperation using robots, edge computing, remote inspection of structures, and autonomous vehicles.

In this presentation, we will share valuable insights gained from our collaborative journey. Additionally, we will explore the technical knowledge we've developed through our active involvement in transformative projects. This includes insights from deploying 28GHz mmWave small cells as part of the 5G smart campus initiatives at Waterloo and UBC.

Biography:

Wilson Tam is a telecommunications leader with over 23 years of experience working in both Wireless and Cable industry. He’s currently working at Rogers as a Director of 5G Technology Partnerships and Innovation, leading the academic R&D engagements and technical solutioning with key partners across industry sectors. He’s responsible for network architecture and technical solutioning for 5G and Edge Compute enabled applications across multiple verticals including Smart Cities, Connected Vehicles, Sports Entertainment, Public Safety, and Healthcare sectors. Prior to his current role, Wilson worked in various leadership positions in telecom including Network Strategy Development, as well as Wireless and Wireline Access network architecture design. He’s also an experienced entrepreneur, where he founded several start-ups in the renewable energy and recreational sports space. He a certified Professional Engineer of Ontario, with an Electrical Engineering B.SC degree from University of Toronto.