Ericsson proud of research and development facilities in Canada

Jeanette Irekvist is proud when people call her an honourary Canadian. She shares the Swedish citizenship of her employer, Ericsson AB, but lives in Canada. The president of Ericsson Canada, she has worked for the telecom manufacturer for 25 years. “I really feel like coming to Canada, I brought such a broad experience across Ericsson that I could really use here,” she tells The Wire Report in a phone interview. “But I think also it’s about the global understanding.” The firm has had Canadian operations for 70 years, nearly half of its 145-year history. Irekvist jokes that that is longer than Tim Hortons has been around. “We feel very Canadian,” states Irekvist, who moved to North America 10 years ago. Before assuming the presidency of Ericsson Canada, Irekvist worked for the company in Sweden, working with European and Nordic service providers, and in the United States, where she handled the North American enterprise section. Irekvist likes the breadth of experience her career has given her. “Working with Ericsson as a global company, it has been continuously offering me such exciting opportunities globally,” Irekvist asserts. “And it has given me the chance to work across everything in the telecom industry.” Although the equipment manufacturer may not have the largest public profile, it is a force to be reckoned with in the Canadian telecom market. Sixty per cent of wireless traffic is transmitted on Ericsson equipment, according to the president. The company has 3,100 employees in Canada, mostly in research and development (R&D). That is its second largest hub outside of the home office in Sweden. It ranks 14th in Canada among all businesses when it comes to investing in this country, Irekvist notes. The company’s Montreal artificial intelligence centre was the first Ericsson facility in the world to research AI. But Irekvist is proudest of another part of the company. “We will always say what is really setting us apart, it’s not just our competence and capabilities and what we do every day, it’s really our people,” she says. “Our success goes beyond our technology.” One of the reasons for that success is Ericsson’s collaboration with academia. It has partnerships with more than 20 universities in Canada. In September, it renewed an agreement with Montreal’s Concordia University for 10 years. It welcomes 275 co-op students every year. Many of those become full time employees after they graduate. Ericsson is the largest supplier of 5G equipment in this country, working with big and small providers. The president says closing the digital divide is one of the greatest challenges facing all equipment manufacturers. The federal government has a goal of linking 98 per cent of Canadians to the internet by 2026 and all citizens four years later. That will require bringing connectivity to hard to reach places, especially in the north and in rural areas. Fixed wireless broadband, fibre, and satellite service are all potential solutions to the problem, Irekvist says. Another test for manufacturers is the increased bandwidth needed for specific events. That could be something as prosaic as a Taylor Swift concert or as threatening as a natural disaster. Demand for bandwidth jumps and companies have to be able to respond. Irekvist expects to maintain her honourary citizenship for years to come. Her family wouldn’t want it any other way. “I have no intention to go anywhere. My kids would not let me,” she laughs. “We have two kids in schools here.” –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

Ericsson proud of research and development facilities in Canada

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By Paul Park
| October 18, 2024

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