May / June 2005
ONTARIO R&E SUMMIT PARTNER PROFILE
Major telecom player moves into Ontario research and education space
While most Canadians associate TELUS with residential mobile phone services and the popular advertising campaign featuring cute lizards and piglets, few may be aware the company is one of the largest telecommunication companies in Canada, operating a $260 million trans-Canada fibre optic network and quickly making inroads in providing services to Canada's research and education institutions.
Ranked as the third largest IT professional services firm in Canada, with a 10-year track record of delivering over 3,000 information technology projects to both public an private sectors, TELUS has been cultivating relationships with R&E institutions for over a decade.
It already boasts "strategic partnerships" with several Ontario institutions, including York University, Sheridan College, Humber College and the University of Windsor. The company also works with several other institutions, including the Universities of Toronto, Brock, Queen's, Wilfrid Laurier and Waterloo, as well as Georgian and Niagara Colleges.
Among TELUS' most recent acquisitions is ADCOM, the well-known videoconference systems supplier which provides advanced videoconference technology services to many leading research and education institutions, including school boards.
The hope is to leverage this investment to offer a wider range of services to the education community, taking advantage of advanced R&E networks like ORION.
The company is also stepping up its efforts to reach out to postsecondary institutions, looking to provide IP applications and web-enabled services, as well as storage, data warehousing, security and other services, including integrated database management products.
Leading the charge in the deployment of advanced technology at TELUS is the company's Chief Technology Officer, Ibrahim Gedeon.
Former senior vice-president of Wireless Engineering at Nortel, where he led a global engineering team, Gedeon is now responsible for technology strategy, network vendor management, network support systems, and the development of services in concert with marketing and sales teams.
A member of the board of the Communications Research Centre Canada and a winner of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Outstanding Canadian Engineer Award, Gedeon kicks off the Ontario R&E Summit as opening speaker on Monday June 13, bringing his own insights into the architectural framework of the future for communications.
One of the areas he will explore is how new and innovative network technologies - including next-generation networks, wireline/wireless integration and IP applications services - are radically changing how we live, learn, work, collaborate and conduct research.
His presentation will focus on the transformation service providers are undergoing and the implications for companies like TELUS in serving research and education institutions, while building the right telecommunication framework to support the evolving needs of users.
TELUS was the first North American company to transform its circuit-based network to an IP-based network and has been a leader in introducing and applying IP technologies and applications.
TELUS joins the Ontario R&E Summit as a Gold Sponsor this year. Ibrahim Gedeon's June 13 morning keynote starts at 9:30 am at the Summit, held at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown Toronto.
For more information, visit www.telus.com.
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