The federal government today announced its support for a research and development project for fifth-generation (5G) and sixth-generation (6G) mobile networks valued at $470 million, led by the Canadian branch of the Swedish telecommunications giant "Ericsson" (Ericsson Canada).

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this partnership from Ottawa, accompanied by his Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, and the Chairman of the Board of "Ericsson Canada", Börje Ekholm.

It is also expected that this project will create "hundreds of jobs and re-skilled jobs" in Montreal and the federal capital Ottawa, making Canada one of the global research and development centers for "Ericsson".

For its part, "Ericsson Canada" said this five-year research and development partnership will place Canada at the "forefront of global development of next-generation communication technologies".

The Trudeau Liberal government said that details related to the project, including timelines and the level of public funding, will be confirmed in the near future and that talks with "Ericsson Canada" are ongoing.

This partnership with the Canadian branch of "Ericsson" is the latest investment made by the federal government in the wireless technology sector, preceded by last fall's announcement about investment in expanding the facility of the Finnish telecommunications giant "Nokia" in Ottawa.