Building strong connections
Central to Ottawa's continuing emergence in the global wireless marketplace, the Ottawa Wireless Cluster (OWC) connects leading organizations and innovative thinkers for wireless business development locally and around the world.
The OWC is:
- a forum for networking and idea exchange
- an industry advocate speaking to elected officials and regulators
- a promoter of the industry's progress, successes, goals and positions to national and international media
- a business development service provider to member companies
Our Mission
To cultivate and accelerate Ottawa's wireless sector through leadership, technology, government relations, research, education, mentoring, investment, recruitment, networking and promotion.
Our membership and our plans for growth
The Ottawa Wireless Cluster coordinates and mobilizes a growing membership of 60 independent organizations that share a common goal: To spur wireless development and continue to establish Ottawa as a key centre in the global wireless industry.
OWC members contribute to the wireless sector in a variety of ways, including the development of:
- wireless applications and services
- enabling software, service management and provisioning
- wireless infrastructure systems
- wireless semiconductors
Other kinds of OWC members include:
- universities
- research institutes
- economic development agencies
Board of Executives:
Herb Woods
Chair
Kamal Krishnapillai
Vice-Chair and Marketing
Ted Burnett
Sponsorship and Finance
Mike Justinich
OCRI Liaison
Leonard MacEachern
University Liaison
Harry Silverstone
Web Strategist
Richard Thomas
Events
Ken Charbonneau
Membership
Past Board Members:
Marwan Forzley
Founding Chair
Shawn Griffin
Past Chair
Eliot Burdett
Past Events Executive
A cluster of testimonials
Here we present a cross-section of commentary from OWC event attendees:
"I encourage the OWC to find and assemble the enormous hidden talent that is available in the greater Ottawa area, not only in wireless but also in management. The Cluster and this market can grow rapidly because [wireless] is attracting attention and investment."
"I have enjoyed the presenters who spoke objectively about their company in terms of lessons learned, key success factors and their expertise in the industry."
"Wireless is a key technology, but we should not forget that applications enabled by communications (including wireless) are the reason for all of this effort. The January session was an excellent example of focusing on the apps."
"You gentlemen are doing a super job! Keep up the great work and relentless efforts!"
"The technology within the cluster represents viable solutions for the outer reaches of Ottawa in their demand for bandwidth initiatives that will work."
"I have found the venue, format and speakers to be excellent and look forward to potentially getting more involved in this area. Please ensure that my e-mail address is on your distribution list."
A Key OWC Program - The wireless event of the year?now held monthly
OWC hosts a networking and presentation event on the second Thursday of each month. These sessions bring together a large proportion of Ottawa's wireless business leaders to network and learn of the latest developments in the local, national and international wireless marketplaces.
In fact, OWC events have quickly become the meeting place for executives, entrepreneurs, engineers, marketers and other wireless professionals. The OWC arena provides an effective platform for education, collaboration, new business development, R&D showcasing, industry alliance and investment. At least two wireless start-up ventures currently in the negotiation phase were spawned at OWC events.
Our membership and our plans for growth
The Ottawa Wireless Cluster coordinates and mobilizes a growing membership of 120 independent organizations that share a common goal: To spur wireless development and continue to establish Ottawa as a key centre in the global wireless industry.
OWC members contribute to the wireless sector in a variety of ways, including the development of:
- wireless applications and services
- enabling software, service management and provisioning
- wireless infrastructure systems
- wireless semiconductors
Other kinds of OWC members include:
- universities
- research institutes
- economic development agencies
The OWC Charter
To pursue its mission, the OWC concentrates on the following key areas:
Movement towards a wireless Ottawa - with WiFi connections and widespread wireless use
Leadership - serving as the focal point for Ottawa's wireless sector Technology - promoting technical events and discussion forums on the latest wireless topics and trends
Government relations - creating and sustaining relationships with relevant government departments and agencies to facilitate funding, lobbying and international business development
Research - establish partnerships and develop activities with local and international research institutes such as CRC, NRC, NCIT, OCRI, CITO, the University of Ottawa and Carleton University
Education - support and encourage local universities and colleges in the design of wireless education programs aligned with the industry's short- and long-term needs
Mentoring - connect entrepreneurs and start-ups to mentors and local experts in legal issues, technology to business development
Investment - connect local wireless companies and investors
Recruitment - help local wireless companies recruit and retain top-level talent
Promotion - increase visibility and awareness of Ottawa's wireless sector locally, nationally and internationally
Customer relations - promote forums and discussions that connect wireless companies to their customers
Cluster collaboration - facilitate the exchange of information and resources with other local technology clusters (e.g., software, telecom)
