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THE VANCOUVER WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY: A CLUSTER
ANALYSIS
Mourad Chergui Diplome d'Ingknieur d '~ t a t , Universitk Hassan 11, 1992
PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION EMBA Program
in the
FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
O Mourad Chergui 2004 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
July 2004
All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy
or other means, without permission of the author
APPROVAL
Name:
Degree:
Title of Project:
Mourad Chergui
Master of Business Administration
The Vancouver wireless telecommunication industry:
a .cluster analysis
Supervisory Committee:
r Jill ~hebherd $i sistant Professor Faculty of Business Administration
Dr. Neil Abrarnson Associate Professor Faculty of Business Administration
Date Approved:
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extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser
University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in
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Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work
for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission.
Title of Thesis/Project/Extended Essay:
The Vancouver wireless telecommunication industry: a cluster analysis
Author:
Mourad Chergui
August 2nd, 2004
ABSTRACT
The global wireless telecommunication is one of the world's fastest growing industries.
Future growth will be fuelled by both enterprise and mobile workforce applications. The
changing industry landscape provides opportunities for new firms and nations to benefit
substantially from its growth and dynamism. In this context, this project's objective is to study
the Vancouver (Canada) wireless telecommunication industry cluster from different angles while
focusing on micro-level firm linkages and company strategies to analyze the development of the
cluster and its association with supporting infrastructure.
The analysis of four metropolitan wireless industry clusters in the Bay Area (California,
US), Helsinki (Finland), Calgary and Ottawa (Canada), reveals a wide variety in structure, origin,
internal dynamics and level of maturity. This variety suggests that there may be no universal
formula or strategy to create and make a cluster successful. The evidence examined in this
project not only confirms the presence of a wireless cluster in Vancouver, but shows that it is
fully engaged in the growth phase. The cluster is home-grown and its history goes back three
decades. It has survived losing its three anchor companies and weathered through the
"technology bubble burst".
The Vancouver region's most important benefits with regards to the wireless industry lay
in factor conditions. However, its differentiating characteristics are derived from the presence of
related industries. The nature of demand, and the internal structure and dynamics pose challenges
to this cluster. A survey conducted within this project shows that Vancouver companies
participate in disjointed portions of the global wireless industry value chains and that the cluster
does not have a strong core specialization or anchor companies. However, it has wireless activity
concentrations that are located close to the periphery of the cluster, particularity near the
intersections with the new media, enterprise software, and device and equipment manufacturing
local clusters. The inter-firm exchange and collaboration within the cluster are very limited and
remain to be developed.
The strategies and actions that aim at enhancing the Vancouver wireless firms'
competitive advantages focus on improving their internal structures and management processes,
and nurturing collaboration, and shared values and goals.
ABBREVIATIONS
ICT
LAN
NAICS
PAN
PCS
PDA
RFID
SAT
Vancouver
WAN
WLAN
WinBC
Information Telecommunication Technology
Local Area Network
North American Industry Classification Standard
Personal Area Network
Personal Communication System
Personal Digital Assistant
Radio Frequency IDentification
Satellite Telecommunication
Greater Vancouver Regional District
Wide Area Network
Wireless Local Area Network
Wireless Innovation Network of British Columbia
TABLE OF CONTENTS
.. Approval ....................................................................................................................................... 11
... Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... 111
Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. iv
Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... v . . List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. vn ... List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... VIII
....................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction 1 ...................................................................................... 1.1 Project Context and Objectives 1
............................................ 1.2 Cluster Approach Theory Backgrounds and Applications 2 1.2.1 Cluster Approach Overview ................................................................................ 2
................................................ 1.2.1.1 Nations Competitive Advantage and Clusters 2 1.2.1.2 Cluster Diamond ............................................................................................. 3
........................................................................ 1.2.1.3 Cluster Approach Assessment 4 ...................... 1.2.2 Cluster Approach Implications on Company Strategic Decisions 6
............................................................................... 1.2.2.1 Clusters and Competition 6 .................................................................. 1.2.2.2 Cluster Advantages to Companies 6
...................................... 1.2.2.3 Cluster Approach as a Tool for Strategic Decisions 7 1.3 Project Methodology ...................................................................................................... 9
.................................................................................................... 1.4 Project Organization 10
2 Wireless Telecommunication Industry ......................................................................... 11 ....................................................................................................... 2.1 Industry Definition 11
2.2 Industry Segmentation .................................................................................................. 12 2.3 Value Chain .................................................................................................................. 14
.................................................. 2.4 Industry Size. Growth. Prospects and Attractiveness 17 ............................................................................. 2.4.1 Telecommunication Services 17
2.4.2 Cellular Wireless Services ................................................................................. 19 .............................................................................. 2.4.3 Cellular Wireless Terminals 20
......................................................................................... 2.4.4 Public Wireless LAN 20 ...... 2.4.5 Wireless Telecommunication Equipment Concentration and Localization 22
.................................................................................. 2.4.6 Trends and Opportunities 25
.............................................................. 3 Wireless Telecomunication Clusters Analysis 27 3.1 United States ................................................................................................................ 27
........................................................................................................... 3.1.1 California 28 3.1.2 Bay Area Wireless Cluster ................................................................................ 28
3.2 Finland ......................................................................................................................... 30 .................................................................................. 3.2.1 Helsinki Wireless Cluster 31
3.3 Canada .......................................................................................................................... 33 3.3.1 Ottawa ................................................................................................................ 35 3.3.2 Calgary ............................................................................................................. 37
4 Vancouver Wireless Telecommunication Cluster ........................................................ 40
................................................................. 4.1 Vancouver Technology Industry Overview 40 4.2 Vancouver Wireless Cluster Anatomy ......................................................................... 41
............................................................................................................... 4.2.1 Origins 41 .................................................................. 4.2.2 Cluster Economical Characteristics 4 1
............................................................................. 4.2.3 Wireless Cluster Participants 42 ....................................................................................................... 4.3 Company Survey 4 4
.......................................................................................... 4.3.1 Survey Methodology 44 .................................................................... 4.3.2 Survey Results and Commentaries 45
4.3.3 Wireless Cluster Mapping - Value Chains and Network .................................. 52 4.4 Cluster Diamond Analysis ........................................................................................... 54
4.4.1 Factor Conditions .............................................................................................. 56 4.4.2 Related and Supporting Industries ..................................................................... 57
........................................................................................... 4.4.3 Demand Conditions 59 ................................................................. 4.4.4 Firm strategy, Structure and Rivalry 60
4.4.5 Chance Events ................................................................................................... 60 ....................................................................................................... 4.4.6 Government 61
4.5 Comparison with other Wireless Clusters .................................................................... 62 ................................................................. 4.6 Analysis of the Strategies of Sample Firms 63
............................................................................................. 4.6.1 Sierra Wireless Inc 65 ........................................................................ 4.6.2 Spectrum Signal Processing Inc 66
4.6.3 Epic Data Inc ..................................................................................................... 67 4.6.4 Firm Strategies ................................................................................................... 68
4.7 Vancouver Wireless Telecommunication Cluster Characteristics Summary .............. 69
5 Implications and Recommendations ............................................................................. 71 .............................................................................................. 5.1 Firm Strategic Decisions 71
5.2 Cluster Management .................................................................................................... 73 5.3 Public Policy ................................................................................................................ 74 5.4 Further Research .......................................................................................................... 75
References ................................................................................................................................... 76
Appendix 1 . Key Global Indicators for the World Telecommunication Service Sector ... 81
Appendix 2 . Vancouver Wireless Cluster Companies and Survey Results ........................ 82
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 . Cluster's Dimensions and Firm Strategy .......................................................................... 9
Table 2 . World Cellular Phone Subscribers ................................................................................. 19
Table 3 - United States, Finland and Canada Mobile Phone Subscribers ..................................... 20
Table 4 - Worldwide Number of Public WLAN 'Hot' Spot Locations by Type .......................... 21
........................... Table 5 - Worldwide Sales Predictions for Wireless Infrastructure Equipment 23
Table 6 - Worldwide Sales of Mobile Terminals to End Users (2002-2003) ................................ 24
...... Table 7 - Top 5 Worldwide Wireless LAN Equipment Vendors by Unit Shipments (2002) 25
Table 8 - ICT Clusters in Canada ................................................................................................. 34
............................................ Table 9 - Vancouver Narrow Wireless Cluster Company Examples 43
Table 10 - Wireless Clusters Comparison Summary ..................................................................... 64
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 . Porter Diamond: the Determinant of National Advantage .............................................. 4
Figure 2 . Wireless Telecommunication Industry Tri-dimensional Segmentation ........................ 14
Figure 3 . Wireless Industry Value Chain . Technological Dependencies ................................... 15
Figure 4 . Wireless Industry Value Network ................................................................................. 16
Figure 5 . Wireless Industry Value Chains .................................................................................... 16
Figure 6 . Worldwide Growth of ICT Users ................................................................................. 17
Figure 7 . Worldwide Telecommunication Services Revenue Breakdown (1 992.2002) .............. 18
Figure 8 . Wireless Handsets Sale to End Users by Region .......................................................... 21
Figure 9 . Forecast for the Global WLAN Market Growth Segmented by Product Category ...... 22
........................................................... Figure 10 . Bay Area Wireless Cluster Diamond Analysis 30
Figure 1 1 . Helsinki Wireless Cluster Diamond Analysis ............................................................. 33
Figure 12 . Ottawa Wireless Cluster Diamond Analysis ............................................................... 37
Figure 13 . Calgary Wireless Cluster Diamond Analysis .............................................................. 39
Figure 14 . Vancouver Wireless Company Distribution by Ownership, Origin and Size ............. 46
Figure 15 . Vancouver Wireless Company Concentration ............................................................ 48
Figure 16 . Vancouver Wireless Activity Concentration .............................................................. 50
Figure 17 . Vancouver Wireless Company Distributions ............................................................ 51
Figure 18 . Vancouver Companies Positioning on the Wireless Industry Value Chains .............. 53
Figure 19 . Vancouver Wireless Cluster Value Network .............................................................. 54
Figure 20 . Vancouver Wireless Industry Cluster Diamond Analysis Summary .......................... 55
... Vll l
INTRODUCTION
The need for communication, mobility and overcoming the challenges of distance has
stimulated technological advancement in the field of wireless communications. Today, wireless
devices and solutions have infiltrated and transformed many aspects of corporate, community
and individual activities across the globe. The wireless telecommunication industry in particular
has enjoyed extraordinary growth during the last decade. In Vancouver, an expanding grouping
of more than 150 companies is involved in various activities related to this expanding industry.
This project intends to study the Vancouver wireless telecommunication industry cluster
characteristics, evolutions and prospects.
This first chapter further defines the context of this project. It also introduces the
industry clusters approach and provides a literature review about the topic. Then it describes the
project's overall methodology and organization.
1.1 Project Context and Objectives
The Vancouver area, in the context of this project, is synonymous to the metropolitan
region know as the 'Greater Vancouver Regional District' in the province of British Columbia,
Canada. This metropolitan area expands over 2 1 municipalities and includes two million
residents (GVRD, 2003).
This project approaches the topic of the Vancouver wireless telecommunication industry
cluster from different angles. It focuses on micro-level firm linkages and company strategies to
analyze the development of the cluster and its association with supporting infrastructure. First,
the project introduces and summarizes the theories and approaches related to industry cluster
economic development. In particular, the hypothesis regarding strategies that firms adopt within
their clusters is synthesized through a review of literature on the subject. Then, the project
defines and examines the external global environment where the cluster participates, especially
the size and attractiveness of the industry. These two aspects have important implications on new
business formation and cluster growth. Also, the project aspires to provide better understanding
of the cluster evolution, internal structure and dynamics. In addition, the Vancouver wireless
cluster is compared to a selection of similar groupings in other geographical locations. This
examination reveals aspects of its strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the project uncovers
some of the challenges and issues facing the cluster. Then, selected strategies and actions are
proposed to enable individual companies in the cluster, or dependant on it, to gain advantages
from the local environment in order to improve their competitiveness and sustain their growth.
Finally, recommendations are formulated regarding cluster management as well as public policy
approaches to enable companies to better compete globally and sustain their development.
1.2 Cluster Approach Theory Backgrounds and Applications
1.2.1 Cluster Approach Overview
1.2.1.1 Nations Competitive Advantage and Clusters
In the mid 1980s, Michael Porter introduced the concept of "competitive advantage"
(Porter, 1998c) that brought company strategy to the forefi-ont attention of both scholars and
corporate executives. This concept dynamically links a firm strategy to the industry it chooses to
participate in. In 1985, Porter extended the use of the "competitive advantage" concept from the
micro-level of a firm to the macro-level of a region or a nation to compete globally (Porter,
1998b). The central piece of "competitive advantage of a nation" is the notion of industrial
"cluster".
"A cluster is a geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and
associated institutions in a particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities"
(Porter, 2000, p. 17). The cluster includes linked industries and organisations, including
suppliers, channels and customers, supporting industries and public institutions such as
government agencies, universities and trade associations.
On the practical side, the Strategy and Competitiveness Cluster Mapping Project led by
Michael Porter makes two important distinctions (Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness,
2003) that are very relevant to the discussion and analysis about clusters:
o Traded vs. local clusters: a "local cluster" is a grouping of "local industries" that are
usually present in most geographic areas and primarily serve the local market;
conversely a "traded cluster" is made of "traded industries" that are typically
concentrated in specific geographic areas and sell to markets beyond their local
region. In the rest of this document the term "cluster" is synonymous to "traded
cluster".
o Narrow vs. broad clusters: related specifically to traded clusters, a "narrow cluster"
defines industries that are unique only to the cluster and can be considered as its
core; while a "broad cluster" refers to industries that are not unique to the cluster.
They may fall into and overlap with other traded clusters and are better thought of as
supporting or peripheral industries.
On the surface, the cluster approach and the role of nations or regions seem to go against
the ever-increasing globalization trends (Porter, 1998a). Indeed, the advancement in
telecommunication technology and transportation has enabled companies on one hand to market
their products globally and achieve economies of scale. On the other hand, it has enabled them to
distribute their operations across the globe. Global companies are able to gain benefits from the
local advantages of particular geographical areas. These advantages could take the form of low
cost or skilled labour, proximity to markets or suppliers of raw materials, and taxation and other
policy incentives. However, Porter argues, "national differences in character and culture, far
from being threatened by global competition, prove integral to success in it" (Porter 1998b, p.
30).
1.2.1.2 Cluster Diamond
One of the most important aspects of the cluster approach, introduced by Porter, is the
cluster "diamond representing the four "determinants of national advantage" that shape the
evolution of a particular industry cluster (Porter, 1998b, pp. 71-124). The four determinants are:
o Factor conditions, which include human resources, physical resources, natural
resources, knowledge resources, capital resources and various aspects of
infrastructure.
o Demand conditions, which involve three characteristics: home demand structure,
sophistication of domestic buyers and anticipatory buyer needs.
o Related and supporting industries, which emphasise the linkage among industries
along the value chain as a way to create both synergies and additional
competitiveness.
o Firm strategy. structure, and rivalry, which reflect the way that firms are created,
organized and managed, and the nature of local rivalry among firms.
These four determinants continuously and dynamically interact and influence each other
and thus their representation is as a diamond with arrows between the different nodes, as shown
in Figure 1. Two more aspects also have great influence on the outcome of a cluster:
o Chance events, which are created by circumstances outside the control of the
cluster's stakeholders, have been in many instances crucial in shaping industry
success. These events include: inventions, revolutionary technologies,
entrepreneurship and changes in environment.
o Government role is also recognized to have a significant influence over the
determinants and the competitive environment.
Besides providing a framework for understanding a regional and national economy and
organizing economic development thinking, the "national advantage diamond' is a very
powerful tool for analyzing and gaining valuable insights about the internal dynamics and the
potential of existing industry clusters.
1.2.1.3 Cluster Approach Assessment
One of the most important aspects of the cluster approach is that it provides a framework
for industrialization policies departing from traditional defensive and offensive policies that are
often unsuitable for the modem economic climate (Jacobs & De Man, 1996). On the one hand,
defensive policies perpetrate the practice of 'backing losers' in their courtyard by insisting on
raising protectionism barriers to protect weak industries from foreign competition. On the other
hand, defensive policies attempt to 'pick the winners' by directing the economic sectors toward
selected industries thought to have high growth potential. Both policies have been demonstrated
to be very restrictive and lead to poor results on the long term. Cluster based policies, on the
contrary, adhere to 'backing the winners'. They reinforce existing strengths of the economy by
improving the linkage between firms, networking opportunities and knowledge sharing
possibilities.
In recent years, the "cluster approach" has gained a lot of ground around the world
among academics (Porter, 1998a; Porter, 1998b; Martin & Sunley, 2001; Langford, 2002;
Langford 2004), government agencies (Industry Canada, 2004a and 2004b; Leppavuori, 2002;
Lord Sainsbury, 1999; Frighetto, 2001 ; Lundequest & Power, 2002; Santos, 2002), local
authorities and organizations involved in local and regional development (Deloitte, 2004;
Vancouver Economic Development Commission, 2002; Paija 2000; Tukiainen, 2002), and
industry associations (Pricewaterhousecoppers, 2004; RTA & OMC, 2002; TIEKE, 2003).
Furthermore, many organizations around the world are attempting to scan and map
clusters. Michael Porter is leading a group called the Strategy and Competitiveness Cluster
Mapping Project that exhaustively locates and compares clusters across the United States
(Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, 2003). Another example is a group from Sweden
called the Ivory Tower that studies clusters worldwide. This group estimates that in 2003 there
are more than 500 cluster initiatives around the world (Solve11 et al., 2003, p. 10). These
initiatives tend to focus on large-scale economic sectors that may combine multiple industries.
Still, Porter's cluster approach has been the target of criticism. One of the most important
shortcomings of the approach has been its lack of specificity in terms of delineating the
boundaries of a cluster. In fact, the concept has been indiscriminately used for different types,
size, processes and geographical scales of economic localization. This "theoretical confusion
and conceptual fuzziness" poses problems in systematically and directly identifying clusters as
opposed to concentrations of activities that may not be linked (Martin & Sunley, 2002).
Furthermore, there is a lack of empirical evidence to establish a causality link between high
geographical concentration and economic growth or success (ibid).
Porter's quantitative approach for determining the presence of clusters also suffers from
the limitation that it doesn't show whether interrelationships between firms in a cluster really
exit. Thus a distinction is made between clusters and networks. "Clusters are broad sets of
industries in which not all firms are cooperating with each other. Those firms in cluster which do
interact form networks within the cluster, or between clusters" (Jacobs & De Man, 1996, p. 428).
1.2.2 Cluster Approach Implications on Company Strategic Decisions
1.2.2.1 Clusters and Competition
The major benefit of a cluster is that it ultimately creates "a system of interconnected
firms and institutions whose whole is more than the sum of its parts" (Porter, 2000, p. 21). The
cluster in its entirety benefits by leveraging the local demand advantages which "can reveal
segments of the market where firms can differentiate themselves." In this regard "the quality of
local demand matters far more than does its size" (ibid). It also reaps the benefits by affecting the
competition in three general aspects:
o Increase in the current productivity of member firms or industries,
o Increase in the capacity of cluster participants for innovation and productivity
growth,
o Stimulation of new business formation that supports innovation and expands the
cluster.
These aspects emphasize the fact that "many cluster advantages rest on external
economies or spillovers across firms, industries, and institutions of various sorts" (ibid).
1.2.2.2 Cluster Advantages to Companies
After studying the behaviour of companies that were successful in developing
sustainable competitive advantage, Michel Porter identifies various actions that these companies
adopt to take full advantage of their presence in a cluster (Porter, 1998b, pp. 578-84).
Innovation: a company should make the most use of home base innovation opportunities and
improve its own flexibility to pursue them. Innovation is not restricted to products; it also
incorporates business processes, marketing approaches, management, strategy etc.
Svstem view of the value chain: advantage may be gained trough better configuration of the
value chain that a company is involved in. Companies should help the extension and
strengthening of the cluster by encouraging the formation of suppliers, improving the
sophistication of customers or stimulating entry to related industries (Porter, 1998b, p. 580).
Continuous stratem adiustment: Sustaining a firm's own competitive advantage requires
continuous adaptation and improving of its strategy. A firm ought to "expose itself to
external pressures and stimuli that motivate and guide the need to act" (Porter, 1998b, pp.
58 1-2). Change rarely comes from inside the company; instead agents from the external
environment often trigger it. Thus, the company could gain an advantage by positioning itself
in such a way that these "outsider agents of change" are within the home base.
Improving the source of own competitive advantage: Companies should resist the urge to
lobby to suppress the sources of local pressures from factor suppliers or government. Instead
they would better consider these forces as opportunities to initiate change in order to improve
their competitiveness over time.
Global approach: Firms should pursue global strategies as much as possible. By doing so,
they would both offset some of the disadvantages of the home base and reach bigger markets.
The additional financial gains from global strategies allow these companies to be in better
positions to re-invest in improving and further strengthening the home base cluster's
advantageous features or eliminating its weaknesses. Thus global expansion is a self-
reinforcing mechanism for the company.
1.2.2.3 Cluster Approach as a Tool for Strategic Decisions
Porter identified multiple strategies that companies ought to adopt depending on the
nature of the cluster they belong to (Porter, 1998b, pp. 599-601).
Analwing international comvetitors: The diamond analysis is used for scanning competitors'
home bases. This investigation reveals some of these competitors' inherited advantages,
disadvantages and goals depending on the factors and structure they rely on. Eventually this
information enables companies to predict competitors' likely behaviours and future moves.
Industn, and location choice: "a firm or individual has the best odds of succeeding in
innovation, or in creating a new business, where the national diamond provides the best
environment" (Porter, 1998b, p. 602).
Strategy choice: The choice of basic strategy is tied to the nature and strength of particular
determinants within the diamond (Porter, 1998b, p. 602).
o Cost-oriented strategies are more suitable when there are distinctive advantages in
factor costs, the size of home demand, and the conditions that favour large-scale
plant investments.
o Dgffeerentiation strategies tend to rely more on specialized human resources,
sophisticated local buyers, and world-class local supplier industries.
o Focus strategies entail the presence of unusual demand in particular segments or on
factor conditions or supplier access that benefit competing in a particular product
range.
Penetrating foreign markets: A company should choose to compete globally on segments
where its home base provides advantages but which are modest or are emerging segments in
foreign nations. In these cases, local companies or international rivals based in other nations
will often have turned their attention elsewhere and be unprepared to compete.
Diversification: For mature companies the choice of new industries for diversification should
be based on those where a favourable national diamond is present or can be created.
"Diversification proposals should be screened for the attractiveness of the home base"
(Porter, 1998b, p. 606).
Jacobs and De Man (1996) take a pragmatic perspective on clusters. They suggest that
clusters may have multiple dimensions and propose a menu approach for picking firm strategies
specific to each dimension (Table 1). They argue that "by making the dimensions of clustering
explicit, we provide a basis upon which tailor-made policies can be developed. Consequently, the
effectiveness of policies and strategies will be enhanced" (Jacobs & De Man, 1996, p. 425).
The cluster approach has multiple level applications in economy and strategy. It has
gained such worldwide authority in macro-economical analysis and industrial policy design that
it is quasi-present in many government policies. It is starting to appear as a public policy panacea
that every government is trying to adopt (Martin & Sunley, 2001). A second area of application
concerns managing established clusters. The cluster approach put forward a pragmatic and
simple framework for studying, analysing and understanding the dynamics of local clusters. The
cluster approach has a third important application in shaping firm strategy. By being grounded in
the competitive advantage theory, the cluster approach helps companies formulate appropriate
strategies to take advantage of their presence or proximity to industrial clusters.
Unfortunately, the last application does not get as much attention as the two others either
in academic or business circles even though it is the firm that is on the front line of competition
and that ultimately produces value. More consideration needs to be directed to turning the
inherent advantages of an identified cluster into tangible benefits by helping companies take
appropriate actions.
The Vancouver region is home to various industry clusters and thousands of companies.
The wireless cluster in Vancouver is an important part of the local economy. It has been
continuously growing and competing globally in a dynamic industry. Thus, it is important to
analyze it and compare it with others to determine how it should position itself and be managed.
Furthermore, it is very beneficial to identify appropriate strategies and actions that allow the
companies belonging to this cluster to perform better.
Dimension
Geographical scope
Horizontal
Vertical
Lateral
Focal
Technological
Quality of network
Strategy towards own cluster Strategy towards other clusters
Behave positively in own regional networks
Take part in relevant programs
Strike a balance between competition and cooperation
Support sector initiatives in education, environmental and quality policies, internationalization and market development
Organize the user-producer-supplier
Exchange staff
Co-location in design and production
Strengthen relation with knowledge infrastructure in own environment
Is the basis for choosing between developing core competencies individually or in cooperation
Strengthen partners' knowledge
Enhance international orientation of cluster
Introduce of new coordination mechanisms between firms
Tap into foreign clusters
Take part in relevant programs
Learn from foreign competitors
International sector initiatives
Locate activities near advanced clients and suppliers
Forge relations with clients in other countries in order to upgrade products
Establish new combinations with (elements of) other clusters
Forge relations with top foreign institutes
Table 1 - Cluster S Dimensions and Firm strategy1
1.3 Project Methodology
This project combines data and information from various sources, and quantitative and
qualitative analyses to study the various aspects of the Vancouver wireless industry cluster. The
project starts with examining the wireless industry in its wider and global contexts and its
structure based on the synthesis of the findings of various academic publications and industry
trade studies. Following this review, the project proposes appropriate frameworks for industry
segmentation and value chain in order to investigate the Vancouver wireless industry's structure
and dynamics. The project then summarizes key numerical figures about the size, growth,
Adapted from Jacobs & De Man (1996, p. 434).
prospects and trends of the global wireless industry. These figures are synthesized from
secondary research sources, particularly reports and press released from trade associations, and
reputable market research and consulting firms. The purpose of this macro-analysis is to develop
an appreciation of the industry size and identify its degree of attractiveness to incumbent
companies and potential new entrants. These two features have important implications on the
development of Vancouver's local industry.
A study of selected wireless clusters is carried out using the Porter cluster diamond
framework. The information for the investigation is obtained from various studies that examine
these specific clusters. The results of these qualitative analyses serve as a comparison against
which to analyse and understand the Vancouver wireless cluster.
Next, the Vancouver wireless industry is analyzed in detail. This examination entails a
synthesis of previous studies' findings, a survey to collect selected data on all the firms
belonging to the Vancouver wireless narrow cluster, and a qualitative analysis based on
interviews of representatives from the industry and reviews of corporate and industry
publications. These analyses are instrumental in uncovering the most important challenges and
issues facing the local industry. The synthesis of the results of the various investigation and
analyses reveals the structure and dynamics of the local industry. It also supports the elaboration
of strategy recommendations to various participants in the cluster.
1.4 Project Organization
This project is organized into five chapters. Chapter 2 analyzes the telecommunication
wireless industry in general. It defines the industry and proposes a segmentation using multiple
dimensions. It also proposes an appropriate value chain framework to examine competitiveness
and rivalry in a wireless cluster. Additionally, it synthesizes various statistical data to provide
insights about industry size, structure, growth patterns and trends. Chapter 3 examines four
separate metropolitan wireless telecommunication clusters using the diamond cluster approach.
Chapter 4 examines in detail various aspects of the Vancouver wireless cluster, including
historical development, structure, strengths, weaknesses, and value chain. The chapter also
describes three sample companies within the cluster. Chapter 5 synthesize strategy
recommendations for the cluster individual firms and for the management of the cluster itself.
Finally, a section at the end lists the references used for this project.
2 WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY
The wireless telecommunication industry is one of the main branches of the Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) economic sector. Wireless technology is not new; in fact
it dates back to the beginning of the 2oth century with the invention of radio broadcasting.
However, the tremendous expansion of this industry only started in the 1980s with the use of
wireless technologies for personal communication systems (PCS). Since then, wireless
telecommunication has been among the fastest growing industries and is expected to continue
expanding at a considerable rate. The International Telecommunication Union for example,
forecasted that in 2003, wireless telecommunication services revenues would amount to
approximately US$410 billions representing 36% of the total worldwide telecommunication
revenues (International Telecommunication Union, 2001).
This chapter defines and describes both the general and global contexts of wireless
telecommunication industry. It synthesizes qualitative and quantitative data to get an appreciation
of the size of this global industry, and its growth patterns and prospects. Additionally, it proposes
frameworks to analyze various aspects of the industry such as enabling technologies, interaction
between the participants and industry value chain. This information is fundamental for the rest of
this project because most of the Vancouver wireless companies are involved in traded sub-
industries and compete on a global scale.
2.1 Industry Definition
Clearly defining the perimeters of the wireless telecommunication industry is
challenging. The same challenge is facing the ICT sector in general. Traditional industry
classifications, such as NA1CS2, generally focus on the products or services themselves to define
the industry. In many instances, this classification fails to capture important aspects of
competition between firms such as those due to product substitutions or complementarities. For
this reason, the definition of an industry should be broadened beyond the nature of a product to
describe the function it accomplishes. This definition would inevitably group together firms
NAICS: North American Industry Classification System
11
usually classified under different standard economical industries, segments and even sectors3. In
the context of this project:
Wireless telecommunication industry encompassesJirms primarily engaged in
producing goods and services, or supplying technologies intended to fulJill or
enable the function ofprocessing, transmitting and receiving information that
move electro-magnetically through the airwaves.
2.2 Industry Segmentation
Industry segmentation consists of dividing an industry into stand-alone subgroups or
pockets in order to understand and analyze the scope of competition within each subgroup.
Industry segmentation builds on market segmentation, which focuses almost exclusively on
customer type, to add other dimensions for subdivision. Additionally, industry segments
"frequently involve differing buyer value chains and lor the value chain a firm requires to serve
them well" (Porter, 1998c, p. 231). Porter (1998~) suggests four variables to segment industries:
product variety, buyer type, channel and geographic buyer location.
Channel and geographical buyer location are not important factors for differentiating
wireless telecommunication sub-categories. This is due to two facts: that channels are generally
part of the industry and that globalization and standardization have rendered buyer location of
little impact on firms' general strategies. The basic enabling technologies used, however, create
distinctive divisions within this industry.
Therefore in this project, the wireless telecommunication industry is segmented based on
three dimensions: product variety, key technology and customer type. Similar to the
classification adopted by the Athena Institute (2002), each on of these dimensions is divided into
several subcategories. This chosen method of segmentation is used as the base for sketching an
industry value chain and value network, assessing the strength of the Vancouver wireless cluster
and analysing the patterns of specialization and cooperation within the cluster.
The wireless telecommunication industry tri-dimensional segmentation consists of the
following:
1. Product or Service Variety:
For example Statistics Canada identifies the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Sector as a "special aggregation" of NAICS industries. This sector is defined as comprising "industries primarily engaged in producing goods or services, or supplying technologies, used to process, transmit or receive information". The "special aggregation" consists of 25 NAICS industries from four different economical sectors (Statistics Canada, 2002).
a- Equipment, which consists of both infrastructure (e.g. cellular base stations)
and end user products (e.g. wireless phone, pager). Components are also part of
this category.
b- Transport providing national or regional networks for carrying data and voice.
c- Software used both for infrastructure (e.g. operating or billing systems) and by
end users (e.g. web browser on wireless hand held devices)
d- Services for both infrastructure (e.g. installation) and end user (e.g. online
payment). Content for users is also included in this section (e.g. stock market
quotes)
2 . Key technologies:
a- CellularIPCS wireless, which replaces phone lines. Two examples are Telus
Mobility or Fido services.
b- Fixed wireless, which replaces the "last-mile7' copper or fiber cables connecting
homes, businesses and neighborhoods to the central station. For example:
RONA laser beams
c- Wireless local area networks (WLANs), which replace the cables connecting
Ethernet LANs. An example is WiFi (802.1 lb).
d- Personal area networks (PANS), which replace the cables connecting
electronic devices (PCs to printers, for example). Example: Bluetooth.
e- Satellite, which enables global reach and coverage.
3. Buyer types:
f- Carrier-class products and services are sold to the large wireless providers such
as Bell Mobility. Companies in this category include giants such as Nokia,
Ericsson and Motorola.
g- Enterprise-class products and services are sold to large organizations for their
internal use. IBM, Oracle, Datacritical, and others are in this space.
h- Consumer-class products and services are sold to individual end users. Handsets
are an example of a consumer-class product. Many carriers offer consumer-class
services, such as pre-paid wireless subscriptions or mobile message services
(MMS).
Thus the wireless industry segmentation is better represented as three-dimensional
parallelepiped as shown Figure 2.
Wireless \ /
ex^^ Figure 2 - Wireless Telecommunication Industry Tri-dimensional Segmentation
2.3 Value Chain
Porter introduced value chain analysis (1998~) in the mid 1980s to conceptualize and
analyze both the internal dynamics of an industry as well as its external interaction with other
industries in the course of creating, transforming and providing products and services to
customers. There are different ways to map an industry value chain. Figure 3 illustrates one
representation of the interaction within the industry that reflects the technological dependency
value chain. This representation is similar to one adopted by WinBC (2004a) for example.
This value chain representation has the merit of being simple and linear. It was valid in
the 1980s when large wireless phone carriers dominated the industry. The carriers used to
simultaneously provide the network infrastructure, the user equipment, the communication
access service and often some content. However, the industry has evolved to become more
fragmented and is now dominated by companies with narrow specializations. Additionally,
specialized value chains around specific sub-markets or product groups have emerged. Each one
of these chains has a different process, dynamics and economic relationships. More complex
mapping has been used to represent the intricate relationships between industry segments and the
emergence of fields of specialization. Various authors and organizations have proposed new
models such as a wireless value chain (Leppavuori, 2002, p. 2); and value chain relationship
(Constance & Grower, 2001, p. 19). Figure 4 illustrates a value chain mapping that is derived
from a Durlacher & Eqvitec (2001, p.23) report about mobile industry. This representation uses a
network value model that coherently translates the complexities of the interactions between
various industry sub-segments.
Figure 3 - Wireless Industvy Value Chain - Technological Dependencies
This project proposes a new representation of the wireless telecommunication industry
value chain. The proposed model is congruent with the industry segmentation described earlier.
However, it distinguishes multiple sub-value chains within this industry, depending on the end
user needs it hlfills. From the outset the wireless industry provides four types of output:
1 . Access points to a network for example public telecommunication system
connection;
2. End-user devices and terminals to be able to communicate, such as cell phone,
wireless PDA, a satellite modem or blue-tooth device, to communicate with
other devices, users, and systems;
3. Internal connectivity such as linking portable scanning devices to a central
database in a large department or grocery store;
4. Content for example transmitting real-time NHL games scores to a wireless
PDA.
These outputs are complementary but conceptually separate and quasi-independent
industry value chains produce them. The proposed model is represented in Figure 5.
Equipment
Figure 4 - Wireless Industry Value Network
Equipment Service Software
Figure 5 - Wireless Industry Value Chains
2.4 Industry Size, Growth, Prospects and Attractiveness
Determining the total size of the overall wireless telecommunication industry and its sub-
sectors is beyond the scope of this study because of its complexity and extensiveness. Instead,
this section provides numerical data about selected wireless industry sub-segments to develop an
appreciation of the total wireless industry size, past evolution and growth potential. The
information provided is based on secondary data obtained from various sources. The following
areas are examined because of their relevance to the Vancouver wireless industry:
o Telecommunication services
o Wireless subscribers
o Wireless handset sales
o Public wireless LAN (WLAN)
o Wireless data devices
2.4.1 Telecommunication Services
In terms of number of subscribers, wireless telephone has already surpassed fixed phone
and continues to grow at an enormous rate superior to all the other sectors, as shown in Figure 6.
The growth patterns of cellular usage suggest that wireless services revenues would continue to
grow and inevitably surpass those of fixed telephone services by 2005 or 2006.
- - - - . -
-e Main telephone lines (millions)
--b Mobile cellular subscribers (millions)
International telephone traffic minutes (billions)
,- Personal computers (millions)
+++ Internet users (millions)
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03
- - - - - - - - -
Figure 6 - Worldwide Growth of ICT Users
Data source: International Telecommunication Union ITU (2001). Refer to Appendix 1 for further details.
17
Between 1992 and 2002 global annual revenues from telecommunication services had
more than doubled and increased from US$49 1 billions to US$l,O84 billions. Figure 7 reveals
that this extensive growth is primarily due to the expansion of wireless telecommunication.
Wireless telecommunication revenues progressed from US$26 billions (7% of total telecom) to
364 billions (34% of total telecom). During the same period, fixed telephone service only
increased by 32% (International Telecommunication Union ITU, 200 1).
-- 1992 Total Telecom Services
Revmue: US$491 billion
hbbile Other 5% ''5, 1.5%
- .
2002 Total Telecom Services Revenue: US$l,O84 billion
Other 1 A"/!
Telephone I
42%
Mo International
6%
Figure 7 - Worldwide Telecommunication Services Revenue Breakdown (1992-2002)~
Data source: Ibid
2.4.2 CeNular Wireless Services
According to recent statistics summarized in Table 2, 1,340 million people worldwide
subscribed to cellular phone services in 2003. In other terms, one of every five people worldwide
owns a wireless phone today. During the past five years the wireless services have grown at an
average of 33% every year. Very few industries of this size have achieved such a performance in
such short period of time.
Table 2 reveals an uneven spread of wireless usage across the world based on the
distribution of wireless subscribers by continents. On the one hand, considering the trends in
globalization and normalization of living standards across the world's nations, the current
inequalities in wireless distribution would sustain the high-rate growth of wireless
communication sector expansion for the upcoming years, especially in developing countries. This
translates into continuing high demand for wireless telecommunication equipment and network
infrastructure, as well as user terminals to access the service. On the other hand, the high
penetration rate in developing countries creates high competition because of the saturation of the
markets. Consequently this situation would drive up the need for innovation to improve the
wireless communication infrastructure efficiencies. In addition, there would be a rising need to
develop new products and services to ensure differentiation and increase revenues from exiting
customers.
Continent
Asia 1 108,320 1 543,153 1 38 1 15.0 ( 52.4
Africa
Americas
1998
World I 317,674 1 1,340,667 / 33 1 21.9 1 53.9
4,156
95,066
Europe
Oceania
Table 2 - World Cellular Phone subscribers7
2003
CAGR: Compound Annual Growth Rate
Data source: International Telecommunication Union (2004)
50,803
288,220
104,382
5,748
C A G R ~ (W
1998-03 65
25
441,235
- 17,256
Per 100 inhabitants
(2003)
As % of total telephone
subscribers
6.2
33.8
33
24
67.3
49.8
55.4
54.5
57.5
57.2
Country specific data for the United States, Finland and Canada are summarized in Table
3. Wireless telecommunication industry clusters in these specific countries are discussed in the
next chapter.
Continent
United States
Finland
As % of total telephone
subscribers
Canada - -
Table 3 - United States, Finland and Canada Mobile Phone Subscribers8
1998
69,209
2,846
5,365 1 13,221 1 20 1 41.7
2.4.3 Cellular Wireless Terminals
Sales of wireless cell phones have similar growth patterns to those related to the number
of wireless phone subscribers and service revenues. Figure 8 shows statistics related to
worldwide cell phone sales by region. The bulk of the sales are in the Asia-Pacific region, North
America and Western Europe. This year estimates predict that about half a million cellular
phones will be sold across the world.
2003
158,722
4'700
2.4.4 Public Wireless LAN
Wireless data communication is a sector that has lagged behind wireless voice
applications. However, this trend has been changing in recent years. Enabling employee mobility
has been the main driver behind this growth. An interesting aspect about this sector is a shift
toward providing this type of access service trough private non-telecommunication companies.
An important component of this sector consists of 'public wireless LAN' or 'public WLAN'. This
sub-sector has shown signs of tremendous growth in the past two years. Hotels, restaurants and
communities have been the main providers of this access service, instead of traditional
telecommunication companies. More than 70,000 public WLAN enabled, or 'hot', spots have
been enumerated in 2003 as shown in Table 4. This number is expected to more than double by
2005.
CAGR (%)
1998-03 18
10
Data source: Ibid
Per 100 inhabitants
2003 54.3
90.0
- - -- ppppp
Figure 8 - Wireless Handsets Sale to End Users by ~ e g i o n ~
The expansion of public WLAN access has also generated a ripple effect expanding to
other sub-sectors such as enterprise infrastructure, user terminals, enabling application and
Location type
Airports
Hotels
Retail Outlets
Enterprise as
Stations
Community
Others
Total Market
service delivery. As it was the case for cellular phone networks, substantial growth is predicted
Table 4 - Worldwide Number o f Public WLAN 'Hot ' Spot Locations by ~ypelO
2004
378
22,021
82,149
3,708
2,143
20,561
1,526
132,486
for these related fields (Figure 9).
2005
423 -
23,663
85,567
5,413
3,887
30,659
2,156
151,768
2001
85
569
474
84
-
2
-
1,214
Data source: Gartner Dataquest (2003a)
l o Data source: Gartner Dataquest (2003b)
2002
152
2,274
11,109
624
88
266
240
14,752
2003
292
11,687
50,287
1,762
623
5,637
790
71,079
WLAN overall market CAGR: 42% (98-04)
0 SoftwarelServices
0 Bridges
Access points
B Devices - .-
Figure 9 - Forecast for the Global WLAN Market Growth Segmented by Product Catego y.ll
2.4.5 Wireless Telecommunication Equipment Concentration and Localization
On the international scene a few countries stand out in terms of their leadership,
positioning and influence in the wireless telecommunication industry. The wireless activities are
regionally concentrated in a small number of areas. Some the most important spots are as
follows:
The United States is undeniably occupying the most prominent position in the worldwide
wireless telecommunication industry. It was one of the first countries to deregulate
telecommunication, which initiated the information revolution across the world. The United
States continues to lead the world.in innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Scandinavian countries were able to fundamentally transform their societies and
economies from being resource-based to become information based. They have set a
benchmark for successful public policy implementation and became the stars of the 1980s
and 1990s in terms of competitiveness. This region emerged as a major player in the wireless
telecommunication industry with two major companies: Nokja and Ericsson.
Data source: Krebs (2000, p.2)
Japan and Korea have distinguished themselves in this early part of the 21" century by taking
the lead in deploying the most advanced wireless telecommunication infrastructure (3G or 3rd
generation wireless). They have also significantly improved their research and development
capabilities and resources.
In terms of size, growth and future prospects, China stands at the forefi-ont of the world scene
by managing the deployment of the world's largest wireless telecommunication networks.
These deployments have been responsible for numerous industrial activities and firms'
creations within China.
Cellular wireless networks and terminal manufacturing industries tend to be global and
geographically concentrated. The leading wireless infrastructure equipment vendors are Alcatel,
Ericsson, Motorola, Lucent, Nokia, Nortel, Siemens and Samsung. Most of these players also
develop and supply consumer handsets. Table 5 provides a forecast for this industry segment
demand based on information provided by a leading market research firm. This table shows
sustained growth over the next five years.
Cell phone vendors market their products across the world in spite of country and
regional differences in communication standards. All the top players develop international
brands and adopt global strategies. The Finnish based firm Nokia dominates the industry with a
35% market share. The second largest vendor is the US based Motorola with 15% of the market,
which is less than half the share of the leader. Other major players in this industry include: the
Korean based Samsung, the German Siemens, the Swedish-Japanese joint-venture
Sony/Ericsson, and the Korean LG. The top six cell phone vendors are responsible for 80% of
handset sales worldwide, indicating a high concentration of this sector of the industry. Table 6
lists all the major wireless handset vendors and their market share.
l 2 In US$ million
Data source: DellYOro Group (2004)
Table 5 - Worldwide Sales Predictions for Wireless Infrastructure Equipment1-?
2007
32,700
2008
34,800
2004
25,700
2005
27,000
Year
Worldwide Sales l2
2006
30,500
2003
25,500
In contrast to the PCS industry, the WLAN equipment industry seems fragmented.
Indeed, Table 7 shows that the market leader, Linksys, controls only a 15% market share.
Company
Nokia
Motorola
Samsung
Siemens
SonylEricsson
LG
Panasonic
NEC
Alcatel
Sagem
Others
Total Market
Furthermore, nearly half of the market share is distributed among a large number of smaller
Table 6 - Worldwide Sales of Mobile Terminals to End Users (2002-2003)15
2003 Salesq4
180,672
75,177
54,475
43,754
26,686
26,213
16,809
1 3,484
7,246
6,241
69,228
519,988
companies. Currently WLAN is highly concentrated in North America and Europe but it is
7
2002 Market
Share (%)
35.1 0%
16.90%
9.70%
8.00%
5.40%
3.20%
2.50%
1.90%
2.80%
1.10%
13.60%
100%
2003 Market
Share (%)
34.70%
14.50%
10.50%
8.40%
5.10%
5.00%
3.20%
2.60%
1.40%
1.20%
13.30%
100%
expected to spread across the world.
2002 Sales
151,421
72,852
41,684
34,618
23,112
13,797
10,766
8,085
1 1,889
4,743
58,658
431,631
l 4 In thousand of units
l 5 Data source: Gartner Dataquest (2004)
2002 Market Share (%) Company I I
2.4.6 Trends and Opportunities
2002 Shipments
Linksys
D-Link
Buffalo Technology
Symbol Technologies
Proxim
Others
Total
The data presented in this chapter suggest the following trend about the global wireless
telecommunication industry:
o The wireless industry overall will grow.
o Market concentration in the wireless industry will change (especially in developing
countries).
o Wireless related service and application market will grow.
o The user terminal manufacturers will continue to innovate and add more
functionality and features into handsets.
o Deployment of wireless enterprise solutions will be one of the highest growth areas.
2.860 1 14.6
In congruence with these trends, Nokia, one of the industry leaders for example, predicts
that the industry "is moving rapidly into a new phase of advanced features and services. There
are three key industry drivers taking us there: applications on the move, increasing role of
software based on open compatible solutions, explosion of new innovative products" (Nokia,
2003).
From a technological point of view, wireless data and voice telecommunication
conversion are driving the growth of the industry. The demand for Internet and mobility to
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the workforce is continuously increasing. This trend
is already apparent in the current amalgamation into a single device of a cell phone and PDA
Table 7 - Top 5 Worldwide Wireless LAN Equipment Vendors by Unit Shipments (2002) l6
1,881
1,857
1,762
1,741
9,495
19,598
l 6 Data source: Ibid
9.6
9.5
9
8.9
48.5
100
(personal digital assistant). Another trend is that handset software platforms will play an ever-
increasing role in wireless devices. As an example, the research firm ABI forecasts that about
150 million smartphones17 will be sold in 2008 (ABI Research, 2004). A further trend is the
ability of the same device to be able to use multiple radio access technologies to completely
fulfill the end-user's needs. For example, the same wireless PDA would communicate inside an
enterprise through the WLAN using a Wi-Fi interface; and would switch automatically to use the
public GSM network while outside the reach of the WLAN.
New areas for application of wireless technology continue to emerge. For example,
radio frequency identification (WID), which is a technology for enterprise asset tracking which
uses wireless technology, is poised for tremendous growth. The Yankee Group, a research
company, estimates that "during the next three years, manufacturers will spend approximately $2
billion on ePC RFIDI~ tags and $1 billion to $3 billion on infrastructure. The largest portion of
infrastructure spending will be allocated to consulting and systems integration" (Yankee Group,
2004).
In summary, the global wireless telecommunication industry is expected to continue to
grow. New applications, especially those destined for enterprise, are becoming major drivers,
enabling the industry to expand considerably. These new applications are changing the industry
landscape. By relying on disruptive technologies they also provide opportunities for new firms
and nations possessing relevant inherent strengths to emerge and perhaps move to leadership
roles in the industry.
A Smartphone is a handset which is an all-in-one device that offers the flexibility and facility of a hand- held computer (PDA) with the communications ability of a mobile phone.
l 8 The Electronic Product Code (ePC) is a new product numbering standard under development by the Uniform Code Council that can be used to detect, track, and control a variety of items using RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology.
WIRELESS TELECOMUNICATION CLUSTERS
ANALYSIS
Wireless telecommunication companies, especially those involved in product
development and design, usually exist in clusters because they require people with industry-
specialized skills and experience in technologies such as radio wave propagation, analog design,
signal conditioning, telecommunication standards, among others. The grouping of multiple
companies in a geographical area creates the conditions for the development of the appropriate
infrastructure to support them. It also creates the establishment of relevant academic
specialization and the formation of related research and innovation environments. In this section
four metropolitan wireless telecommunication clusters are explored: Helsinki (Finland), The Bay
Area (US), Ottawa (Canada) and Calgary (Canada). These clusters are analysed to gain useful
insights and appreciation about their dynamics and strengths, and most importantly the
conditions that lead to the development of these strengths. In a later part of the study of the
characteristics of these clusters enable comparison with the Vancouver wireless cluster.
The choice of these four metropolitan clusters in particular was based on the variety they
present in terms of size, strengths, stages of development and conditions leading to their
emergence.
3.1 United States
The United States is the world predominant nation in the wireless sector. The penetration
of cell phones is high but it is lower than in many other developed countries. The country still
relies on fixed telephones as the fundamental means of distance communication (Table 3).
However, the defence industry, in addition to enterprise networks, is creating an unparalleled
demand for wireless products, solutions and services. In the United States wireless
telecommunication activities are concentrated in very specific areas and regions. The five largest
regional wireless clusters in terms of number of firms are located in California, with 2,000
companies, Texas with 1100, Florida with 1100, New York with 900, and Illinois with 700 (RTA
& OMC, 2002).
3.1.1 California
This section concentrates on exploring the Bay Area metropolitan wireless cluster within
the larger California regional cluster. California hosts more than 2,000 wireless companies that
employ in excess of 60,000 persons. This makes it the largest state in the United States and one
of the world main clusters in terms of size and concentration of wireless activities. From 1993 to
2001, venture capitalists invested more than $5 billions in the California wireless industry sector
(RTA & OMC, 2002). In comparison, Texas, the next leading state in wireless activities, had
only 1,100 companies, employed 34,000 employees and received $1.2 billions venture capital
funding (ibid). In spite of the large size and importance of its wireless sector, California State is
not the base of any major national wireless or data carrier. Neither is it the home of any dominant
infrastructure or handset manufacturer. Instead, California's wireless sector strengths lay in
industries that support the core infrastructure, such as chips and device development, and in
software and services. The bulk of the Californian wireless sector activities is concentrated in
three metropolitan regions: San Diego, Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
3.1.2 Bay Area Wireless Cluster
The Bay Area is the metropolitan region that includes three geographically close cities:
San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. The region is known to draw some of the best professional
talents in the ICT sector. This is supported by the fact that the region's telecommunication
industry employee earned on average US $77,521 in 2001; which is the highest average
telecommunication industry wage across the United States' economic regions (Institute for
Strategy and Competitiveness, 2001). The region also has one of the highest average numbers of
patents per employees in the country, which is 27.87 patents per 10,000 employees compared to
7.71 for the United States as a whole (ibid).
Among California metropolitan wireless clusters, the Bay Area ranks second in terms of
size after Los Angles. In 2001 it employed around 22,500 people and has more than 600 firms.
However, it significantly surpasses the other two areas in terms of venture capital expenditure
that totalled close to $4 billions and employment growth that increased by 257% between 1993
and 2001 (RTA & OMC, 2002).
Three key factors contributed to the emergence of the Bay Area wireless cluster:
o Defence industry: historically the area was home to Fairchild, a major semiconductor
supplier to the defence industry. This company spawned the creation of many large
companies such as Intel and paved the way for the creation of a strong ICT cluster.
The United States government continues to invest significant defence R&D budgets
in the region.
o ICT cluster: the region is the base of one of the world's major ICT cluster with
companies such as Intel, Oracle, Sun and 3Com.
o Venture capitalist: the region is also known for the presence of an extremely high
concentration of venture capitalists. These investment institutions backed the
creation of numerous start-ups, which targeted the wireless sector for its high growth
and potential.
Benefiting from the presence in the region of well-developed satellite and software
industries, the Bay Area wireless cluster is particularly strong in the following fields:
o Satellite telecommunication equipments
o Enterprise access software
o Carrier class management software and applications
With regards to research, many Californian universities spearhead advanced research in
wireless communication although they are not all located in the metropolitan area. These centres
include:
o Stanford University - Wireless Communications Research (WCR) Group
o University of California Los Angeles - Wireless Integrated Systems Research Group
(WISR)
o University of California San Diego - Center for Wireless Communications
o The California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology - Cal-
(ITP
o California Institute of Technology - Lee Center for Advanced Networking
In summary, the Bay Area wireless cluster is a very sizeable grouping of large and small
companies engaged in diversified sub-sectors, most notably satellite communication, enterprise
access and carrier management software. In spite of its size and maturity, the cluster is still
growing and evolving. The wireless companies in the region maintain close relationships with
local universities and suppliers. In addition, microelectronics, software and investment, which
are important to wireless telecommunication industries, are well developed in the region. The
Bay Area cluster's various characteristics are summarized in Figure 10. This cluster stands out
for its growth and the fertile entrepreneurial environment it presents, which are favourable to the
expansion of mature companies and the creation of start-ups.
Bay Area Wireless Telecommunication Cluster
J Synergies and Inter-exchange w~th Los Angles and San D~ego wlreless clusters
J Mature and large firms such as Intel, Oracle, Sun and 3c0m
J Diversification J 600+ companies (2001) J Expansion: 257% employment
growth (1993 to 2001) I_ __A_I_- r-"
\ -- -
7 knoiat ion 27 87 patents1 10,000 i employees vs 7 71 for the US ' J Large employee pool: 22,500 ' (2001) 4 Skilled professional h~ghest
average wage In the country 1 J R8D many university have
\ research centers specializing in
j wireless
J Defense industry (commun~cation) J Satellite mdustry
/ J H~gh defense R I D spending
x No national telecom carrier bas
, J Silicon Valley ICT cluster espeaally
electronic components and software
J Strong venture capital industry J Very advanced satellite industry '
Figure I0 - Baq' Area Wireless Cluster Diamond Analysis
3.2 Finland
Finland has been the focus of numerous studies and research for being the best nation in
the world in terms of its use of networking and information technology. Finland extends s over
337,030 square kilometers, of which 10 % is water and 69 % is forest. It has a population of 5.2
million people, with two thirds living in towns or urban areas (CIA, 2004).
During the 1990's, Finland succeeded in performing an extraordinary economy
conversion from being based on forestry and metal to relying on knowledge and high technology.
This transformation was not limited only to the industrial and economical structure but extended
to the social and cultural fabric. The Intemational Institute for Management Development ranked
Finland as the world's most "competitive nation" with a population of less than 20 millions in
2003 (Intemational Institute for Management Development, 2003). "Competitiveness of a
nation" is defined as "a field of economic knowledge, which analyses the facts and policies that
shape the ability of a nation to create and maintain an environment that sustains more value
creation for its enterprises and more prosperity for its people" (Garelli, 2003, p. 702).
The ICT sector has played the major role in this transformation and success. This sector
generates about 30% of Finland's exports (Paija, 2000). Several of these facilities may belong to
the same organization. The development of the ICT is attributed to three primary factors (TIEKE,
2003):
o Sparsely populated country with extremely long distances
o Heavy investments made in education and R&D
o Well-functioning regulatory environment
Related to the last point, Finland has never had one single incumbent telecommunication
provider. Instead, dozens and sometimes hundreds of companies were competing to provide
services and products. The government, via a state owned company, had an active role in
ensuring compatibility and connectivity between all these companies. In the early 1990's this
state owned organization was privatized. The early liberalisation of the telecommunications
market in Finland might be the catalyst to the success and growth of the ICT sector.
Additionally, Finland adopted a unique governmental policy that helped the rapid
adoption of wireless cell phones in the country. The government granted for free the rights for
firms to operate within the cellular bands of the radio spectrum (Kuusipalo et al., 2001). This
allowed the local companies to have quick access to a strong home base demand for innovative
products. This is a contrast to most other developing countries, where governments opted to
charge the telecommunication operator heavily for licensing the rights to portions of the radio
spectrum. These policies have been blamed for significantly slowing down the spread of wireless
telecommunication as well as the advancement and technological infrastructure upgrade in these
countries, most notably the United States, because of the restriction and extra licensing fees.
As shown in Table 3, Finland has one of the highest cell phone ownerships per capita in
the world. Nine of every ten Finnish residents have a cell phone. In recent years, the high
percentage of wireless cell phone subscribers as part of the total phone subscribers has resulted
in an increasingly significant portion of the households completely abandoning wireline phones
and exclusively relying on wireless technologies.
3.2. I Helsinki Wireless Cluster
With a population of about a million, Helsinki area hosts a large proportion of Finland's
companies involved in the ICT sector. The wireless cluster, or mobile cluster as it is generally
known in Europe, is one of the fastest growing and major components of ICT. It is difficult to
separate wireless activities and statistics from the rest of ICT activities in Helsinki. Helsinki is
the home of Nokia, the world's predominant supplier of mobile phones. Nokia had a 30%
worldwide market share in 2002. There are about 9,000 single offices or manufacturing facilities
that are ICT related in the Helsinki area, of which 78% have fewer than 4 employees and 19%
between 5 and 50 employees (Tukiainen, 2002, p. 12). In 2000, the Helsinki ICT industry
employed about 100,000 persons (ibid, p. 14). In the same year about 1,500 ICT start-ups were
registered in Helsinki (ibid, p. 15). This denotes the entrepreneur culture of the country and
makes it challenging to determine the number of firms in the narrow wireless cluster. As the
major part of the ICT clusters, it is reasonable to estimate that the number of wireless companies
would number more than a thousand. Nokia is the major actor in the Helsinki cluster and is the
anchor of the wireless and the ICT clusters.
The Helsinki wireless cluster (Nummi & Lahenius, 2003) is composed of:
o Nokia, the giant mobile phones and network equipment vendor.
o Four other large companies: Sonera and Elisa, both telecommunication operators, as
well as TietoEnator and Novo Group, providing internationally various tailored
services, software for different environments, and IT consulting.
o R&D facilities for Siemens and Ericsson, also international wireless handset vendors
and networks from Germany and Sweden.
o A pool of small and medium companies which deal mainly in software support and
services to the other large players.
o Four universities and three polytechnics Institutes involved in research, especially
Helsinki University of Technology.
o Finnish venture capitalists, most of whom are located in Helsinki.
The intense competition in providing telecommunication services in Finland "creates an
ideal environment for application developers to create and test their products. Also the high
penetration rate of mobile phones enables to test application efficiently" (Nummi & Lahenius,
2003, p. 2).
The collaboration between university and industry is very intense and contributes to the
expanding innovation in the region. "The telecom operators and companies in electronics
business have usually formal collaboration with universities whereas the software companies are
mainly depended on universities as a source of skilled labor" (ibid, p. 11). Figure 11 summarizes
the characteristics of this cluster using the cluster diamond tool.
Over the years the Helsinki wireless cluster has gained a worldwide reputation. The core
of the cluster is the giant company, Nokia. The cluster overall has reached the maturity stage.
However, the momentum reached in the region is creating initiative to rejuvenate the cluster and
pursue emerging growth opportunities. The cluster benefits from an outstanding supporting
structure provided by the local economic and societal environments, which has proved to be
mutually benefiting.
Helsinki Wireless Telecommunication Cluster
J Early telecommunication liberalization
J Government policy creating an "information economy and society"
J 4 universities and 3 polytechnic institutes
J 100,000 ICT employees J Innovation: active university-
industty cooperation
J Nokia the world largestwireless handset manufacturer; cluster anchor
J 5 larqe firms J ~ l o b a l expansion: export \ ,
r 1 J Europeandemand I J Local market open to
experlmentatlon and early adoption
J Wreless cell market expansion espeaally Into develop~ng countne
J Electronic component manufactunnq
J Software development industty / J Venture capitalist
Figure I I - Helsinki Wireless Cluster Diamond Analysis
3.3 Canada
Canada, as the geographically second largest country in the world, has an inherent
incentive to develop and deploy wireless solutions and networks. Surprisingly, compared to other
developed countries, Canada has one of the lowest wireless penetration rates with only 41% of
the population having cell phones (see Table 3). The number of wireless phone subscribers as
portion of the total telephone subscribers is merely 40%.
For many years public policy has been promoting innovation and regional development.
ICT is among the sectors that have benefited from this policy. Industry Canada identifies several
ICT sector groupings across the country (Table 8). A grouping with significant size is labelled a
'cluster'; otherwise the grouping is called a 'spotlight'.
1 Location I Networking I Core 1 Software & I New Media I ICT I
Smaller Grouping
Table 8 - ICT Clusters in Canada19
Within the ICT sector, two wireless clusters are recognized in Vancouver and Calgary. A
wireless cluster under development is identified in Ottawa (Industry Canada, 2004a). The
l 9 Source: Industry Canada (2004a)
34
Calgary and Ottawa clusters are analyzed in the following two sections, while the Vancouver
cluster is the subject of an extensive study in the next chapter.
Ottawa telecommunications equipment cluster is one of the most developed and mature
high technology clusters in Canada. The Ottawa region has more than 212 companies engaged in
the telecommunication industry (Industry Canada, 2004a), including centres from international
telecommunication leaders such as Nortel, Alcatel, JDS Uniphase, Cisco Systems and Nokia.
About 80,000 people are employed in advanced technology industries in the region. In addition
to telecommunications, the region is also known for having strong industries such as
microelectronics, photonics, software development, and professional services. The Ottawa region
is home base to national wireless access providers such as Bell Mobility and Rogers AT&T.
The emergence of a wireless cluster in the area is mostly due to local mature
telecommunication companies extending their activities to include new wireless applications and
products. Around these large companies, a grouping of smaller companies and start-ups
specializing in niche wireless applications has formed over the past few years. Currently the
Ottawa wireless cluster includes about than 70 companies (Ottawa Global Marketing, 2004a) and
employs 1,500 persons (Deloitte, 2004).
From a historical point of view, the principal factors that have contributed to the
emergence of the Ottawa wireless cluster include:
ICT cluster: The high demand and the growth prospects for wireless devices and
infrastructure pushed some of the established companies involved in telecommunication to
move into wireless applications. This move was facilitated by the availability in the area of
the talents and resources required. "There is increasing evidence to show growth in the
Ottawa wireless sector in the last few years. Wireless is at the intersection of several sectors
such as telecommunication, semiconductor, software and services" (Santos & Krishnapillai,
2002, p. 11).
Strong research and development facilities: Industry Canada estimates that 90% of
Canadian telecommunication R&D takes place around Ottawa (Industry Canada, 2004b). The
Communications Research Centre, Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation, and the
National Research Centre located in the Ottawa area are spearheading advanced wireless
research in several fields For example, "the Ottawa based Communication Research Center
(CRC) is one of Canada's best antenna research centres". (Santos & Krishnapillai ,2002, p.
11). In addition to employing a large number of professionals in wireless research, these
centres have created company incubator facilities and helped start-ups begin operations.
Additionally, the region has three universities actively engaged in research: Ottawa, Carleton
and Algonquin.
Home based demand for wireless applications: a survey conducted in the region in 2004
has shown that 73% of wireless industry revenues originate from Canada. Furthermore,
more than half of the revenues originate from the Ottawa region itself. Very few revenues are
being generated from overseas clients (Deloitte, 2004, p. 10).
A study by the global consulting firm Deloitte (2004, p. 4) identified "software
development and solution development/consulting as the most common types of wireless
activities." Other fields of specialization include:
o Enterprise solutions
o Satellite equipment
o Communications interface devices
The same study found that "wireless companies have demonstrated their ability to stay in
the market place, with close to 70% of respondents having been in the industry for over 2 years,
including one-third that have over 10 years of wireless experience" (Deloitte, 2004, p. 5). This is
evidence for the stability of the cluster in spite of the challenges that have faced the ICT
following the technology bubble burst.
In the field research, in addition to CRC, the region's universities are actively involved
in the wireless research and technologies (Ottawa Global Marketing, 2004b):
o University of Ottawa, the School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE)
is working on the development of mobile telephone protocols.
o Carleton University, through its world-class wireless researchers and broadband
communications lab, is teaming up with Ottawa's National Capital Institute for
Telecommunications to create a new Centre for Wireless Research. The centre will
provide access to a wealth of wireless expertise and equipment, while conducting
research into the next generation of wireless systems, both mobile and fixed.
One of the major hurdles facing the development of the Ottawa cluster is the absence of
a "prospective company to become the local wireless anchor7' (Santos & Krishnapillai, 2002, p.
16). The anchor company has an important role in promoting the cluster and managing the
dynamics for bringing the cluster together. Another challenge faced by the emerging local
industry is the limited availability of venture capital in the region (jbjd, p. 17). An initiative
called Ottawa Wireless Cluster (www.OttawaWirelessCluster.com) has been created by the
Ottawa Center for Research and Innovation (OCRI) to promote and build the cluster. Currently
the Ottawa wireless cluster is at an early stage of development. Figure 12 presents the cluster
diamond analysis for the Ottawa region wireless industry.
Ottawa Wireless Telecommunication Cluster
4 10 international firm including Nokia
J Generally stable and lasting firms 1 J Ottawa Wireless Cluster (OWC) \
80,000 high tech professionals 90% of Canada telecommun~cat~on R8D CRC and 3 universities
. - -
x No anchor company x Lnstructured networmq and
/' J Substant~al natlonal and home
base demand
4 Very strong and mature ICT cluster
J Strong software industly J Ottawa Wireless Cluster (OWC)
1 1 x Insuficient venture capital funds L.." --- - - - - - - - - -
Figure 12 - Ottawa Wireless Cluster Diamond Analysis
3.3.2 Calgary
Calgary is the heart of economic and industrial activities in the Province of Alberta.
Since the early 1980s, Calgary has been a centre for leadership in wireless innovation. Currently,
it is the home of more than 100 companies specializing in various fields of wireless
telecommunications. These companies employed around 12,000 persons in 2001. The
development of the Calgary cluster is attributed to three main reasons (Industry Canada, 2004b):
Oil and gas industry: "There is a little doubt that it was the needs of oil and gas industry that
stimulated the key events at the foundation of the Calgary wireless cluster" (Langford et al.,
2001, p. 1). Prospecting and exploration in remote areas requires transport of large amount of
geological and logistical data to research centres across long distances of unpopulated land.
Wireless transport is very suitable because it allows the flexibility in moving the exploration
sites and relatively low investment compared to wireline infrastructure (ibid).
NovTel: In 1982, a partnership between Nova Corporation, the largest company collecting
and transporting gas across Alberta, and Alberta Government Telephones (AGT) that later
would become Telus. NovaTel is accredited for deploying, in 1993, the first cellular network
in North America. NovTel also developed handheld devices that captured, at one time, half
of the North American market share (ibid). Many of the current companies trace their origins
to NovTel either through spin-offs, partnerships or transfer of employees.
Nortel: This company has large telecommunication equipment manufacturing facilities
located in the region.
The wireless research in the region is lead by:
o TRLabs Wireless Research Centre (cooperation between industry, government and
universities)
o University of Calgary
o iCORE
The qualified workforce in the region is considered to be the major asset of the region.
"The labour force is the central node that grounds the wireless cluster in Calgary and from it
stems a regional system of innovation" (Langford et al., 2001, p. 15). There are strong
community links in the region between wireless professionals that contribute to the emergence of
"a constellation of firms enjoying rich knowledge flows, largely mediated 'on foot' or in
conversation among close associates" (ibid, p. 16). In comparison with other wireless clusters,
Calgary firms have strong expertise in communication systems integration into complete
solutions. These firms differentiate themselves through "efficient import of technology and
science from the global knowledge system, its efficient configuration to create new knowledge
and add value, then successful export of product to a world market" (ibid, p. 16).
Although the Calgary region has a history of individuals and firms collaborating and
sharing knowledge, these interactions remain informal and lack the focus and drive to enhance
the cluster. It is only last year that an initiative called Wireless City (www.WirelessCity.ca) was
instigated to promote the Calgary cluster.
The Calgary wireless cluster appears as a growing cluster with solid roots in wireless
applications development and proven past performances. The cluster size is medium with
numerous companies focusing on GPS technologies and system integration. Although the cluster
has a long history and anchor firms, it hasn't developed formal structures for facilitating
cooperation between the firms until this year. Figure 13 summarizes the cluster diamond analysis
for the Calgary region.
Calgary Wireless Telecommunication Cluster
- - K - - - - - 12,000 wireless industry employees R8D TRLabs Wireless Research Center, CORE, Un~versly of Calgary Expandmg emnomlc environment H~story of early innovation In w~reless PCS
J 100+ companies J Actwe informal collaboration and
networking J 2 anchor finns: NovAtel8 Telus J Expert~se in wirelesssystems \
integration
x Embryonic cluster management institutions
.-
J Oil and gas w~reless telecom needs
Communication equipment
Figure 13 - Calgary Wireless Cluster Diamond Analysis
The analyses of these different clusters reveal a wide variety in terms of structures,
origins, internal dynamics and levels of maturity, despite a common goal to pursue a high growth
industry. In particular, this small sample suggests that there may be no universal formula or
strategy to create and make a cluster successful. These clusters rely on the presence of related
industries and well-developed academic and research environments. The analysis of these
clusters serves as a comparison against which to analyse and understand the Vancouver cluster.
This analysis appears in the next chapter. The last chapter extends this analysis into
recommendations for the improved management of the Vancouver cluster.
4 VANCOUVER WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION
CLUSTER
After defining the general context of the wireless telecommunication industry and
analysing a sample of its particular regional groupings, the rest of this study focuses specifically
on the particular Vancouver grouping. This chapter investigates the structure, dynamics, and
characteristics of Vancouver's wireless telecommunication cluster.
4.1 Vancouver Technology Industry Overview
The province of British Columbia's technology sector employed 45,550 people and
generated revenues in excess of $6 billion in 2001. The sector was responsible for 2.9% of the
province's GDP. It also employed 2.9% of the entire provincial workforce but was the origin ofr
4% of aggregate salaries. Most importantly, for the last 10 years, the high tech sector has been
growing at an average rate of 6.3%, which is twice as fast as the average rate for the rest of the
province's economy. The bulk of the high tech activities is concentrated in the Greater
Vancouver Regional District.
The technology sector in British Columbia is very varied. However, in recent years a few
distinctive concentrations have formed to constitute the base of five distinct clusters
(PriceWaterHouseCoopers, 2003). In addition to the wireless cluster there are:
a: This is a mature and large cluster responsible for the majority of the high tech
contribution to the province's GDP. There are more than 5,000 companies
participating in this sector. For the most part their activities are related to electronics
and software.
New media: This cluster group consists of companies engaged in activities related to
interactive multi-media products and services. Electronic games, e-learning software
and web-related services are some of the most important sub-categories. About 700
companies operate in this cluster.
Fuel cells: This cluster includes more than 25 companies participating in various
parts of the fuel cell industry value chain.
o Biotech: 43 companies operate in this cluster engaged in developing pharmaceutical,
therapeutic and genomic products. Because of the large investment in R&D, this
cluster is expected to grow at phenomenal rates in the following years, when the
innovations are fully commercialized.
4.2 Vancouver Wireless Cluster Anatomy
4.2.1 Origins
Historically, the wireless industry in Vancouver, and by extension in British Columbia,
traces its origins as early as the 1960s. Three companies had a major impact on forming the local
industry (Langford, 2004):
o MDI (Mobile Data International) was founded by Macdonald Dettwiller and
Associates in 1978, and then bought in 1988 by Motorola to become its Wireless
Data System Division. In the early 1 WOs, MDI employed more than 1,000 people
and had $100 million in revenue.
o Glenavre (founded in 1963) during the 1990s it managed to position itself as a world
leader in mobile data systems and pagers and employed more than 600 people.
Glenayre went bankrupt in 2001, after the demise of the wireless paging market.
o MPR-Teltech, founded in 1979 by BCTel, existed until1986 and provided up to 700
jobs. It disbanded in 1986 when BCTel (which would become Telus later) decided to
adopt a "follower strategy that does not support the innovation and research thrusts
of MPR" (Langford, 2004, p. 3).
These companies reached significant sizes and were leaders in their respective fields.
They shaped the wireless industry in Vancouver. They also constituted solid industry anchors for
the Vancouver cluster for more than two decades before they ceased to exist. Most of the
companies currently participating in the local wireless industry have either direct or indirect
connections with one or more of these three companies either thorough technology or people
transfers (PriceWaterHouseCoopers, 2003).
4.2.2 Cluster Economical Characteristics
Currently, about 100 companies in the Vancouver area have direct activities in the
wireless industry, excluding consumer retail stores. A previous survey of 67 companies within
this cluster conducted in 2001 (PriceWaterHouseCoopers, 2002) revealed that:
o About 1,500 people were employed in the cluster and this number was expected to
more than double in the following three years
o The companies surveyed generated $253 million in 2001. Ten of these companies
were responsible for 95% of total revenues.
o The cluster exported 61% of its products and services. The US was the major
destination and was responsible for 42% of the total revenues. The Asia Pacific area
was responsible for 9% and Europe 8%. Revenues originating locally or from other
parts of Canada constituted only 39%.
o 357 patents were filled.
o Providing enabling software services and enterprise class solutions was among the
activities of 48% and 37% of the respondents, respectively.
4.2.3 Wireless Cluster Participants
Wireless narrow cluster: the survey conducted within this project revealed that currently
there are 89 companies in the Vancouver narrow wireless cluster. Further details about the
survey are presented in Section 4.3 Company Survey. The sample of these firms presented in
Table 9 shows a variety of business specializations.
Wireless broad cluster: about 50 more companies and organizations provide related and
supporting services to the wireless narrow cluster. These include, for example, electronic
manufacturing, marketing, consulting, legal services, and technical services firms.
Education and research institutions: The Vancouver area has two large universities and
one technology institute actively engaged in wireless research:
o Simon Fraser University: The Centre for Systems Science (CSS) is a research
organization, which promotes advanced research in computers and communications,
microelectronics, and intelligent systems. The centre has more than twenty years of
wireless research with a large portion of it in cooperation with local companies. SFU
also has the Communication Networks Laboratory, where "current activities
encompass wide area and wireless data networks, with emphasis on traffic
collection, modeling and characterization, and on performance analysis of packet and
ATM networks" (SFU, 2004).
Company
Air Games
Colligo Networks, Inc.
Con-Space Communications
Digital Dispatch Systems
Kinetix Wireless
Norsat International
Telus Mobility
TRL Microwave Technology
Activity
Global provider in publishing and distributor of mobile entertainment products.
Provider of peer-to-peer wireless productivity software designed for notebooks, Tablet PCs and handhelds.
Provides two-way wired and wireless voice communication products for confined spaces and other hazardous work environments.
Provider of turnkey wireless mobile data systems for the taxi, courier, shuttle, vehicle tracking, and airport asset management industries.
Provider of leading edge mobile platform and wireless applications enabling Mobile Asset Management, Mobile Workforce Management and Mobile Field Service
Developer of portable satellite terminal products that provide rapidly deployable broadband satellite data and video connectivity.
Provides its three million clients across Canada with a full suite of wireless voice, Internet and data services through its Mike and PCS digital wireless network.
Specializes in the research, development, and manufacturing of microwave and millimeterwave components for the satellite, terrestrial and wireless communications industries.
Table 9 - Vancouver Narrow Wireless Cluster Company Examples
o University of British Columbia: The Data Communications Group in the Department
of Electrical and Computer (http://datacom.ece.ubc.ca) pursues research activities in
wireless personal communication systems, internetworking of mobile and personal
communication networks, wireless data networks for mobile computing, satellite
networks, and other projects.
o British Columbia Institute of Technology: This institute trains technologists in
various areas of telecommunication, device and equipment development,
maintenance and installation.
WinBC: This is an initiative from the local private sector, which created a new
organization to promote British Columbia's wireless industry and promote cooperation,
networhng and knowledge sharing within the industry. This organization, called Wireless
Innovation Network of BC, was founded in 2003. Its mandate is to bring "this diverse sector
closer together by fostering collaboration among early-stage wireless companies in BC" (WinBC,
2004b). It also aims at creating "awareness of BC's wireless sector as a geographic centre of
excellence in the research, development and deployment of wireless communications solutions"
(ibid).
CWTG: Canada West Telecom Group is a public-private partnership founded by the BC
provincial Ministry of Science, Competition and Enterprise. Its main objective "is to pool the
resources of members to market their products and services in overseas markets and to provide
quality telecom solutions worldwide" (Lee, 2004, p. 4). This initiative was particularly focused
on helping British Columbian small companies penetrate the Asia Pacific region markets. It
assisted these companies to overcome the limited availability resources in marketing overseas
and their lack of experience in Asian markets.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers: This is one of the major global consulting firms particularly
active in the technology sector. It has performed many studies about the local technology sector
in British Columbia. Particularly, the Genealogical Map of BC technology firms
(PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2004), the BC Technology Clusters white paper
(PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2003) and the BC Wireless Industry Survey
(PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2002) are good references for understanding the local industry.
Other organization for cooperation in the region includes New MIC and British
Columbia Technology and Information Association (BCTIA). Finally, its worth mentioning that
two organizations funded by the Canadian Government, the Canadian Institute for Market
Intelligence CIMI and National Research Council (Industrial Research Assistance Program NRC-
IRAP), are investigating the local development in the region. The latter conducts studies about
various technology clusters across Canada with a specific emphasis on innovation and R&D.
4.3 Company Survey
A survey of the companies constituting the Vancouver wireless narrow cluster was
conducted within this project to determine the major business orientation of the cluster and
reveal the presence of possible sub-clusters. This section presents the methodology, then
synthesises and interprets the results of this survey.
4.3.1 Survey Methodology
The identification of companies participating in the wireless industry was based on a
review of several business directories. The sources of these directories include Wireless
Innovation Network in BC (www.winbc.org), the Advanced System Institute of BC (2004) and
other industry associations. The result of this research is the compilation of an exhaustive list
that enumerates all companies participating in the wireless telecommunication industry located in
the Vancouver area. Then the particular information about each one of these companies was
obtained from the Internet by reviewing, for example, the company website, and its public
announcements and reports.
Eight categories of company information were considered for this study:
Product/technolog;v/customer: These are the three dimensions presented in the section about
wireless telecommunication segmentation (refer to Figure 2, p.14). Each company was
assigned to only one category in each dimension that corresponds to its primary activity.
Size: This represents the number of employees in the company. For firms that have multiple
locations or are involved in many industries, the size represents the number of employees
based in Vancouver and involved in wireless telecommunication activities. In high tech
companies the number of employees is generally an appropriate proxy for the firm's
magnitude of economic activity. Companies were categorized as small (less than 50
employees), medium (5 1 to 200) or large (more than 200). Only a few companies have data
available about the exact number of employees. For all the others a subjective determination
of the size was made based on the sophistication and diversification of their products or
services, financial performance when available and the level of maturity of the firm.
Status: This refers to whether the company is private or public.
Origin: The location refers to where the company headquarters are located. Location was
divided into four categories: Vancouver, the rest of Canada, the United States or elsewhere in
the world.
Nature of activity: this is a short description of the products or services, and nature of the
company business activity.
4.3.2 Survey Results and Commentaries
Upon investigation, there are a total of 89 companies in the Vancouver area with direct
operation in the wireless industry. The detailed list of these companies is reported in Appendix 2.
The appendix also includes the information collected within this survey.
Figure 14 summarizes the distribution of Vancouver wireless companies by ownership,
origin and size. The analysis of the results shows the following:
The large majority of Vancouver wireless companies are home grown. 84% of the
companies have their headquarters in Vancouver. Another 9% belongs to companies based in
other locations in Canada. The remaining 7% are local subsidiaries of US based firms. This
data indicates that the wireless industry development in Vancouver is mainly the result of
entrepreneurial initiatives from the region.
Public Canada 9 O h
7%
Vancouver 84%
Large >200 10%
Medium 50-200 29%
Small <5 61%
Figure 14 - Vancouver Wireless Company Distribution by Ownership, Origin and Size
The results also reveal the surprising fact that no company outside North America has a
wireless activity operation in Vancouver. Global wireless leaders like Nokia, Philips or
Alcatel certainly have large research and development centres of excellence in Vancouver.
However, these centres focus their research on fields other than wireless specific core
technologies, such as networks, software development or new media applications. This fact
suggests the possibility that Vancouver wireless industry may be relatively unknown outside
British Columbia, and particularly outside North America.
The majority (61 %) of the companies are small in size. Only 10% are relatively large20. On
the one hand, this attribute may be a reflection of the Vancouver cluster being in the
development phase typically characterized by the abundance of start-ups. If this is the case, it
is a healthy indication of the state of the cluster. On the other hand, considering that the
20 A large company in the context of this project means a company employing more than 200 people in wireless industry related activities.
wireless industry has more than 30 years of history in the region, this characteristic may be
an indication of difficulties for local companies to grow beyond a certain size.
Three quarters of the companies are private. In the current situation, this detail is congruent
with the fact that most of these companies are small or medium in size. However, if the
cluster continues growing and maturing, many of these companies would need to seek
additional financing including initiating public offerings to support their expansion.
Based on the data collected, the companies were grouped into different categories
depending on the product, technology and customer types. The result of this grouping is
synthesized in Figure 15 and the upper row of Figure 17. Reviewing the results provides the
following insights into the local wireless industry:
The single narrow specialization with the highest concentration of firms is "enterprise
software development" particularly in the field of "mobile data management, acccss and
distribution through public networks". About 19 companies specialize in this field.
The other noticeable concentration is around "enterprise class equipment manufacturing"
combining the various technologies used, where 21 companies participate. An additional 7
firms specialize in the related specialization of "carrier class equipment manufacturing".
Most companies are engaged in various aspects of enterprise wireless solution. This is
congruent with the trends of wireless industry that indicate that the enterprise solutions
sector is expected to be the main driver for future growth of the industry as indicated in
Section 2.4.6.
Very few companies are producing consumer products or marketing their products or
services directly to consumers. Companies in Vancouver appear to favour narrow business-
to-business (B2B) relationships. Even with "enterprise class application" Vancouver
companies usually sell their products to enterprise solution providers and integrators rather
than directly to corporate end-users. This observation suggests that Vancouver firms'
abilities for marketing, distribution and sales are rather limited and that their strengths lie
more in innovation and R&D.
Most companies develop products related to PCS or WLAN technologies. PCS based
technologies are mature, standardized, well established and widely deployed across the
world. WLAN based systems, on the other hand, are emerging technologies with a few
standards shaping out. But the industry is still dominated by proprietary technologies
especially for industrial applications. The absence of industry standards not only limits the
company's capacity to cooperate with others but most importantly strategically forces the
company to own a large part of its own industry value chain and restrict its ability to focus
on selected core competencies.
Consumer 1 2 3 4
I 41 Fix 2
WLAN 3 PAN 4 SAT 5
Enterprise 1 2 3 4 5 PCS I[ 1
WLAN Fix 3 2t SAT 5
arrier PCS
Fix W LAN
PAN SAT
I
Figure 15 - Vancouver Wireless Company Concentration
Using the number of companies to analyze firm activities, specialization and
concentration provide valuable insights on both the cluster's composition and the direction it is
heading. However, it doesn't truly reflect the extent of the concentration of economic activity.
The data is very skewed because of the high number of small firms and start-ups. For example, a
single large company such as Sierra Wireless or Telus Mobility may have revenues surpassing
those of a dozen small companies. To correct this data skew, there is need to measure each
company's output and aggregate the results together for each concentration. However, in a
competitive environment dominated by private firms, it is very difficult to obtain this type of
information. An alternative to approximate the economical activity consists of appending a
weight to each company depending on its size, then adding the individual companies' weights by
concentration instead of just counting their numbers. The weights are chosen so that a 'large'
company would be on average four (4) times bigger than a 'medium' one; which in turn would be
eight (8) times bigger than a 'small' firm21. A small firm has one unit weight. The modified
results are summarized in Figure 16 and the lower row of Figure 17.
The new distributions reflecting the size of economical activity reinforce the previous
observation. Additionally they reveal that:
"Providing wireless cellular services and consumer products" is the most important
economical activity in the area, although only a handful of companies are involved in such
activities. This result is expected considering that the company must be large in order to
provide public wireless access.
"Satellite geo-location services" using GPS and online web technologies appear as an
important activity in the region. Theses services primarily involve enterprise asset tracking
such as corporate vehicle fleet management or inventory management. They also involve
determining location of people.
21 The choice of these weights is justified by 2001 distribution of employment in wireless companies (PriceWaterhousCoopers, 2002, p.9). Employment was less than 20 in 77% of the companies; 21-60 in 18%; 41 -60 in 5%; and more than 61 in 5%.
Consumer 1 2 3 4 5
WLAN 3 PAN 4 4 SAT 5
Enterprise 1 2 3 4 5 PCS I[
Fix 2 WLAN 3 30 60
PAN 4 60 SAT 5 102 180 180
Carrier 1 2 3 4 - -
PCS 11 48-
PAN 4
Consumer
EntrepriseJ
Carrier
Figure 16 - Vancouver Wireless Activity Concentration
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. N
2 Fig
ure
17 -
Van
couv
er W
irel
ess C
ompa
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istr
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ions
4.3.3 Wireless Cluster Mapping - Value Chains and Network
Based on the previous sub-section analysis, the Vancouver wireless cluster areas of high
activity concentration are mapped to the value chains defined in section 2.3. They are marked by
the dark shade on Figure 18. "Network OperatorICarrier" and "Service Provider" are local
industries while "Conversion Software", "Carrier Class Enabling Software", "Enterprise Class
Enabling Software" and both "End-User and Network Devices" are traded industries.
The most important observation that transpires from the value chain mapping is that the
Vancouver wireless companies participate in disjointed portions of the global wireless industry
value chains. More specifically, they do not specialize in any particular vertical market or value
chain. A 'vertical industry' specialization is represented in Figure 18 as a horizontal value chain,
while a 'horizontal specialization' is vertical. The "Access" value chain gives the impression of
being locally integrated. In fact it is not. Local "Network Operators" and "Service Providers" are
not generally users of the local carrier class "Enabling Software" products. The later sell their
products mostly to US wireless network operators. The lack of local integration in industry value
chains limits the ability of the Vancouver cluster to control its expansion, because it depends,
both downstream and upstream, on segments located outside the geographical cluster.
There is, however, evidence of concentration around two horizontal activities, which are
software and device development. This horizontal industry specialization reinforces the view that
the Vancouver wireless cluster, in its current state of development, is reliant on factor conditions,
especially the availability of skilled workers and talents in software and device development.
The Vancouver wireless cluster value network mapping represented in Figure 19
emphasizes the previous observations. Furthermore, it shows the wireless cluster positioning
among some of the other Vancouver high technology clusters, such as electronic and telecom,
new media, and software development. Excluding the "network operators" and "cellular
serviceldevice providers" as they belong to non-traded industries, wireless leading activities are
located close to the periphery of the cluster, particularity near the intersection with the other
clusters. This is an illustration of an important advantage of clusters whereby valuable
opportunities may occur bccause of dynamic interactions and cooperation between
geographically close clusters from different industries. As an example, many local firms
specialize in wireless enterprise software to manage mobile workforce. This type of product is
similar in nature to enterprise reporting or customer relationship management (CRM) produced
by leading companies such as Pivotal or Business Objects, which have a very large presence in
the Vancouver software cluster.
Equipment Service Software Delivery End-User
Figure 18 - Vancouver Companies Positioning on the Wireless Industry Value Chains
The thin arrows on Figure 19 represent the channels of exchange between the Vancouver
wireless industry sub-segments. They are drawn based on evidence of publicly disclosed
partnerships or other forms of cooperation between firms, and interviews with individuals from a
few companies and organizations participating in the industry. In spite of these channels being a
subjective representation of cooperation between the firms, they highlight the fact that inter-firm
exchanges and collaboration within the cluster are very limited.
Figure 19 - Vancouver Wireless Cluster Value Network
4.4 Cluster Diamond Analysis
This section analyses the Vancouver wireless cluster using Porter's diamond framework
to further characterize the cluster and expose its strengths and weaknesses on each determinants.
This qualitative analysis is synthesized in Figure 20.
Va
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r W
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and
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tem
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n G
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Fig
ure
20 -
Van
couv
er W
irel
ess I
ndus
try
Clu
ster
Dia
mon
d A
naly
sis
Sum
mar
y
4.4.1 Factor Conditions
The availability of factors appears to be the most important consideration behind the
choice of many wireless companies to locate their operation in the region. Vancouver indeed has
multiple attributes that are advantageous to the development of wireless industry in the region.
The most important attributes of the area are:
Natural environment: Vancouver is considered one of the best places to live. The
combination of the natural beauty and variety; and the mild weather makes an excellent city
for living and enjoying the surrounding landscape. The west-coast lifestyle and the natural
wonders of the region directly influence the city's ability to attract and retain both talents and
entrepreneurs, especially those who like the outdoors or prefer an active lifestyle.
Qualified workforce: as outlined in the section about the origin of the Vancouver cluster,
wireless companies have existed in the region for decades. In addition, a considerable
number of people graduate every year from universities at various levels of instruction. Many
of these graduates have specialization related to the wireless industry. Thus, the universities
are creating an expanding pool of qualified people.
Economical workforce: the salaries of wireless workers in the region are low compared to the
United States by all measures. For wireless companies, as it is the case for other high tech
industries, payroll is by far the largest expense. A more economical workforce is certainly
one of the most important reasons for many companies, especially the international ones, to
locate in Vancouver.
Information and transportation infrastructure: this is one of the benefits of large cities. They
usually have good telecommunication infrastructure. In addition, airlines through the
Vancouver airport connect to all major worldwide cities. The airport is one of the busiest in
the country, which as a result offers of frequent and direct flights to most destinations. This
makes it easier and more convenient to commute to any regions globally. Also, equipment
and components can be shipped to other locations in North America within a day. The city
also has good road network and public transportation that enables easy commute within the
region.
Asia Pacific links: As mentioned in sub-sections 2.4.5 and 2.4.6, a large part of the current
wireless technology deployment and network innovation is taking place in Asia. Vancouver,
compared to other Canadian cities, has the strongest links with the Asia Pacific region. Some
of the conditions contributing to strengthen the relationship between Vancouver and the
Asia-Pacific region are the geographical proximity, frequent flights to the region, the port of
Vancouver being the point of exchange of most the goods traded between Asia and Canada,
and the presence in the metropolitan area of large communities originating from this region.
This situation offers local companies advantages and possibilities to be able to export their
products to the Asia-- Pacific region. However, the evidence available suggests that this
advantage is little exploited by the local wireless industry. Indeed, the 2001 industry survey
conducted (PriceWaterHouseCoopers, 2002) shows that only 9% of the Vancouver wireless
products and services were exported to this region.
Proximity to California regional cluster: Vancouver is the closest Canadian city to
California. A flight from Vancouver to San Francisco takes just a little bit more than two
hours. This enables easy commuting between the two regions. Additionally, the fact that
British Columbia and California are in the same time zone makes conducting business
between the two regions more convenient.
However, the Vancouver area suffers from deficiencies that inhibit the expansion of
wireless industry. The most important contributing factor is:
Capital Resources: the region does have a few venture capital firms and investment funds.
However, their resources are limited and insufficient for the region's need. Also because of
the small number of venture capitalists, they usually lack the sophistication needed to
specialize in certain industries. As a result, the process and the requirements for obtaining
funding are much more stringent and difficult than they might otherwise be. This is
congruent with the results of a survey of the local industry (PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2002),
which revealed that "obtaining funding7' is the second most important critical success factor
facing wireless companies in Vancouver.
4.4.2 Related and Supporting Industries
The presence in the area of well-developed wireless related or supporting industries is an
important characteristic strengthening the Vancouver cluster. The previous analysis revealed that
many of the wireless companies' sub-segment specializations are localized at the intersection
with other clusters. Indeed, the variety of local industries creates unique business opportunities
and gives the companies involved differentiating sets of strengths. The industries that most
benefit the wireless industry in Vancouver include:
Electronic manufacturing services and comvonent suvvliers: The presence in the region of a
strong ICT cluster and the act that most high tech companies subcontract most of their
electronic manufacturing has been favourable to the development in the region of large
electronic manufacturing and assembly facilities, such as Dorigo Systems and Creations
Technologies. Beside the fact that these facilities are using state of the art technology, they
allow the local high tech companies to have a quick turnaround for manufacturing
equipment. Another important factor is the ability to speak face to face between the designers
and manufacturers, which allow greater flexibility and quality control. The same conditions
have also caused the major electronic manufacturers and suppliers to maintain local presence
and representation to be able to better address the local needs.
Leading universities and associated academic research: The institutions, described in Section
4.2.3, provide a fertile ground for enterprise-academic cooperation to innovate and produce
new technologies. The situation is also responsible for providing qualified people in the
region.
Software industry: Wireless equipment is more and more reliant on software to ensure
hardware platforms have flexibility, adaptability and versatility. It is much more economical
and convenient to change the functionality through downloading new software than replacing
part or all of the equipment. Wireless equipment also relies on general-purpose software such
as operating systems, development tools, simulators etc. Thus the presence of a strong local
software industry is beneficial to wireless companies developing products.
New media industrv: developing wireless content and application is one important driver for
the wireless industry in general. Many of the software and content developed by new media
companies for computers is transferable to wireless devices. This includes, for example,
games, entertainment content, graphic optimization, and animation. The presence of a well-
developed new media cluster is a considerable asset to the local wireless companies because
of the synergies that are created between the two industries.
Service companies: The Vancouver region is full of companies providing various types of
professional services, such as consulting, accounting, financial, export import, freight
forwarding, legal, marketing communication boutiques, and other services.
The industries that need development in the region are:
The small number of financing institutions: As outlined in the section about factor
conditions, the local financing companies do not have sufficient resources and specialized
expertise to support a large variety of entrepreneur initiatives and established companies'
expansions. Therefore, the Bay Area destination is often frequented by local CEO's to secure
financing for their local companies.
4.4.3 Demand Conditions
From the demand side, the emergence of wireless companies in the area has been mainly
fuelled by:
Niche marketing: Entrepreneurial individuals in the area continue to recognize niche
opportunities based on the needs of sophisticated buyers, mainly in the United States, that
could be more efficiently satisfied using the local factors.
Centres of excellence: Large international companies, such as Motorola, Nokia, Alcatel and
Philips, have located R&D facilities in the regions to take advantage of local tax benefits and
the availability of talented but economical employees.
Industrial and transportation applications: many Vancouver companies are developing
devices and integrating systems to enable local firms and organizations to deploy WLAN
applications particularly for industrial and transportation use. These companies have
developed systems using wireless technologies for fleet management, taxi dispatching and
customer billing, and warehouse and inventory management. Then they progressively moved
to marketing these products and services to other geographic areas.
However, the general observation about the local demand for wireless applications is that
it is has been lacking scale and sophistication. This environment did not offer incentives for the
development of wireless companies. This is different from cases such as the case for Calgary
with the gas and oil industry demand, Nokia with the emergence of an information society in
Finland, or the Bay Area with the demand of the defence industry. Some of the contributing
factors include:
Consumer demand: Cellular phone penetration rates in Canada lag behind most developing
countries. There is no evidence that would suggest that rates in Vancouver would be much
different from the national average. In general, the demand for wireless connectivity and new
services has been relatively low.
Conservative attitude of wireless access providers: The local wireless providers have chosen
a technology follower strategy. Particularly they have refrained from deploying new network
technologies and offering innovative services.
Absence of l a r ~ e companies: The cluster does not have large exporting companies competing
internationally. This environment has not been favourable to the creation of supporting
industries. Large companies usually have sophisticated needs and require higher standards
and performance from the their suppliers, including the local ones.
Wireless svectrum band availability and licensing: In North America, the slow and
conservative government policies regarding spectrum licensing have slowed down network
improvement and offering of new services. The licensing fees imposed on wireless operators
increase the prices of wireless services and further restrict market development and usage
penetration.
4.4.4 Firm strategy, Structure and Rivalry
Some the vehicles for cooperation in the local wireless industry are
Wireless Innovation Network of BC (WinBC): This is an organization established by the
local wireless industry in 2003, to promote cooperation between the local wireless
companies. This organization has organized multiple social events to enable wireless
participants to meet each other and exchange ideas. This year it has organized an innovation
contest to spur on the rivalry between the firms.
Board of directors participation: Executives from some companies in Vancouver also assume
the position of director on the board of other Vancouver companies. This is a method for
firms to cooperate, share experiences and influence each other's strategies. Of course it
presupposes that these firms do not compete directly against each other.
The elements that have been hindering the development of the cluster include:
Industry fragmentation: The results of section '4.3 Company Survey' have highlighted the
fact that the local industry is fragmented. Particularly, there is a deficiency in terms of
company specialization around particular value chains.
Lack of large integrators: Large technology wireless industry integrators and solution
providers could help the development of the cluster by offering possibilities for the
development of smaller companies developing enabling technologies and products. That is
the case for the Calgary clusters However Vancouver lacks these types of companies.
4.4.5 Chance Events
There were events attributed that played a major role in the development of the cluster,
the most important ones are:
The decision of Motorola to locate its Wireless Data System Division in the area had a
significant role in planting the seed of wireless activities in the region.
The liquidation of Gleynare had opposing effects on the cluster. On one hand it was a loss
for the Vancouver wireless cluster of one of its anchors and industry leaders. Indeed, this
company pioneered an important sub-sector of wireless data transmission. On the other hand,
Gleynare employees have joined other companies in the area. This has contributed to
knowledge and experience spillover. In addition, some of the former employees have
established start-ups participating in the local wireless industry.
4.4.6 Government
The various levels of governments have not had a direct and specific role with regard to
the local wireless industry. However, the public policies favourable to the high technology sector
in general, have benefited the local wireless industry. They include:
Academic research and education support: Vancouver area is home to two large universities
and one technology institute. In an effort to reinforce innovation, the federal government,
thorough various programs, has been sponsoring both fundamental and applied research. The
provincial government has committed itself to not only increase funding for post-secondary
skills training but to doubling the number of yearly graduates in computer science, and
electrical and computer engineering by 2007 (Allan et al., 2002, p. 14). These types of skills
are indeed crucial for the wireless industry.
Technolo~v Partnership Canada: This is a federal program in which the Canadian
government contributes a portion of the R&D investment needed for the development of a
marketable product or technology. The government gets back returns as royalties when the
product is launched to the market. A few Vancouver wireless companies have benefited from
this program.
Employee share option plan: The British Columbia provincial government currently
maintains a labour-sponsored fund, which represents the province's largest venture capital
fund. It entitles employees to receive 30% tax credits when investing in their companies
(Allan et al., 2002, p. 14). In addition to making investment funds available, it provides
incentives for retaining employees.
R&D taxation benefits: both the federal and provincial corporate taxation systems have
significant advantages to companies having activities in the area. These benefits include
better advantages in term of R&D expenses, capitalization and tax credits. For example
British Columbia R&D tax credits are 20% and can be carried indefinitely (Frighetto, 2001,
p. 50).
Firm incubation programs: BC Research Inc. 22 is a major incubator that helps develop
technology companies by providing office or lab space, management support and consulting
to entrepreneurs. The Science and Technology Fund is another mechanism by which the
province of British Columbia drives innovation commercialization initiatives through the
enhancement of university-industry mechanisms. This Fund has continuously been increasing
and has resulted in establishing industry liaison offices, technology transfer and business
development centres in all the universities and even most of the colleges in British Columbia
(Allan et al., 2002, p. 13).
Canada West Telecom Group (CWTG): This is another initiative of the provincial
government to help the local telecommunication industry export its products and services
especially to the Asian markets.
4.5 Comparison with other Wireless Clusters
The comparison of Vancouver wireless clusters to similar industry clusters in Helsinki,
the Bay Area, Ottawa and Calgary is summarized in Table 10. Vancouver and Calgary clusters
are similar with regards to having comparable size. But more importantly, because of their
historical involvement in the wireless industry, both clusters have already emerged from the
formation phase to be fully engaged in the development phase of their respective lifecycles. In
contrast, the Ottawa cluster is still in an early stage of formation. The Bay Area and Helsinki
clusters have reached maturity and significant sizes.
The Vancouver and Calgary clusters, being in the development phase, are still relying on
factor conditions as the primary driver for the growth of the cluster. Once they reach critical
mass, other factors may become more important. Some of these factors include wealth creation,
in the case of the cluster becoming the base for multiple large and successful companies, or
innovation production in the other case of the cluster developing a fertile and rich environment
and supporting idea generation and incubation.
Each cluster has emerged from different conditions. This has resulted in theses clusters
having very different characteristics, strengths and specializations. These various clusters do not
compete directly for customers or markets with one another because they serve different markets
22 BC Research Inc. was founded in 1944 by the provincial government, and then it was taken public in the beginning of 1990s after running into financial difficulties.
62
and segments. However, The Canadian clusters do compete among themselves for attracting
global firms to establish activities in their respective regions. The Vancouver wireless cluster
may particularly benefit from synergies with both the Bay Area and Calgary clusters.
Collaboration possibilities with the Ottawa or Helsinki clusters are less obvious, mainly because
of remoteness and less specialization commonality. There is evidence of significant collaboration
between Vancouver and the Bay Area clusters. Surprisingly there are very few signs of actual
cooperation between Vancouver and Calgary wireless companies.
Ottawa and Vancouver both suffer from the lack of anchor firms. However, the
Vancouver cluster has the benefit of previously having anchor firms that helped shape the
industry. Additionally, a few companies in Vancouver, such as Sierra Wireless, are gaining
critical mass, which will enable them to potentially lead the cluster.
The limited collaboration with the local wireless carrier and service providers is one
particular disadvantage that the Canadian wireless industries in general have been facing. Such a
collaboration, that benefits both parties, has been instrumental to the growth of the Helsinki
wireless cluster. The availability of venture capital resources has also restricted the growth of the
Canadian wireless industry clusters.
Compared to all the other clusters, one of the disadvantages of Vancouver's wireless
industry appears to be the lack of a solid local demand base and reliance on other regions' needs.
4.6 Analysis of the Strategies of Sample Firms
In this section the cases of three Vancouver wireless companies are examined. In
addition to investigating typical strategies adopted by Vancouver firms, this analysis allows
pragmatically exploring aspects of the derived benefits from the presence in a cluster.
Clu
ster
1
Hel
sink
i
Num
ber o
f firm
s +I
,000
Firm
siz
e I 1
very
larg
e
1 3-
5 la
rge
I Man
y ve
ry s
mal
l I
Dev
elop
men
t sta
ge
Mat
urin
g
Popu
latio
n (in
milli
ons)
1
Num
ber o
f em
ploy
ees
15,0
00-3
0,00
0
Anch
ors
1 Nok
ia
Orig
ins o
f clu
ster
I In
form
atio
n so
ciety
I
Prim
ary
and
seco
ndar
y 1-
Wea
lth c
reat
ion
driv
ing
dete
rmin
ants
/ 2-
Inno
vatio
n
Spec
ializ
atio
n H
ands
ets;
net
wor
ks
Supp
ortin
g in
dust
ries
ICT
VC F
undi
ng (in
$
milli
ons)
Bay
Are
a O
ttaw
a
Seve
ral la
rge
Man
y st
art-u
ps
Smal
l com
pani
es
Gro
win
g Em
ergi
ng
3Com
, Int
el
- non
e -
ICT
clus
ter,
defe
nce
Tele
com
clu
ster
1 - In
vest
men
t 1-
Loc
al d
eman
d
2- In
nova
tion
2- S
uppo
rting
indu
strie
s
Ente
rpris
e so
ftwar
e;
sate
llite;
dev
ices
;
serv
ices
ICT;
def
ence
; Te
leco
m; s
oftw
are
inve
stm
ent
aver
age:
$44
51ye
ar
1 $1 16
in 2
001
Tabl
e 10
- W
irel
ess
Clu
ster
s C
ompa
riso
n Su
mm
ary
4.6.1 Sierra Wireless Inc.
Sierra is a relatively large public company in the Vancouver wireless data
communications industry. The company revenues for 2003 surpassed $US 101 million while it
spent $US 16 million in R&D. The company was initially incorporated in 1993. Over the years, it
completed many acquisitions of firms related to its activities in Canada and the United States.
During the late 1990s the company was specializing in wireless data modems with three product
lines. These different product lines use the same core technology but commend different
distribution strategies: (a) PC cards are sold through wireless service providers such as Verizon
or Telus and a few independent telecommunication resellers; (b) ruggedized vehicle-mounted
modems are marketed directly to corporate end users such as law enforcement agencies, public
safety services and transportation organizations; (c) OEM modules are embedded by
manufacturers of computers and other devices into their products to provide wireless access
hnctionality .
The company adopts a differentiation strategy based on "delivering best-in-class
customer and channel partner satisfaction based on pre- and post-sales resources, programs and
information" (Sierra Wireless, 1999a, p. 16). The strategy additionally involves advancing
"product quality and reliability" and aggressively investing "in its own intellectual property
portfolio and, where appropriate, acquires or licenses technologies from third parties" (ibid). The
company also views "strategic relationships within the wireless communications, portable
computing and internet industries as critical to maximizing sales opportunities and optimizing
next generation technology investments" (ibid).
Encouraged by its strong growth and success in the past few years, Sierra Wireless
continues to target the "wireless data industry" as it believes it is "still early in the adoption
cycle" (Sierra Wireless, 2003a, p. 2). It has also extended its activities further down the value
chain by entering the Smartphone market tabulating on the company "background in enterprise
wireless data" and the "existing channels and relationships7'(ibid, p. 3).
The relationship between Sierra Wireless and the Vancouver cluster is mutually
beneficial. Sierra Wireless benefits from both the advantages presented by the governmental
policies and the availability of a qualified yet economical workforce. The company also gains
advantage from the wireless research in local universities. For example, at the end of 2003 it
announced the donation of $430,000 to create the Sierra Wireless Chair in wireless
telecommunications in Simon Fraser University, School of Engineering Science, and support
research in this field (Sierra Wireless, 2003b). Additionally, the company benefits from the local
presence of supporting industries especially electronic manufacturing as mentioned in a company
report: "on the supply side, we outsource all production, most procurement and some business
services to our partners" (Sierra Wireless, 1999b, p.5). The presence of Sierra Wireless in the
region has also spawned a few companies, such as Oballa Consulting, that use Sierra Wireless
technology to build custom solutions for fast, secure and reliable wireless access to corporate
information and systems, or Cypress Solutions, which builds wireless rugged modems with
integrated GPS and provides engineering services. Considering its size, growth and active
involvement in supporting the local industry, Sierra Wireless is emerging as a potential anchor
for the Vancouver wireless telecommunication cluster.
4.6.2 Spectrum Signal Processing Inc.
Spectrum is a medium sized public company. It generated in 2003 about $US 20 million
in sales and spent more than $US 4.7 million in R&D. Spectrum was founded 1987 and has gone
through several transformations over the years. During the 1990s the company specialized in
producing innovative general purpose digital signal processing electronic cards that were used as
part of sophisticated industrial equipment such as semi-conductor production equipment, medical
imaging such as scanners, and military applications such as radar. In 2000, the company shifted
from the general-purpose markets to very specialized sub-segments and accelerated "its
expansion into the fast-growing digital wireless and wireline telecommunications infrastructure
markets" (Spectrum Signal Processing, 2000). Currently, the company specializes in developing
processing elements for satellite and military wireless telecom applications. From this brief
historical overview, it is evident that the company has constantly adopted a focus strategy and
oriented itself to serve the needs of sophisticated buyers in specific parts of the world, especially
in the United States.
Reviewing Spectrum's public announcements and releases reveals that similarly to Sierra
Wireless, the company may be gaining advantages from two aspects of the Vancouver cluster.
The first element is favourable government policy, especially provincial tax incentives and
federal government support through two "Technology Partnership Canada" investments. The
second element is the availability of factor conditions, especially a workforce that is very
qualified yet inexpensive compared to other places in North America. The company considers its
employees as its best assets; which is illustrated, for example, by its selection as the "#I
Company to Work for in British Columbia according to a recent Watson Wyatt Canada1 BC
Business Magazine survey" in 2003 (Spectrum Signal Processing, 2003).
Spectrum has its headquarters in the Vancouver region. However it maintains three
regional offices in the US in Maryland, California and Texas. Each one of these states is the base
of one of the major wireless industry clusters in the United States. Thus, the company is reaching
to the strength of other wireless clusters. This is also a means to overcome some of the
disadvantages of the absence of local demand and the unavailability of interaction with
sophisticated local buyers.
4.6.3 Epic Data Inc.
Epic Data is a medium sized software company. In 2003, the company revenues were
US$ 26.5 million, and its R&D spending amounted to US$ 2.3 million. Since its inception in
1975, Epic Data has gone through three major strategic changes. In its first phase of existence,
the company focused on the design, manufacture, and sale of data collection terminals (fixed and
mobile keypad devices) and custom software that enabled these terminals to collect and transmit
data for use in various business systems such as warehousing, manufacturing plant operations
and access security (Epic Data, 1998).
The second phase started in the mid 1990s when the company recognized the
"opportunity to use its experience and engineering capability to provide data collection sub-
systems to organizations using or implementing systems" (Epic Data, 2000, p. 2). During
this period enterprise-wide management information and control systems started being widely
implemented by organizations. The company developed a line of software products consisting of
'middle-ware' to link an organization's data capture network with its application software or
chosen ERP software. The company marketed and sold its products throughout North America
and Europe both directly to large organizations that implemented an ERP solution, and indirectly
through consulting firms, assisting companies to implement ERP systems, that act as value added
resellers. The company was able to develop a large installed base and partnerships with major
consulting firms.
The third phase started in 2000, after company revenues from its core activities stopped
growing (ibid). This stagnation was mainly due to dramatic decline in enterprise IT spending
following the 'technology bubble burst'. Reacting to this change, the company launched new
23 ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning
software product lines for "development and deployment platform for mobile wireless and data
collection applications; application products for mobile and data collection markets that are
designed to interface with enterprise applications" (Epic Data ,2003, p. 3).
This last transition marked the company's full entry into the wireless industry. Unlike
ERP based products that were mainly targeted to large customers in the United States, the
wireless products were initially deployed locally. The company adopted a focus strategy and
chose to "enter the wide area wireless market principally through the government vertical
market9'(ibid, p. 10). For instance, the company's first "parking ticket issuance" real-time system
was deployed in 1999 as a pilot project in the City of Vancouver( Epic Data, 1999).
With regard to the interaction with the local clusters, this last example indicates that the
company started drawing from the sophistication of the local demand to develop innovative
solutions to be marketed worldwide. Additionally, it leveraged its experience in data capture
solutions and interface with enterprise to address mobile application that require access to real
time data. Thus, the company is operating at the intersection of two clusters: wireless and
enterprise software. The example of Epic Data reinforces the idea that the presence of two
industry clusters in a single geographical area creates unique opportunities for companies to
differentiate themselves and create innovative product offerings.
4.6.4 Firm Strategies
The analysis of these sample firms reveals common themes with regards to company
strategy. These firms rely heavily on customers and demand located outside the Vancouver area,
mostly in the US. Their competitive advantage is founded on technology innovation and the
availability of economically advantageous factor conditions in the Vancouver area. Both Epic
Data and Spectrum Signal Processing enter the market with focused niche market strategies.
Sierra Wireless adopts a differentiation strategy that is sustained through innovation and
establishing a network of business relationships.
Faced with stagnant sales, Epic Data cut its R&D budget and started focusing on
developing a base of local customers for its new product line. While Sierra Wireless,
experiencing substantial success and growth, started developing a network of local partners and
suppliers along its value chain to further enhance its position. It is also showing potential for
becoming an anchor to the Vancouver wireless cluster. These are examples of the benefits
derived, both in good and bad times, from belonging to an industry cluster.
4.7 Vancouver Wireless Telecommunication Cluster Characteristics Summary
At the beginning of this project, the presence of a wireless industry cluster in the
Vancouver area was assumed. In accordance to the definition of a cluster, being "a
geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and associated institutions in a
particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities," the evidence presented in this
chapter positively confirms the original assumption. Furthermore, the cluster continues growing
and developing well beyond the emergence phase. The cluster is home-grown and its history goes
back three decades in time. It survived losing its three anchor companies and weathered through
the "technology bubble burst" that had severely impacted the telecommunication field.
The Vancouver region's most important benefits with regards to the wireless industry lay
in factor conditions. However its differentiating and unique characteristics are derived from the
presence of related industries. The basis for factor conditions are the prosperous academic,
research and innovation environments, the substantial pool of technologically talented and savvy
workforce that has the advantage of being economical compared to other locations in the US and
even in Canada, the ability of the region not only to retain but also to attract people with talents
and skills, the advantageous public policies at various levels of government that both encourage
R&D and innovation, and provide advantageous taxation and investment incentives. The only
drawbacks to factors' availability are the limited scale and sophistication of local financial
investment organizations. The wireless telecommunications related and supporting industries that
are well developed in the region include electronic chip design, telecommunication equipment
development, enterprise software and new media. The interaction and the synergies among these
industries provide a fertile ground for producing innovation and competitive solutions and
products. The combinations of these conditions present many opportunities for both internally
expanding the local industry and attracting investment from other regions.
The nature of demand, and the internal structure and dynamics, pose challenges to the
Vancouver wireless cluster. The local demand for wireless related products and services in
general lacks the sophistication and scale necessary to provide a global competitive edge for the
local wireless companies. With regards to structure, the local industry is fragmented in terms of
specialization, which is also reflected in having only discrete parts of the industry value chains
located in the region. The cluster appears to lack a solid core and competency. Instead, three or
four horizontal concentration poles are emerging at the periphery of the wireless cluster
especially at the intersections with other related local industry clusters. Moreover, very few of
the local companies produce consumer goods. In fact, the majority of them, which are
predominantly small and private, tend to focus on very narrow business-to-business (B2B)
relationships, especially with US counterparts. This also reveals a one-dimensional focus on
technological expertise and ingenuity, but also indicates limited business management
resourcefulness and notably a lack of marketing and sale management vigour. Furthermore, the
cluster is vulnerable by relying on a single foreign market and not following the wireless
industry's trend of leadership slowly relocating to Asia and Europe. Concerning the cluster
dynamics, the patterns of internal cooperation and rivalry between firms have been limited and
until recently have been unstructured. There is evidence of various initiatives, which need further
coordination and enhancement, to increase firms' cooperation and knowledge spillovers.
Still, the Vancouver wireless telecommunication cluster continues to develop and thrive.
In fact, there are 30% more companies in the cluster compared to three years ago. The
participants in the Vancouver wireless industry are becoming more and more self-aware of the
cluster presence and are adopting corresponding steps to further harmonize its development and
growth.
IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter serves to use the analysis detailed in the previous chapter to create a series
of recommendations for the Vancouver wireless telecommunication cluster. These
recommendations fall within three categories: Firm strategic decisions (decisions which need to
be made within individual firms within the cluster), cluster management (how the cluster as a
whole could improve its management), and public policy (how local policy could be enhanced to
support the development of the cluster). In making recommendations at the firm, cluster and
institutional level, this chapter proposes a comprehensive and synergetic approach for the cluster
development.
5.1 Firm Strategic Decisions
Wireless telecommunication companies often have to compete globally. This is most
definitely the case for Vancouver companies. In the ever increasingly fluid and competitive
global context, companies continuously innovate to stay ahead of the competition. However,
technology leadership alone does not guarantee success. It has to be coupled with a sound
business strategy to sustain a company's growth and prosperity. In the face of globalization, the
home base provides the company with the ability to innovate and differentiate itself. This section
examines a few strategic actions that the Vancouver wireless companies may consider to take
advantage of their home-base environment.
For established companies:
Further develop core competencies: Vancouver companies are generally small in size and are
faced with scarcity and limited access to capital resources. They need to learn to better
leverage their assets by identifying, concentrating and hrther developing their core
competencies, those activities that they do better than the competition. All other activities, if
not critical to success of the company, may be outsourced and contracted as needed. These
critical choices are not only about what a company should do but also about what it shouldn't
do. Because of proximity, cultural and environmental communalities, a local partnership and
cooperation is much easier to develop, nurture and enhance. If companies outsource and
contract nonessential work, they simply have more time to concentrate on what they do best.
Locally strengthen industry value chain: The discussion in the previous chapter revealed that
only discrete parts of the segments' value chains are located in Vancouver. By locally
encouraging the development of either supplier or customers, Vancouver wireless companies
would have better influence and control over the value chain, which in turn would result in
improving their performance and gaining competitive advantage.
Develop and join networks: The local companies, which are small and medium in size, need
to develop their ability to join forces to face larger competition. They have to become more
agile and capable of changing and reconfiguring. A company's boundaries may need to
become more and more fuzzy as activities are continuously positioned and rearranged from
wholly owned operations, alliances, joint ventures, subcontracts and supply agreements.
Pool resources for training employees: By teaming up to organize training for their
employees and further develop their skills, Vancouver companies would reduce their
employee development costs and access better quality learning. For example, by organizing
joint-technical and professional seminars and inviting the best experts in the field, all
attendees will emerge with a higher knowledge base. Another aspect of cooperation is for
companies to allow and encourage their own experts to train and mentor their peers from
other organizations. This strategy also involves strengthening industry-university
relationships, for example, by partnering for research, providing temporary or part time jobs
to students as part of their education, creating industry specific educational programs, etc.
Consult each other on stratew and processes: These actions are recommended for companies
that do not directly compete with each other. The benefit for the companies is to learn from
others' experiences and share tacit knowledge. Going through this process also provides
company with feedback comparable to an outside audit. This type of action presumes
reaching a certain level of openness and trust.
Partner on specific business opportunities: Integrating two or more companies' skills for
specific business opportunities would allow them to access and complement each other's
advantages, then potentially gain a marketing advantage and better access to new markets.
The proximity of the partners allows for the establishment of more efficient relationships to
take advantage of emerging opportunities.
Follow the local industry leader in their markets: This strategy may be beneficial for small
companies to enable efficient and economical access to new markets. Establishing new
market channels is complex, onerous and time consuming; sometimes only large companies
can afford it. Targeting the same markets as the local wireless industry or related business
leaders would enable easier access to their established channels and experiences.
Get closer to customers: Local wireless companies may gain tremendous advantage by
locating part of their activities, generally front-end or back-end activities, geographically
close to their largest customer concentrations. Examples of these activities include sales
functions, marketing, system design and integration, value added services, post sale support,
etc. In addition to improving the customer relationship and being more attentive to their
needs, this action would potentially allow the company to take advantages of the strengths of
their customers' industry cluster strengths.
For investors and entrepreneurs:
Scan new business opportunities for congruence with cluster strengths: Entrepreneurs and
investors contemplating new business opportunities in Vancouver would have more chance
of success if the business advantages relied on more than just the advantages of factor
conditions. Business opportunities that can satisfy sophisticated local demand or necessitate
the combination of multiple disciplines that are locally strong would provide more solid
foundation for later global competition and differentiation.
Adopt upfront sound stratev and business management: Technological innovation may be
what enables a company to enter a market, but good strategy and rigorous execution is what
enables it to self-sustain, creating value and reaping the benefits. Entrepreneurs ought to have
a larger planning scope that extends beyond proving that the idea is marketable to include
strategies about sustaining and growing the business and reaping the expected benefits.
5.2 Cluster Management
As a group, the local Vancouver wireless telecommunication industry may benefit from
the following activities:
Develop a shared vision for the cluster: This starts with first determining the existing sources
of the region's competitive advantages. The next step is identifying the shared values of the
participants in the industry. Then the focus should move towards creating a cluster vision.
Cluster management: An entity has to be created, or alternatively a few people have to be
authorized, to act as the cluster driver. This entity, or group of people, has to create
opportunities and events for improving the interaction and networking activities between the
local firms. In Vancouver this has already taken place with the creation of the Wireless
Innovation Network of BC organization.
Marketing; the cluster: This is an important communication activity that has both internal and
external components. On the one hand, marketing the cluster internally within the industry
facilitates bringing the participants together and develops a shared identity. Additionally, it
increases the participants' awareness of each other and stimulates a healthy local rivalry. On
the other hand, marketing the cluster externally helps attract investors, entrepreneurs, skilled
workers, and multinational companies to the region, resulting in further development of the
cluster. It also enhances the individual companies' branding activities.
Develouing the cluster: The cluster management entity can further play an important role in
facilitating the exchange between the participants and spearhead collaborative programs that
would benefit a large number of local companies. Such activities include, for example,
organizing seminars or administering funds for innovation or university research. Over the
long range, this entity can also enhance the corporate compatibilities, and harmonize and
upgrade the managerial techniques of the local companies. The development of such
corporate culture would benefit the companies directly, and also enable them to easily create
business relationships and partnerships.
5.3 Public Policy
The role of public policy should be to create and maintain internally market-based
business environment and to overcome obstacles for free trade. Directly funding or subsidizing
an entire industry or company grouping, especially in the technology sector, has medium-term
negative effects, as the protected firms do not develop a sustainable competitive advantage.
There are few policies impacting the wireless telecommunication industry alone. Overall the
public policies aimed at enhancing the business environment in general and the high technology
sector in particular would benefit the wireless companies regardless of their location within
Canada. The most important public policy actions that would benefit the Vancouver wireless
cluster include:
Liberalization and breaking monopolies in the telecommunication market: This should
happen in order to improve competition that would drive high quality services and affordable
prices, which in turn will create demand.
Making more wireless spectrum available and affordable: Lowering the spectrum licensing
fees and making more bands available would create lower consumer service charges and
enable the development of newer applications that require more data bandwidth.
Further support research and innovation: More funding for universities and advanced centres
would benefit the local wireless companies that derive from and draw on their strengths.
Support exporting: The majority of Vancouver wireless companies are exported. Removing
trade barriers and lowering the export risks would positively help the local companies,
especially if they go after Asian and developing countries' markets.
Further enhancing copyrights and patents protection both domesticallv and ~loballv: Many
of the firms in Vancouver are engaged in developing content for wireless devices. This
measure will enhance their ability to innovate and produce. Content development is further
enhanced by the presence in the region of a strong new media cluster, cosmopolitan culture,
high tolerance and cultural diversity.
Enable networking and partnerships opportunities: The various levels of government may
help the sector by sponsoring and organizing opportunities for firms to showcase their
products and providing forums for networking and exchange.
5.4 Further Research
The implementation of the recommendations in this chapter will strengthen the
Vancouver wireless cluster and enhance its ability to grow and develop. Ultimately this will
translate into sharpening the competitive edge of the local companies. It will also better position
them on the global stage. The necessary actions involve improving strategies and management
processes, adopting a system view taking in consideration the local environment and enhancing
collaboration within the cluster.
The methodology adopted in this project is by no means unique to the Vancouver
wireless cluster. It could be used for studying other clusters from other industries. It pre-supposes
the existence of a cluster and proceeds with a top--down approach to determine its
characteristics, structure and dynamics, combining available quantitative and qualitative data.
This approach has inherently some caveats stemming from being considerably based on
secondary data and from subjectivity caused by restricted information.
Further research may need to focus on investigating specific issues, which may need to
be eventually based on primary research. A better understanding of the particular knowledge
spillovers mechanisms, organizational learning methods, informal network operations, and
cooperation and rivalry patterns, would further enhance the development of the Vancouver
wireless cluster.
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APPENDlX 1 - KEY GLOBAL INDICATORS FOR THE WORLD
TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICE SECTOR
Note: 2002 data were estimated while 2003 were forecasted.
subscribers (millions) International telephone traffic minutes (billions)
Personal computers (millions)
Internet users (millions)
Source: International Telecommunication Union (2001). Retrieved on June 10,2004 from http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/at~~1ance/KevTelecom99.html
16
38
130
4.4
23
43
155
7
34
49
175
10
56
57
200
21
91
63
235
40
145
71
275
74
215
79
325
117
318
89
375
183
490
100
435
277
740
118
500
399
127
555
502
9551,1551,329
135
615
580
140
650
665
APPENDIX 2 - VANCOUVER WIRELESS CLUSTER COMPANIES AND
SURVEY RESULTS
Legend
C: customer type 1 consumer 2 enterprise 3 carrier
P: productlservice type 1 components 2 equipment 3 transport 4 software 5 service
T: Technology type 1 PCS 2 Fix Wireless 3 WLAN 4 PAN 5 Satellite
0: Origin A Vancouver C Canada U United States X Global
L: Legal Status P private S public
S: size of local wireless activity L large >200 employees M medium 50-200 S small 50<
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a Te
chno
logi
es
3 2
Ltd
Apex
1
5
Com
mun
icat
ions
Arg
us T
echn
olog
ies
2 2
Ltd
Ark
on N
etw
oks
2 2
Bel
l Mob
ility
1
3
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act
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crip
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ouve
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04 A
ve.
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00
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051
Riv
ersi
de W
ay,
Ric
hmon
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41-7
991
Floo
r 10
- 11 1
1 W
. Geo
rgia
St
. Van
couv
er (6
04) 6
78-
4226
Air G
ames
is g
loba
l lead
er in
pub
lishi
ng a
nd d
istri
butin
g m
obile
en
terta
inm
ent p
rodu
cts.
Ove
r 40
mob
ile o
pera
tors
acr
oss
5 co
ntin
ents
hav
e be
nefit
ed b
y se
lect
ing
Air G
ames
pro
duct
s, to
ols,
and
mar
ket k
now
ledg
e.
The
com
pany
ope
rate
s as
a w
irele
ss In
tern
et a
pplic
atio
ns s
ervi
ce p
rovi
der
spec
ializ
ing
in T
elem
atic
s. A
irlQ
's se
rvic
es a
re o
ffere
d to
thre
e la
rge
com
mer
cial
mar
kets
(ren
tal v
ehicl
e, c
omm
erci
al tr
ansp
ort a
nd h
eavy
eq
uipm
ent f
leet
s) a
nd th
e C
onsu
mer
mar
ket.
AirlQ
giv
es v
ehic
le o
wne
rs
the
abilit
ies
to m
anag
e an
d pr
otec
t the
ir m
obile
s as
sets
. Ai
rlQ's
ser
vice
s nc
lude
: veh
icle
loca
ting,
bou
ndar
y not
ificat
ion,
aut
omat
ed in
vent
ory,
m
aint
enan
ce re
min
ders
, sec
urity
ale
rts, v
ehic
le d
isab
ling,
una
utho
rized
no
vem
ent a
lerts
and
man
y mor
e fe
atur
es.
Alph
a Te
chno
logi
es is
a w
orld
lead
ing d
evel
oper
of b
road
band
, dat
a co
mm
unic
atio
n, A
C U
PS, c
omm
erci
al, a
nd in
dust
rial p
ower
ing
syst
ems.
W
orld
lead
ing
man
ufac
ture
r of p
ower
pro
duct
s for
the
Cab
le T
elev
isio
n,
Tele
phon
y, W
irele
ss a
nd A
ClU
PS in
dust
ries.
Vanc
ouve
r's c
ompa
ny o
f cho
ice
for t
rue
inte
grat
ion
of w
irele
ss d
ata
prod
ucts
and
ser
vice
s. O
ur h
ighl
y tra
ined
bus
ines
s co
nsul
tant
s can
gui
de
you
thro
ugh
the
proc
ess o
f buy
ing
any
of o
ur c
omm
unic
atio
ns or
sec
urity
pr
oduc
ts a
nd le
ave
you
feel
ing
like
a m
embe
r of t
he T
eam
Ape
x fa
mily
.
Prod
uces
a w
ide
rang
e of
DC
pow
er p
rodu
cts f
or w
irele
ss, f
iber
, br
oadb
and,
PC
S, tr
aditio
nal t
elep
hony
and
cus
tom
er p
rem
ise
appl
icat
ions
. Ar
kon
is re
cogn
ized
as a
wor
ldw
ide
lead
er in
DEC
T w
irele
ss te
chno
logy
so
lutio
ns, o
fferin
g co
mpe
titiv
e des
igns
in te
leph
ony a
nd w
irele
ss In
tern
et. I
n ad
ditio
n, A
rkon
ser
ves
as a
n al
pha
deve
lope
r and
an
offic
ial d
esig
n ho
use
to s
ever
al m
ajor
wire
less
sem
icon
duct
or co
mpa
nies
. Be
ll Mob
ility
is C
anad
a's
lead
ing
wire
less
com
pany
, pro
vidi
ng w
irele
ss
;om
mun
icatio
n an
d da
ta s
ervi
ces
to m
ore
than
3 m
illion
Can
adia
ns.
nter
tain
men
t
ata,
Inc.
Bro
adco
m C
anad
a Ltc
I----
odem
edia
Wire
less
"
~~om
mun
icat
ions
Lt
d
onte
c In
nova
tions
Web
site
4t
h flo
or, 3
29 R
ailw
ay
Vanc
ouve
r (60
4) 6
85-4
310
819
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astin
gs S
t. Va
ncou
ver (
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806
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1
Ric
hmon
d (6
04) 2
33-8
500
row
th V
oice
ove
r Int
erne
t Pro
toco
l (Vo
lP) m
arke
tpla
ce. B
road
com
(Par
enl
lesi
gns,
dev
elop
s an
d su
pplie
s sy
stem
-on-
a-ch
ip so
lutio
ns fo
r bro
adba
nd
Cont
act
Blue
Zon
e pr
ovid
es a
sof
twar
e so
lutio
n th
at e
nabl
es th
e ef
ficie
nt
aggr
egat
ion,
man
agem
ent a
nd d
istri
butio
n of
inte
ract
ive c
onte
nt to
wire
les!
su
bscr
iber
s. B
lue Z
one'
s M
edia
BZ so
lutio
n pr
ovid
es a
n en
d-to
-end
softw
ar
nfra
stru
ctur
e ena
blin
g w
irele
ss c
arrie
rs to
suc
ceed
in th
e w
irele
ss c
onte
nt
mar
ket.
With
Med
iaBZ
, con
tent
is a
utho
red
once
and
pub
lishe
d si
mul
tane
ousl
y to
the
Web
, PD
A's,
trad
itiona
l tel
evis
ion,
inte
ract
ive
tele
visi
on o
n m
ultip
le m
iddl
ewar
e pl
atfo
rms,
cell p
hone
s an
d ot
her w
eb-
enab
led
devi
ces.
Bl
ueTr
ee W
irele
ss D
ata
is a
lead
ing
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gner
, dev
elop
er a
nd m
anuf
actu
rer
of in
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tive
wire
less
dat
a Pr
oduc
ts fo
r com
mer
cial
and
indu
stria
l
I
Des
crip
tion
I P
~.b
roa
dco
m.c
om
I
)app
licat
ions
. 20
0-13
71 1
Inte
rnat
iona
l PI. 14
leadi
ng p
rovi
der o
f em
bedd
ed co
mm
unic
atio
n sof
twar
e fo
r the
hig
h
com
mun
icat
ions
mar
kets
.
P P ~.
code
med
iaw
irel
ess.
com
p0
5-39
89 H
enni
ng D
rive
-.
ww
w.c
olliq
o.co
m
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ainl
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et
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ouve
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ligo
Net
wor
ks, I
nc. i
s th
e le
adin
g pro
vide
r of p
eer-t
o-pe
er w
irele
ss
3rod
uctiv
ity s
oftw
are
desi
gned
for n
oteb
ooks
, Tab
let P
Cs a
nd h
andh
elds
. So
lligo
give
s yo
u th
e fre
edom
to s
ecur
ely e
xcha
nge
info
rmat
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sha
re
-eso
urce
s an
d co
mm
unic
ate w
ith o
ther
s w
ithou
t the
nee
d fo
r cen
tral a
cces
! 7o
ints
, ser
vers
or I
nter
net c
onne
ctio
ns b
y le
vera
ging
the
WLA
N an
d Bl
ueto
oth
capa
biliti
es fo
und
in m
obile
dev
ices
. Col
ligo'
s pro
duct
s ar
e be
ing
depl
oyed
by
busi
ness
es a
nd O
EM c
usto
mer
s in
Nor
th A
mer
ica,
Eur
ope
an!
.w.c
on-s
~ace
.com
ww
w.c
onte
c.ca
505
- 560
0 Pa
rkw
ood
Ric
hmon
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44-9
323
301
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1 Ki
ngsw
ay
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ue
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uitla
m
(604
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0
Asia
. Pr
ovid
es tw
o-w
ay w
ired
and
wire
less
voi
ce c
omm
unic
atio
n pro
duct
s fo
r so
nfin
ed sp
ace
and
othe
r haz
ardo
us w
ork
envi
ronm
ents
esp
ecia
lly fo
r ss
cue
team
s.
Con
tec
acce
lera
tes t
he g
row
th o
f the
mob
ile In
tern
et by
ena
blin
g m
obile
se
rvic
e pr
ovid
ers t
o ca
pita
lize
on n
ew d
ata
serv
ices
. Con
tec's
cor
e pr
oduc
t th
e H
orne
t, is
an
open
, car
rier-c
lass
mob
ile s
ervi
ces
deliv
ery
plat
form
ca
pabl
e of
hos
ting m
ultip
le a
pplic
atio
ns in
a s
ecur
e, s
cala
ble
envi
ronm
ent.
With
Hor
net,
serv
ice
prov
ider
s can
gen
erat
e ne
w re
venu
es b
y ef
ficie
ntly
de
ploy
ing
relia
ble
and
com
pellin
g da
ta a
pplic
atio
ns.
orin
ex
omm
unic
atio
ns
ypre
ss S
olut
ions
F
D
estin
y So
ftwar
e P
rodu
ctio
ns i
Dya
ptiv
e Sy
stem
s In
c
I
00 u
mpo
wer
Dig
ital D
ispa
tch
Syst
ems
Inc
Dig
ital P
aym
ent
Tech
nolo
gies
I ethn
ologie
s lnc
.
I I
I ~.
diqi
talp
ayte
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om
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rand
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igns
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gy a
pplic
atio
ns
L ' ) 3
Web
site
w
ww
.cor
inex
.com
ww
w.c
ypre
ss.b
c.ca
w.d
sny.
com
w.d
iqita
I-dis
patc
h.co
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w.d
vapt
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om
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Cont
act
#404
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Can
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e Va
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399
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n Va
ncou
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est H
astin
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ouve
r 604
) 609
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6
1 192
0 Fo
rge
Plac
e R
ichm
ond
604)
241
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1
Burn
aby (
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9
1000
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5 W. G
eorg
ia S
t. Va
ncou
ver (
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692
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bire
less
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vice
pro
vide
rs.
Ric
hmon
d (6
04) 2
78-3
100
Des
crip
tion
Cor
inex
is a
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elop
er a
nd m
anuf
actu
rer o
f inn
ovat
ive c
onne
ctiv
ity p
rodu
ct
for t
he e
xpan
sion
of t
he a
cces
sibi
lity a
nd d
istri
butio
n of
hig
h sp
eed
data
, au
dio,
vid
eo a
nd v
oice
sig
nals
to a
nd w
ithin
pre
mis
es a
nd a
pro
vide
r of
syst
em in
tegr
atio
n se
rvic
es to
indu
strie
s wor
ld w
ide.
Foc
us o
n br
oadb
and
solu
tions
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he la
st m
ile a
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st fo
ot s
ervic
e, H
W a
nd S
W.
Prov
ide w
irele
ss ru
gged
mod
ems w
ith in
tegr
ated
GPS
& e
ngin
eerin
g se
rvic
es.
Des
tiny
Med
ia T
echn
olog
ies,
Inc.
has
dev
elop
ed a
sui
te o
f ena
blin
g to
ols,
w
hich
faci
litate
the
dist
ribut
ion
of d
igita
l med
ia th
roug
h th
e in
tern
et in
eith
er
a st
ream
ing
or d
ownl
oada
ble
form
. Des
tiny h
as d
evel
oped
thre
e m
ajor
yo
perti
es : 1)
Clip
stre
am: A
udio
and
Vid
eo o
n D
eman
d; 2
) Rad
ioD
estin
y:
Live
Bro
adca
sts;
and
3) M
PE: D
ownl
oada
ble
Dig
ital C
onte
nt.
Dig
ital D
ispa
tch
Syst
ems
is a
pro
vide
r of t
urnk
ey w
irele
ss m
obile
dat
a sy
stem
s (b
ased
aut
omat
ed d
ispa
tch
syst
ems a
nd ve
hicl
e lo
catio
n sy
stem
s)
for t
he ta
xi, c
ourie
r, sh
uttle
, veh
icle
trac
king,
and
airp
ort a
sset
man
agem
ent
ndus
tries
wor
ldw
ide.
for t
he g
loba
l par
king
indu
stry
, incl
udin
g adv
ance
d Eq
uipm
ent, S
oftw
are
and
Solu
tions
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e re
venu
e fro
m c
usto
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ank
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DPT
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e co
st e
ffect
ive,
com
pact
Pal
m
Pilo
t. D
yapt
ive S
yste
ms d
evel
ops
and
man
ufac
ture
s equ
ipm
ent t
hat e
nabl
es th
e pr
ofita
ble d
eplo
ymen
t and
ope
ratio
n of
wire
less
net
wor
ks th
roug
h ?e
rforrn
ance
test
ing
and
optim
izat
ion.
Dya
ptiv
e cu
rrent
ly h
as e
quip
men
t ns
talle
d w
ith to
p-tie
r wire
less
infra
stru
ctur
e eq
uipm
ent m
anuf
actu
rers
and
I /a
ww
.linux
da.c
om
1120
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51 V
erdu
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Linu
x ba
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irele
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rings
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em to
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umer
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pplia
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ket.
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ider
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ardw
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urn-
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ased
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igita
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DA)
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irele
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ipic
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rans
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irele
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irele
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o I
Epic
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oth
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olut
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ide
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ebit a
nd c
redi
t sof
twar
e on
PO
S ha
rdw
are
that
offe
rs v
alue
-add
ed tr
ansa
ctio
ns (c
orpo
rate
acc
ount
s,
prep
aid c
ards
, GPS
, etc
.) to
flee
t cus
tom
ers i
n C
anad
a an
d th
e U
SA. T
he
.sol
utio
n is
calle
d fle
et>(
.
409-
425
Car
rall S
treet
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ncou
ver (
604)
408
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0
P w
ww
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ort.c
om
P w
ww
.flow
frnitv
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utiv
e Wire
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ll ser
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pend
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irele
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e pr
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u w
ith h
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ysis
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t Has
tings
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--
-.
frequ
ency
iden
tific
atio
n te
chno
logy
.
Lead
er in
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are
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ices
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treet
-leve
l wire
less
net
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ks. O
ur
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ort N
etw
ork p
rovi
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irele
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otel
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orts
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oth
er p
ublic
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tions
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ldw
ide
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f cho
ice
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ands
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ocke
t PC.
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ides
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ices
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elco
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ile h
igh-
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eed
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ess.
Fl
owtin
ity d
eliv
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a hi
ghly
usa
ble
thin
-clie
nt e
nabl
ing
tech
nolo
gy o
n th
e R
IM p
latfo
rm fo
r Mob
itex w
irele
ss n
etw
ork a
nd h
andh
elds
ope
ratin
g on
G
PRS
netw
ork.
Com
pany
or
mw
eb S
oftw
are
In
SONA
:o
mm
unic
atio
ns
ilent
el In
c
iPS
Indu
strie
s, In
c.
lcep
tion
Softw
are
~chn
olog
y lnc.
Web
site
I
Cont
act
1105
-143
4 Bu
rnab
y St
Va
ncou
ver
1 -(8
66)-
WR
MW
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1 112
0 H
orse
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chm
ond
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mer
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ourt
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aby
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0
Y4-5
500
152n
d St
reet
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rrey
(604
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2
1928
Sun
woo
d Pl
ace
lanc
ouve
r (60
4) 6
18-7
321
Desc
riptio
n Fo
rmw
eb P
latfo
rm is
an
inte
grat
ed vi
sual
dev
elop
men
t sol
utio
n fo
r: w
eb
appl
icat
ions
(HTM
L), w
irele
ss a
pplic
atio
ns (W
AP),
and
voic
e ap
plic
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ceXM
L).
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fSO
NA
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r tel
ecom
mun
icat
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data
net
wor
king
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ice
prov
ider
s;
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nly,
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h ca
paci
ty, o
ptic
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irele
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leco
m p
rodu
cts.
Gle
ntel
Inc.
runs
two
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essf
ul b
usin
esse
s, W
irele
ssW
ave -
a cha
in o
f w
irele
ss re
tail s
tore
s an
d th
e W
irele
ss B
usin
ess g
roup
- a
wire
less
sys
tem
: nt
egra
tion c
ompa
ny d
esig
ning
and
com
mis
sion
ing w
irele
ss n
etw
orks
for
ndus
trial
appl
icat
ions
. Ope
ratin
g its
fixed
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ile s
atel
lite
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mun
icat
ion,
two-
way
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patc
h an
d pa
ging
net
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ks, G
lent
el p
rovi
des
Nor
th A
mer
ica-
wid
e w
irele
ss d
ata
and
voic
e so
lutio
ns.
GPS
Indu
strie
s In
c. (G
PSI)
is a
dev
elop
er a
nd p
rovi
der o
f GPS
-bas
ed
spor
ts in
tellig
ence
and
info
rmat
ion
man
agem
ent s
yste
ms
utiliz
ing t
he
com
pany
uni
que,
pat
ente
d te
chno
logy
. The
com
pany
"Inf
orm
er" s
yste
m
was
desi
gned
spe
cific
ally
to m
eet t
he n
eeds
of g
olfe
rs, g
olf c
ours
es a
nd
jolf
cour
se m
anag
emen
t com
pani
es T
he ln
fore
mer
com
bine
s th
e ve
ry
ates
t in
uniq
ue h
igh-
spee
d w
irele
ss te
chno
logy
, diff
eren
tial g
loba
l po
sitio
ning
loca
tion-
base
d ser
vice
s, In
tern
et p
roto
cols
, tw
o-w
ay m
essa
ging
ne
dia
man
agem
ent a
nd cu
stom
er re
latio
nshi
p man
agem
ent s
yste
ms.
GPS
wa
s th
e fir
st c
ompa
ny to
intro
duce
a h
and-
held
GPS
gol
f uni
t and
rem
ains
th
e on
ly co
mpa
ny to
allo
w c
ours
es to
mix
-and
-mat
ch b
etw
een
cart-
mou
ntec
an
d ha
ndhe
ld u
nits
. Pr
ovid
e a
tota
l sol
utio
n of
pro
ject
-bas
ed se
rvic
es to
mee
t you
r dev
elop
men
t re
sour
ce n
eeds
. At I
ncep
tion
our g
reat
est a
sset
is o
ur k
now
ledg
e of
w
irele
ss d
ata
tech
nolo
gy. W
e ha
ve a
pro
ven
track
reco
rd in
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elop
ing
and
deliv
erin
g in
nova
tive
lead
ing
edge
sol
utio
ns. W
e kn
ow th
e So
ftwar
e pr
oduc
l de
velo
pmen
t bus
ines
s and
hav
e th
e ex
perti
se to
mak
e yo
ur p
roje
ct
succ
essf
ul.
lnfo
wav
e So
ftwar
e
Web
site
C
onta
ct
Inco
gnito
Sof
twar
e, In
c. is
a ra
pidl
y gr
owin
g in
depe
nden
t com
pany
uni
que1
fo
cuse
d on
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elop
ing
IP, D
NS,
and
dev
ice
prov
isio
ning
sol
utio
ns fo
r en
terp
rises
and
bro
adba
nd se
rvic
e pr
ovid
ers.
Fou
nded
in 1
992 t
o pr
ovid
e sp
en, s
tand
ards
-bas
ed ne
twor
king
solu
tions
for l
arge
ent
erpr
ises
and
h.in
coqn
ito.c
om
I
igita
l logi
c, e
mbe
dded
pro
cess
ors a
nd fir
mw
are.
Oth
er s
ervi
ces
incl
ude
pgra
de, e
nhan
cem
ent a
nd m
aint
enan
ce w
ork
on e
xist
ing
desi
gns;
es
igni
ng s
ub-s
yste
ms i
n a
larg
er p
roje
ct as
par
t of y
our t
eam
; and
wor
kins
n sp
ecific
issu
es, f
or e
xam
ple
mod
ifyin
g ex
istin
g de
sign
s to
obta
in
appr
oval
s. lo
noco
m e
njoy
s th
e be
nefit
s of
the
stro
ng lo
cal h
igh-
so
ftwar
e an
d in
tern
et e
nviro
nmen
t.
Des
crip
tion
1128
Hor
nby S
treet
, 3rd
Fl
oor V
anco
uver
(604
) 68
8-43
32
bell p
hone
s.
~.l
on
oco
m.c
om
I w
ww
.info
wav
e.co
m
b.in
trin
svc.
com
Po
0 W
. Pen
der S
t. - 1
0th
llntri
nsyc
pro
vide
s an
inte
grat
ed fr
amew
ork
of e
mbe
dded
har
dwar
e,
wire
less
sof
twar
e is
mai
nly f
ocus
ed o
n th
e ar
eas o
f Sal
es F
orce
Aut
omat
i01
(SFA
) and
Fie
ld S
ervi
ce A
utom
atio
n (F
SA) f
or c
ompa
nies
with
a m
obile
w
orkf
orce
acr
oss
vario
us in
dust
ries.
Mob
ile p
rofe
ssio
nals
can
subm
it and
ac
cess
info
rmat
ion
on th
e C
RM
, ER
P or
oth
er b
ack-
end
syst
ems t
hrou
gh
thei
r han
dhel
d de
vice
s equ
ippe
d w
ith G
PRS,
CDM
A or
WiF
i con
nect
ivity
. As
a re
sult,
com
pani
es b
ecom
e m
ore
effe
ctiv
e in
clos
ing
deal
s an
d de
liver
ing
timel
y se
rvic
e to
thei
r cus
tom
ers.
Floo
r Van
couv
er (6
04)
801-
6461
11 3-
1 861
Wel
ch S
t, N
orth
Va
ncou
ver
604)
924
518
4
1
over
nmen
t age
ncie
s, ln
cogn
ito al
so d
eliv
ers
its se
cure
, sca
labl
e, a
nd fa
ul
lera
nt s
oftw
are
to IS
Ps, c
able
, sat
ellite
and
tele
com
ope
rato
rs w
orld
wid
e.
softw
are
and
serv
ice
solu
tions
for c
reat
ing,
linki
ng a
nd m
anag
ing
Inte
rnet
D
evic
es, I
nfor
mat
ion A
pplia
nces
and
Inte
lligen
t Dev
ices
.
Spec
ializ
es in
RF
base
d pr
ojec
ts, a
nd o
ur te
am h
as e
xten
sive
exp
erie
nce
from
HF
to U
HF.
lono
com
's ca
pabi
lities
als
o in
clud
e an
alog
and
bas
eban
d,
4664
Lou
ghee
d H
wy,
Sui
te
Burn
aby (
604)
473
-360
0
The
mar
ket o
f Sm
all a
nd M
ediu
m E
nter
pris
es (S
MEs
) in
Can
ada,
US
. and
C
hina
. Dev
elop
ed o
n th
e W
indo
ws
Pock
et P
C p
latfo
rm, o
ur W
eb b
ased
~
.io
hn
soft
.co
m
Info
wav
e's W
irele
ss B
usin
ess
Engi
ne is
smar
t, fle
xibl
e so
ftwar
e th
at k
eeps
yo
u co
nnec
ted
- wire
less
ly -t
o yo
ur c
orpo
rate
em
ail,
cale
ndar
, con
tact
s,
ntra
net,
Web
ena
bled
app
licat
ions
, and
the
Inte
rnet
on
lapt
ops,
PD
As, o
r
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owe
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ouve
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chno
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t Pen
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netix
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pro
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Vanc
ouve
r 604
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prod
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a ro
bust
mob
ile In
tegr
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R
esou
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Man
agem
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onso
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BLin
k IR
M).
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uct s
uite
is o
ptim
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fo
r lar
ge-s
cale
ent
erpr
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wid
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obile
dep
loym
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an s
impl
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ta m
anag
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mob
ile d
ata
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mal
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focu
s fo
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Ass
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anag
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obile
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orkf
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Man
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ld S
ervi
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w.l3
tech
nolo
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om
1370
0 In
tern
atio
nal P
lace
, Ba
sed
in V
anco
uver
, Brit
ish
Col
umbi
a, L
3 Te
chno
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glo
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rovi
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ichm
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of w
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usin
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ofes
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pris
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ta a
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pplic
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3's
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oftw
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latfo
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obile
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its b
reak
thro
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relia
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data
tran
sfer
tech
nolo
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ver a
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ork a
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y Ja
vaen
able
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irele
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evic
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elps
or
pora
tions
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dly
deve
lop
and
deliv
er re
al-ti
me,
flexi
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sca
labl
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stan
dard
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olut
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ww
w.m
83.c
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echn
olog
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s pr
oduc
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wor
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first
eco
nom
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sur
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nce
Aven
ue
Vanc
ouve
r (6
04)
d in
form
atio
n ga
ther
ing
syst
em th
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orks
una
ttend
ed a
nyw
here
in th
e 78
9-49
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reak
thro
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o bu
ild th
is te
chno
logy
has
bee
n de
liver
ed b
y bi
ning
uni
que
tech
nolo
gies
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the
hard
war
e, so
ftwar
e an
d di
gita
l
P w
ww
.mda
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1380
0 C
omm
erce
Par
kway
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ld sa
tellit
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d te
rrest
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leco
mm
unic
atio
n in
frast
ruct
ure.
R
ichm
ond
(604
) 278
-341
1
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ww
mds
i-adv
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m
1027
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Way
M
DSl
Mob
ile D
ata
Solu
tions
Inc.
dev
elop
s, m
arke
ts, i
mpl
emen
ts a
nd
Ric
hmon
d (6
04) 2
07-6
000
supp
orts
mob
ile w
orkf
orce
man
agem
ent a
nd w
irele
ss c
onne
ctiv
ity so
ftwar
e
I /a
nd m
obile
com
putin
g eq
uipm
ent.
Com
pany
W
etas
oft S
yste
ms
Inc
Jlic
rosa
ge W
irele
ss
nc.
vlob
ile O
pera
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tern
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act
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1080
How
e St
. Va
ncou
ver (
604)
683
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1
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51 C
omm
erce
Pk
wy
Ric
hmon
d (6
04) 2
14-
8575
Desc
riptio
n Jt
ilizin
g th
e un
ique
skills
and
exp
erie
nce
of o
ver 7
0 em
ploy
ees,
the
com
pany
ope
rate
s tw
o bu
sine
ss u
nits
: a s
oftw
are
deve
lopm
ent d
ivis
ion,
Im
ager
, tha
t spe
cial
izes
in p
rovi
ding
imag
ing
softw
are
com
pone
nts t
o ea
ding
tech
nolo
gy c
orpo
ratio
ns, I
T de
partm
ents
and
softw
are
deve
lope
rs
arou
nd th
e w
orld
; and
, a fu
ndra
isin
g di
visi
on, B
IG O
nLin
e, th
at p
rovi
des
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e, se
arch
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abas
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pora
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over
nmen
t pa
nt m
akin
g in
form
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n to
non-
prof
it and
cha
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ndra
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astin
gs
Vanc
ouve
r (60
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69-1
277
Mic
rosa
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irele
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SW) i
s a
softw
are
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lope
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cial
izin
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the
emer
ging
shor
t-ran
ge w
irele
ss s
pace
.
ww
w.rn
obile
o~er
andi
.com
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k8.c
om
ww
w.n
orsa
t.com
Nor
th A
mer
ica.
W
irele
ss T
elec
omm
unic
atio
ns C
arrie
r
#208
, 104
0 H
amilto
n St
. Va
ncou
ver 6
04 6
8824
48
37 -1
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Ironw
ork
Pass
age
Vanc
ouve
r (6
04)7
16-8
784
100-
4401
Still
Cre
ek D
rive
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irele
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olut
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r tha
t del
iver
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critic
a le
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ynch
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onte
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at a
llow
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otos
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ture
mes
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ingt
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ie
tLok
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d co
mpe
titiv
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tly k
now
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eir
oved
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orks
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rovi
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loya
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broa
dban
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ta a
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deo
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ectiv
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here
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xist
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Nor
th B
each
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yste
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omm
unic
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td.
desi
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orp r
Rog
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ater
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uite
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orth
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t Tra
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igna
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anco
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mar
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road
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a m
odem
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ards
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d en
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ftwar
e fo
r use
with
han
dhel
d co
mpu
ting
devi
ces,
not
eboo
k 2o
mpu
ters
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vehi
cle-
base
d or m
onito
ring
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icat
ions
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Silic
on C
halk
cre
ates
softw
are
to e
nhan
ce co
mm
unic
atio
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llabo
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d le
arni
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cla
ssro
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lapt
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sing
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omm
unic
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mpu
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mm
unity
.
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Tire
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tem
s In
c. d
evel
ops a
nd m
arke
ts p
ropr
ieta
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re m
onito
ring
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ems
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he tr
ansp
orta
tion
indu
stry
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ldw
ide.
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S@ct
ive d
evel
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irele
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rovi
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MS
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rt M
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ased
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dded
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vice
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ile p
hone
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SMS@
ctiv
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uild
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dyn
amic
pla
tform
bas
ed o
n cu
rrent
SM
S,
WAP
and
oth
er e
mer
ging
wire
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toco
ls.
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ks is
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t sol
utio
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Stra
tegi
c in
dust
ry p
artn
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icen
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oft T
rack
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aym
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tect
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Skyp
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elus
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\O
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ile N
etw
orks
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ateg
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mun
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RL is
als
o w
idel
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cogn
ized
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ts G
aAs
MM
lC an
d M
HM
lC de
sign
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TR
L s
very
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e de
velo
pmen
t of L
MC
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chno
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cess
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ility
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onst
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ns ha
ve b
een
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rmed
in B
razi
l, M
acau
, Tha
iland
ww
.uco
ra.c
om
ww
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obile
.ca
388-
1 130
W. P
ende
r St
Vanc
ouve
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19-7
600
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Uco
ra d
evel
ops
softw
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p bu
sine
sses
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ntro
l ove
r the
ir da
ta. D
exO
bjec
t Kno
wle
dge E
ngin
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tela
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Man
agem
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em, N
xtYe
ar co
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e IS
S pr
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sche
dulin
g sy
stem
, are
just
a fe
w ex
ampl
es o
f Uco
ra p
rodu
cts.
Uco
ra's
info
rmat
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n m
ultip
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latfo
rms:
Win
dow
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etlln
trane
t and
#202
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38 M
arin
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r. W
est V
anco
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oadb
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all b
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er p
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uppo
rt an
d m
aint
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letw
orki
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nd s
ecur
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wor
ks.
U-M
obile
Net
wor
ks L
td is
a w
irele
ss In
tern
et se
rvic
e pr
ovid
er (W
ISP)
bas
ed
n Va
ncou
ver,
Britis
h C
olum
bia.
Our
are
a of
ex~
ertis
e incl
udes
: wire
less
Com
pany
ni
ty W
irele
ss C
orp.
psid
e W
irele
ss In
c.
I W
ebsi
te
I C
onta
ct
I D
escr
iptio
n ~~
~.un
itvw
irel
ess.
com
'14
38 F
rase
r Par
k D
rive
Uni
ty W
irele
ss p
rodu
ces
15 d
iffer
ent m
odel
s of H
igh
Pow
er R
F Am
plifie
rs
Burn
aby
(604
) 267
-270
0 fo
r bot
h m
obile
and
fixed
wire
less
voi
ce, i
nter
net a
nd d
ata
base
sta
tion
and
epea
ter n
etw
ork e
quip
men
t; U
nity
's pr
oprie
tary
Uni
Linx
wire
less
IP
b ateway
s offe
r dat
a co
mm
unic
atio
ns so
lutio
ns.
kww
.uos
idew
eb.c
om
I I
1600
-515
W.H
astin
gs S
t. bp
side
Wire
less
Inc.
dev
elop
s and
mar
kets
carri
er a
nd e
nter
pris
e cl
ass
I
pnco
uver
(604
) 839
-251
3 bd
dlew
are
solu
tions
that
ena
ble
deve
lopm
ent o
f inn
ovat
ive s
ervi
ces
usin
g ~
,
Smal
l Mes
sagi
ng S
ervi
ce (S
MS)
. ~as
ed.o
n our b
ase
prod
uct,
the
wire
less
In
form
atio
n Se
rver
, we
offe
r thr
ee p
rodu
ct lin
es: M
embe
rshi
p M
anag
emen
t Se
rver
with
inte
grat
ed m
arke
ting
com
pone
nts
for e
-mai
l and
SM
S ca
mpa
igns
, Ent
erpr
ise
SMS
Serv
er th
at e
nabl
es in
tegr
atio
n of
cor
pora
te
appl
icat
ions
such
as
Mic
roso
ff Ex
chan
ge, M
icro
soff
Out
look
, SAP
and
Si
ebel
CR
M w
ith S
MS
netw
orks
and
Car
rier S
MS
Serv
er th
at is
use
d to
xo
vide
inte
rnat
iona
l SM
S m
essa
ging
with
inte
grat
ed e
-com
mer
ce a
nd
?aym
ent e
ngin
es. O
ne o
f suc
h ap
plic
atio
ns is
ava
ilabl
e at
ww
w.ip
ipi.c
om
land
cur
rent
ly se
rves
ove
r 100
,000
use
rs w
orld
wid
e.
ww
w.te
lost
echn
oloq
y.co
m
110
- 131
20 V
anie
r Pla
ce
Car
rier-c
lass
wire
less
Son
ata
prod
uct f
amily
incl
udes
MSC
s, s
ofts
witc
hes,
R
ichm
ond
(604
) 276
-005
5 H
LRs,
and
aut
hent
icat
ions
cent
ers,
des
igne
d fo
r 2G
, 2.5
G G
MS,
DAM
PS,
DM
A an
d 3G
. Fro
m v
ery
smal
l sys
tem
s sui
' for
wire
less
offi
ce a
nd
appl
icat
ions
to th
e ve
ry la
rge
inte
grat
ed n
etw
orks
for u
rban
En
ablin
g op
erat
ors w
orld
wid
e to
tran
sitio
n to
nex
t-gen
erat
ion
irele
ss n
etw
orks
. Lea
ding
the
way
in 3
G.
ww
w.v
erite
~.co
m
110-
1379
9 Com
mer
ce
Verit
eq is
the
lead
er in
com
pact
pre
cisi
on d
ata
logg
ers f
or re
lativ
e hu
mid
ity,
Park
way
Ric
hmon
d (6
04)
tem
pera
ture
, the
rmoc
oupl
es, v
olta
ge a
nd c
urre
nt. A
dvan
ced
data
~
,
273-
6850
ac
qkiti
on in
stru
men
ts, v
erite
q lo
gger
s com
bine
hig
h-ac
cura
cy
2erfo
rman
ce w
ith p
alm
-siz
ed, p
orta
ble,
wire
less
(sin
g a
Palm
PD
A) a
nd
batte
ry-o
pera
ted
sim
plic
ity.
ww
w.v
erru
s.co
m
201-
910
Ric
hard
s St.
Verru
s W
irele
ss o
ffers
wire
less
pay
par
king
and
wire
less
spo
rts. V
erru
s Va
ncou
ver (
604)
642
-428
6 al
low
s on
e to
pay
for p
arki
ng u
sing
any
mob
ile p
hone
or P
DA.
SAF
ECO
Fi
eld
is d
eplo
ying
Ver
rus
Spor
ts S
ervi
ces f
or re
al-ti
me,
inte
ract
ive
gam
es
and
the
abilit
y to
ord
er fo
od a
nd d
rinks
.
3mrn
un1c
atio
ns Lt
d.
I A
M P
ww
w.v
iavis
.com
60
0-65
0 W
est G
eorg
ia S
t. V
ia~
is is a
lead
ing
softw
are
deve
lope
r of L
ocat
ion
Serv
ices.
Via
Vis'
suite
of
Vanc
ouve
r (60
4) 6
33-4
270
ocat
ion-
base
d app
licat
ions
and
pla
tform
pro
duct
s ena
ble
the
depl
oym
ent o
nt
ellig
ent a
nd re
venu
e-ge
nera
ting s
olut
ions
for t
he w
irele
ss n
etw
ork
oper
ator
s, e
nter
pris
es a
nd v
oice
por
tals
.
1 A
M P
ww
w.v
oxau
ra.c
om
1310
Koo
tena
y St
reet
A
wire
less
infra
stru
ctur
e de
velo
per a
nd m
anuf
actu
rer p
rovi
ding
nex
t- Va
ncou
ver (
604)
432
-139
8 ge
nera
tion
RF
com
pone
nts,
sub-
syst
ems a
nd sy
stem
s for
the
BTS,
Pic
o BT
S an
d co
vera
ge e
nhan
cem
ent m
arke
ts. F
orm
ed in
199
9, th
e C
ompa
ny
?as o
ffice
s in
Nor
th A
mer
ica a
nd A
sia to
ser
vice
the
glob
al m
arke
t of
wire
less
infra
stru
ctur
e eq
uipm
ent m
anuf
actu
rers
and
serv
ice
prov
ider
s.
Inte
lligen
t Ant
enna
s, tr
ansc
eive
rs, m
odul
ator
s, co
uple
rs, d
ivid
ers,
filte
rs.
I A
S P
y,vw
.vo~
us.c
om
302-
3602
Can
ada
Way
Vo
yus
offe
r a c
ompr
ehen
sive
suite
of s
ervi
ces
desi
gned
spe
cific
ally
to
Burn
aby
604-
630-
5653
'la
ndle
the
esse
ntia
l day
-to-d
ay su
ppor
t nee
ds o
f wire
less
ser
vice
pr
ovid
ers.
We
have
ext
ensi
ve e
xper
tise
in su
ppor
ting
mul
tiple
cus
tom
er
gate
way
dev
ices
, sup
porti
ng a
uthe
ntic
ated
and
una
uthe
ntic
ated
802
.1 1 b
an
d 80
2.1 1
g ne
twor
ks, tr
oubl
esho
otin
g ne
twor
k com
pone
nts s
uch
as
Acce
ss P
oint
s, S
witc
hes,
gat
eway
s and
WAN
feed
dev
ices
, and
net
wor
k no
nito
ring.
A
S P
ww
w.w
avem
aker
s.co
m
404-
134
Abbo
tt St
reet
W
avem
aker
s63
deve
lops
voic
e op
timiz
atio
n so
ftwar
e, in
clud
ing
nois
e an
d Va
ncou
ver (
604)
639
-999
0 ec
ho c
ance
llatio
n, w
hich
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ance
s and
reco
nstru
cts s
peec
h to
impr
ove
the
accu
racy
of v
oice
use
r int
erfa
ces d
rivin
g au
tom
otiv
e sp
eech
app
licat
ions
an
d si
gnific
antly
impr
oves
the
qual
ity o
f voi
ce fo
r pho
ne co
mm
unic
atio
ns.
i A
S P
ww
w.w
ebte
chw
irele
ss.c
om
215-
4299
Can
ada
Way
W
ebTe
ch h
as d
evel
oped
and
man
ufac
ture
d a V
ehic
le L
ocat
ion S
yste
m th
at
Burn
aby
(604
) 434
-733
7 nt
egra
tes G
PS, w
irele
ss te
chno
logi
es a
nd th
e In
tern
et to
del
iver
wire
less
ve
hicle
trac
king
and
loca
tion
serv
ices
.
A M
P w
ww
.wes
tow
er.c
om
1788
6 55
th A
ve.
Surre
y Pr
ovid
e an
d in
stal
l RF
tele
com
mun
icat
ion e
quip
men
t for
wire
less
car
rier
(604
) 576
-475
5 ie
twor
ks.
1 C
S
S yt
w.w
ordl
oqic
.net
24
00-6
50 W
. Geo
rgia
JV
ordL
ogic
Cor
pora
tion
is a
pro
gres
sive
deve
lope
r and
licen
ser o
f sof
twar
e St
reet
Van
couv
er (6
04)
for w
irele
ss in
form
atio
n de
vices
. Wor
dLog
ic a
ddre
sses
the
need
of m
obile
25
7-36
60
3evi
ce u
sers
for a
sim
pler
and
eas
ier m
etho
d of
ent
erin
g in
form
atio
n.
A S
S w
ww
.xan
trex.
com
89
99 N
elso
n W
ay B
urna
by P
ower
gen
erat
ion
equi
pmen
t for
bas
e st
atio
n.
(604
) 422
-859
5
Com
pany
Xy
bec
Sol
utio
ns ln
c.
Zool
ink
Com
mun
icat
ions
Ltd
.
C 3 2
P 4 4
T 3 1
0
A
S S S
L P
Web
site
w
ww
.xvb
ec.c
om
S
Cont
act
17 - 1
551 J
ohns
ton
Stre
et
Vanc
ouve
r 604
-878
-998
8
Desc
riptio
n Xy
bec
prov
ides
cen
trally
-man
aged
clie
nt s
oftw
are
that
giv
es u
sers
relia
ble
and
secu
re ln
tem
et a
cces
s thr
ough
wire
less
wid
e ar
ea a
nd p
ublic
lpriv
ate
WiF
i net
wor
ks.
ww
w.z
oolin
k.co
m
1800
-105
5 W
. Has
tings
Va
ncou
ver (
604)
638-
5467
St
.Zoo
Link
is a
lead
ing
deve
lope
r of n
ext g
ener
atio
n In
tellig
ent I
nter
net D
ata
Cen
ters
. Our
Dat
a C
ente
rs s
erve
as
plat
form
s to
prov
ide
co-lo
catio
n se
rvic
es to
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pani
es w
ith m
issi
on cr
itical
Inte
rnet
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ctur
e. O
ur
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ices
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l for W
eb-c
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c bus
ines
ses,
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ovid
ers
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), Ap
plic
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ns S
ervi
ce P
rovi
ders
(ASP
S), C
onte
nt P
rovi
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pn
d C
arrie
rs.
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