TPC invests $9.9 million in Sierra Wireless project

After several months of inactivity, Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) has finally begun announcing projects it has approved since the last federal election. The first to be lifted from the backlog is Sierra Wireless Inc, Richmond BC, which received a TPC investment of $9.9 million to develop a new generation of wireless modems. The project represents a major expansion for the developer of wireless data communications hardware and software, boosting employment from 145 to 360. Three areas of research make up the project: future generation wireless development, software development, and fixed desktop hardware development. Technological advancement will be measured in terms of Internet protocol software, hand-held wireless Internet devices, packet technology, broad- and medium-band radios and modem miniaturization. The new wireless modems will provide far greater capacity and flexibility to wireless devices, allowing users to transmit large volumes of data at high speeds over the Internet, as well as connecting laptops to home office computers....