The FINANCIAL — Nokia and Greener Acres Canada Inc. today announced that they have signed an agreement to advance intelligent urban infrastructure solutions, enhance communications, and foster a circular economy in Canada. Per the agreement, Nokia and Greener Acres will work together to develop and upgrade Canada’s utility pole infrastructure to smart city green poles that can power smart cities and broadband communications across the country.
- Initiative will produce smart city green poles from nearly 50,000 tons of e-waste collected annually in Ontario
- The smart city green poles are designed to deliver high-speed broadband communications to support advanced smart city solutions across Ontario
Each year, Canada is replacing an estimated four million poles across the country. Nokia and Greener Acres Canada are bringing to life a united vision to replace traditional poles with smart green poles manufactured from 48,124 tons of recycled e-waste collected annually in Ontario.
Cities with the new eco-friendly poles will be able to transform into “smart cities” that leverage communications infrastructure, IoT devices and sensors to power smart street lights, metered parking, transit systems, waste water systems, traffic signals, and more.
Using special manufacturing techniques, Greener Acres plans to produce up to 1,000 smart city green poles a day. Nokia will be able to use the next-generation smart pole infrastructure to deploy new smart city services, including high-speed broadband connectivity.
Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Ontario, said: “As people upgrade their phones, computers, tablets, gaming consoles, and other electronic items, we need to find new ways to keep e-waste out of landfills and reduce its impact on our environment. Nokia and Greener Acres have come up with a very exciting plan to turn this waste into a new resource for building smart cities that will benefit all Canadians and support a circular economy.”
Shawn Sparling, Head of Enterprise and Public Sector, Nokia Canada, said:
“For many Nokia employees, we call Canada home – and we’re excited to be part of the solution for recycling e-waste that would previously fill up landfills into these next-generation smart green poles that will bring high-speed internet to even more people and power new city services. Collaborating with Greener Acres aligns with our history of innovation at our R&D facilities in Ottawa and our corporate commitment to sustainability.”
Meni Mancini, President and Director, Greener Acres Canada Inc., said:
“While we are a small Ontario-based business, we have big plans to change the status quo on e-waste – turning ‘waste’ into our smart green poles. Due to its strong presence in Ontario and as a leader in connecting the world, Nokia is the right partner as we embark on this endeavor to eliminate waste by diverting it from landfill, supporting the circular economy while enabling cities across Canada to become smart cities and towns.”
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