- Bell chose AWS to help modernize its applications and services
and will leverage AWS capabilities like machine learning and
analytics to enhance customers' digital experiences
- Bell and AWS will offer AWS Wavelength Zones on Bell's 5G
network for fast and efficient 5G multi-access edge computing
(MEC), the first such 5G MEC deployment in Canada
- Combination will give developers access to AWS's unparalleled
portfolio of services to build applications that require
ultra-low-latency connectivity for mobile devices running on
Canada's fastest-ranked national network
MONTRÉAL, June 3, 2021 /CNW
Telbec/ - Bell Canada (TSX: BCE)
(NYSE: BCE) today announced it has entered into an agreement with
Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) to modernize the digital experience
for Bell customers and support 5G innovation across Canada. Bell
will use the breadth and depth of AWS technologies to create and
scale new consumer and business applications faster, as well as
enhance how its voice, wireless, television and internet
subscribers engage with Bell services and content such as streaming
video. In addition, AWS and Bell are teaming up to bring AWS
Wavelength to Canada, deploying it at the edge of Bell's 5G network
to allow developers to build ultra-low-latency applications for
mobile devices and users. With this rollout, Bell will become the
first Canadian communications company to offer AWS-powered
multi-access edge computing (MEC) to business and government
users.
"Bell's partnership with AWS further heightens both our 5G
network leadership and the Bell customer experience with greater
automation, enhanced agility and streamlined service options.
Together, we'll provide the next-generation service innovations for
consumers and business customers that will support Canada's growth
and prosperity in the years ahead," said Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE and
Bell Canada. "With this first in
Canada partnership to deploy AWS
Wavelength at the network edge, where 5G's high capacity,
unprecedented speed and ultra low latency are crucial for
next-generation applications, Bell and AWS are opening up all-new
opportunities for developers to enhance our customers' digital
experiences. As Canada recovers from COVID-19 and looks forward to
the economic, social and sustainability advantages of 5G, Bell is
moving rapidly to expand the country's next-generation network
infrastructure capabilities. Bell's accelerated capital investment
plan, supported by government and regulatory policies that
encourage significant investment and innovation in network
facilities, will double our 5G coverage this year while growing the
high-capacity fibre connections linking our national network
footprint."
The speed and increased bandwidth capacity of the Bell 5G
network support applications that can respond much more quickly and
handle greater volumes of data than previous generations of
wireless technology. Through its relationship with AWS, Bell will
leverage AWS Wavelength to embed AWS compute and storage services
at the edge of its 5G telco networks so that applications
developers can serve edge computing workloads like machine
learning, IoT, and content streaming. Bell and AWS will move 5G
data processing to the network edge to minimize latency and power
customer-led 5G use cases such as immersive gaming,
ultra-high-definition video streaming, self-driving vehicles, smart
manufacturing, augmented reality, machine learning inference and
distance learning throughout Canada. Developers will also have
direct access to AWS's full portfolio of cloud services to enhance
and scale their 5G applications.
Optimized for MEC applications, AWS Wavelength minimizes the
latency involved in sending data to and from a mobile device. AWS
delivers the service through Wavelength Zones, which are AWS
infrastructure deployments that embed AWS compute and storage
services within a telecommunications provider's datacenters at the
edge of the 5G network so that data traffic can reach application
servers within the zones without leaving the mobile provider's
network. Application data need only travel from the device to a
cell tower to an AWS Wavelength Zone running in a metro aggregation
site. This results in increased performance by avoiding the
multiple hops between regional aggregation sites and across the
internet that traditional mobile architectures require.
Outside of the AWS Wavelength deployment, Bell is also
continuing to evolve its offerings to enhance its customers'
digital experiences. From streaming media to network performance to
customer service, Bell will leverage AWS's extensive portfolio of
cloud capabilities to better serve its tens of millions of
customers coast to coast. This work will allow Bell's product
innovation teams to streamline and automate processes as well as
adapt more quickly to changing market conditions and customer
preferences.
"As the first telecommunications company in Canada to provide access to AWS Wavelength,
Bell is opening the door for businesses and organizations
throughout the country to combine the speed of its 5G network with
the power and versatility of the world's leading cloud. Together,
Bell and AWS are bringing the transformative power of cloud and 5G
to users all across Canada," said Andy
Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, Inc. "Cloud and 5G are
changing the business models for telecommunications companies
worldwide, and AWS's unmatched infrastructure capabilities in areas
like machine learning and IoT will enable leaders like Bell to
deliver new digital experiences that will enhance their customers'
lives."
Launched in June 2020, Bell's 5G
network is now available to approximately 35% of the Canadian
population. On February 4, Bell
announced it was accelerating its typical annual capital investment
of $4 billion by an additional
$1 billion to $1.2 billion over the next 2 years to rapidly
expand its fibre, rural Wireless Home Internet and 5G networks,
followed May 31 by the announcement of a further up to $500 million increase in capital spending. With
this accelerated capital investment plan, Bell's 5G network is on
track to reach approximately 70% of the Canadian population by year
end.
5G will support a wide range of new consumer and business
applications in coming years, including virtual and augmented
reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning, connected
vehicles, remote workforces, telehealth and Smart Cities, with
unprecedented IoT opportunities for business and government. 5G is
also accelerating the positive environmental impact of Bell's
networks. The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association
estimates 5G technology can support 1000x the traffic at half of
current energy consumption over the next decade, enhancing the
potential of IoT and other next-generation technologies to support
sustainable economic growth, and supporting Bell's own objective to
be carbon neutral across its operations in 2025.
About Bell
The Bell team builds world-leading
broadband wireless and fibre networks, provides innovative mobile,
TV, Internet and business communications services and delivers the
most compelling content with premier television, radio, out of home
and digital media brands. With a goal to advance how Canadians
connect with each other and the world, Bell serves more than 22
million consumer and business customer connections across every
province and territory. Founded in Montréal in 1880, Bell is wholly
owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). To learn more, please visit
Bell.ca or BCE.ca.
Bell supports the social and economic prosperity of our
communities with a commitment to the highest environmental, social
and governance (ESG) standards. We measure our progress in
increasing environmental sustainability, achieving a diverse and
inclusive workplace, leading data governance and protection, and
building stronger and healthier communities. This includes
confronting the challenge of mental illness with the Bell Let's
Talk initiative, which drives mental health awareness and action
with programs like the annual Bell Let's Talk Day and Bell funding
for community care, research and workplace programs nationwide all
year round.
Media Inquiries
Bell
Nathan Gibson
905-614-9596
nathan.gibson@bell.ca
@Bell_News
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr
Investor inquiries
Bell
Thane Fotopoulos
514-870-4619
thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Certain
statements made in this news release are forward-looking
statements, including statements relating to our anticipated
capital expenditures and the benefits expected to result therefrom,
including our two-year increased capital investment program to
accelerate broadband network and 5G footprint expansion, our
business outlook, objectives, plans and strategic priorities, and
other statements that are not historical facts. All such
forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbour"
provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws and of
the United States Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties and are
based on several assumptions which give rise to the possibility
that actual results or events could differ materially from our
expectations. These statements are not guarantees of future
performance or events, and we caution you against relying on any of
these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements
contained in this news release describe our expectations at the
date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change
after such date. Except as may be required by applicable securities
laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements contained in this news release, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Our
capital investment and network deployment plans and the benefits
expected to result therefrom are subject to risks and, accordingly,
there can be no assurance that our capital investment and network
deployment plans will be completed or that the benefits expected to
result therefrom will be realized. The value of the planned
investment assumes our ability to access or generate the necessary
sources of capital. However, there can be no certainty that the
required sources of capital will be available with the result that
the actual investment made by us could materially differ from
current expectations. For additional information on assumptions and
risks underlying certain of our forward-looking statements made in
this news release, please consult BCE's 2020 Annual MD&A dated
March 4, 2021, BCE's 2021 First
Quarter MD&A dated April 28, 2021
and BCE's news release dated April 29,
2021 announcing its financial results for the first quarter
of 2021, filed by BCE with the Canadian provincial securities
regulatory authorities (available at Sedar.com) and with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (available at SEC.gov). These
documents are also available at BCE.ca.
SOURCE Bell Canada