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SwitchWorks Enables GTMA Event with Microwave Study Confirms the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) As A World Leader in Information Technology and Telecommunications TORONTO, April 16 /CNW/ - A Deloitte & Touche study has confirmed the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as a world leader in Information Technology and Telecommunications (IT&T). And the region celebrated today with a declaration that the GTA is Canada's SMART community -- the alternative to California's Silicon Valley as the most logical IT&T investment community in North America. The Deloitte & Touche IT&T industry profile, analyzing key attributes global IT&T corporations look at when deciding where to locate, concluded the GTA has developed into one of North America's "premier centres for Information Technology and Telecommunications." The independent study, commissioned by the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance (GTMA) and SMART Toronto and funded by Human Resources Development Canada, found the GTA is one of the few regions in the world that has the breadth and depth to support alliances within and across the entire IT&T industry sector. "We are the investment alternative to Silicon Valley," said Kenneth Copeland, President and CEO of the GTMA. "The Deloitte and Touche profile proves what many of us have suspected, that we have one of the most complete IT&T communities in the world. With this profile, we now have the necessary tool to deliver that message to the world." To mark the event, GTA mayors joined federal and provincial government officials and industry leaders at a special celebration at Toronto's BCE Place, where the GTA was declared Canada's SMART community. The celebration included a demonstration of the GTA's IT&T expertise as the Canadian rock group Lighthouse put on a high-tech display with musicians located at different GTA centres being linked together electronically to perform as if they were on the same stage. The whole event was also televised live on the Internet courtesy of toronto.com and GTA-based CyberTV.com. The event can be seen on the net by visiting www.toronto.com or www.greater.toronto.on.ca. "It's perhaps one of Canada's best kept secrets, but the GTA has become a dynamic and vibrant cluster of interconnected companies and institutions," added Copeland. "I'm not just talking about software companies, content developers and wireless companies, but key enablers as well. Those are research and development companies, educational facilities and industry associations. All of those contribute to growth and investment in this key sector of our global economy." The Deloitte & Touche profile compared key attributes relevant to the IT&T industry in 10 major North American centres, including the GTA, California's Silicon Valley, Montreal, Ottawa, Austin, Texas, Boston, New York, Raleigh, North Carolina, Seattle and Washington. Key attributes were divided into 10 categories: "The GTA ranks very favorably in all of those key areas," said Kenneth Barr, President, Business Communications Systems, Lucent Technologies Canada, a US-based global firm which designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronic components. "The GTA offers highly skilled people, a complete communications and transportation infrastructure, support services and a strong research and development environment." Among the GTA's key attributes highlighted in the Deloitte & Touche analysis was the fact that there are over 3,100 IT&T companies in the region and that over 75% of IT&T companies listed in Fortune 1000 have executive offices in the GTA. The study also showed IT&T companies in the region earn revenues of $38 billion annually, including more than $10 billion from exports. The area is rich in resources with 155,000 people already working in the IT&T sector and universities and community colleges graduating nearly 5000 IT&T industry participants each year. The GTA is also one of the top five R&D centres in North America, with more than 15,000 employees in some 500 IT&T companies performing research and development. "The diversity of our IT&T industry through all sectors provides wide-ranging opportunities for development and profitable alliances," said Copeland. "Our world-class New Media sector is a prime example of the vitality of the GTA's IT&T sector. The secret is out. The world now knows we're here, thriving, open for business and getting better. Silicon Valley look out." The GTMA plans to use the study to help generate further investment in the GTA's IT&T sector. It plans to work with its partners, government, industry trade associations and GTA companies to promote the GTA's competitive advantages around the world. Details of the industry profile and the directory of the IT&T companies in the GTA are on the GTMA web page at www.greater.toronto.on.ca. The GTMA is a public-private sector cooperative partnership representing all 29 regions and municipalities in the GTA, including their boards of trade and chambers of commerce, plus municipal, regional, provincial and federal governments and private sector orporations. The mandate of the GTMA is to attract jobs and new investment to the GTA by cooperatively promoting the competitive dvantages and business opportunities in the Greater Toronto. Working jointly with economic development officers and the private sector, the GTMA provides business expansion and relocation services as well as information essential to attracting international investors into the GTA. It is a source of information for potential investors looking at taking full advantage of the GTA's world class business infrastructure and economic strengths. Greater Toronto Area (GTA) SMART Facts* * All information from the Deloitte & Touche IT&T industry sector profile study. SHOWCASING THE GTA's IT&T EXPERTISE The Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, in association with its industry partners, put on an impressive high-tech display to highlight a day of celebrations marking the declaration of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as Canada's SMART Community. For starters, the entire celebration was broadcast live on the Internet courtesy of toronto.com, with CyberTV Toronto supplying the technical elements of the "cybercast." The highlight of the day featured the Canadian rock group Lighthouse staging a high-tech concert with musicians located at different GTA centres all linked together electronically to perform as if they were on the same stage. While the main band members were on the huge stage at Toronto's BCE Place, they were joined by 13 other musicians situated in other GTA centres. They were linked back using fibre optic lines, supplied by Metronet and Shaw Fibrelink. Shaw Cable also broadcast the event on their community TV channel. Other events from GTA regions were linked back to the large screen at BCE Place via microwave, courtesy of SwitchWorks Technologies Inc. Paul Hoffert, co-founder of Lighthouse, says the event is an excellent example of the type of cooperation and industry expertise available in the GTA. For further information on GTMA contact: Kenneth Copeland, President and CEO, Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, (416) 360-7320, kcopeland@gtma.on.ca; John McGrath, (416) 876-3945, jmcgrath@ica.net For any questions about SwitchWorks, please contact sales@switchworks.com |
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