Nokia’s Canada expansion an effort to diversify away from Huawei, some experts say
The Canadian government has taken an interest in the Canadian market.
That’s no secret.
But the Canadian market, even with more of a domestic focus, isn’t the single hot-button issue for Ottawa and the tech industry in Canada that it is for US and UK shores.
The country’s tech firms – especially its largest ones – are wary of what Huawei could achieve in the future with its new 10-year telecoms arm, the Communications Security Establishment of Canada.
That’s why, according to industry insiders, the Canadian government is launching a new “national strategy and plan” to get ahead of the challenge.
That could also be why Ottawa – even when it’s not directly in the market – will be watching in the months and years ahead.
“We are a tech-led country, we’ve got a strong tech sector,” said Jim Balsillie, the former chief executive officer of Bell and also an investor in the Canadian tech sector – a rare relationship from the US government.
“We have a very good technology industry, and we have to make sure we have a strong Canadian tech sector.”
The Conservative government – eager to woo the country’s top tech firms, the most of any other western nation – has announced that it is putting $500 million into an initiative to promote Canada’s tech sector, with a goal of helping it catch up to the US.
“Canada’s tech sector is in a great position, but we’ve certainly got work to do in order for us to be recognized as a technology powerhouse in the world, and to be a world leader in the industry,” Balsillie told Business Insider in an interview.
And he said that’s a goal that is “absolutely” in Ottawa’s interest.
“When you look at the US, for example, they have a much stronger tech sector