The latest evolution in wireless technology is on the way and the City of Brampton is exploring the costs and benefits of getting in on the ground floor.

At its April 24 meeting, Brampton council passed a motion directing city staff to report back on making 5G technology available across Canada’s ninth-largest city.

“This technology is coming. It will change dramatically IT infrastructure and there’s an advantage for Brampton to be at the forefront,” Mayor Patrick Brown told council. “We certainly want to get ahead of this.”

The technology is the next generation in broadband connections and promises increased network speeds in addition to a few other new goodies over its 4G predecessor.

“The new communication technology brings new capabilities including higher bandwidth, greater capacity, security, and lower latency that will create new opportunities for people, businesses and society,” writes mobile technology firm Ericsson on its website.

Brampton council reaffirmed its ongoing partnership with Ryerson University in February, investing $5 million and signing a memorandum of understanding to move forward with a cybersecurity catalyst and innovation hub initiative in the city.

With the partnership, Ryerson and the city hope to position Brampton as the “cybersecurity capital of Canada.” According to the Canadian ministry of public safety and emergency preparedness, cyber crime costed the Canadian economy $3 billion in 2018. The ministry added cybersecurity is a growing global industry that generated more than $120 billion globally last year.

“Brampton is an innovative and smart city that is always on the leading edge of technology. We are already a leader with significant fibre optic infrastructure and moving forward with the CyberSecure Catalyst. Today, we took another competitive leap to become an early 5G deployment city,” said wards 1 and 5 Coun. Rowena Santos.