The City of Calgary and Humber Polytechnic's Broadcast-Broadband Convergence B²C Lab have entered into a multi-year collaboration to launch North America's first ATSC 3.0 municipal use project. This partnership exemplifies Humber's broader partnership strategy to solve the 'wicked problems' society is facing and will explore how ATSC 3.0 broadcast technology can improve City services and drive impact by enhancing efficiency for a more connected Calgary.
Over-the-air broadcasting has long served as a reliable method for mass communication, and ATSC 3.0 elevates this capability by merging new broadcast capabilities with IP-based communications. This technology enables data broadcasting over large distances of more than 100 kilometers, making it ideal for delivering location-specific information during emergencies and improving access to education and healthcare in underserved areas.
"As the home of North America's first Broadcast-Broadband Convergence Lab, Humber Polytechnic is at the forefront of developing next-generation television and data delivery applications enabled by the ATSC 3.0 standard," said Ann Marie Vaughan, president and CEO, Humber Polytechnic. "This collaboration with The City of Calgary demonstrates the significant impact Humber is making nationally and the importance of collaborating with like-minded partners who are excited to push boundaries and explore innovative solutions that can be applied across various industries, from emergency response to digital education, all while providing hands-on opportunities for our students to engage in research and development."
The ATSC 3.0 municipal use project will design, build, and test over-the-air data casting solutions with applications including:
- Secure and improved communication for emergency responder networks
- Targeted public emergency alerting
- Dynamic digital municipal signage
- Remote education access
- Resilient timing and navigation solutions in case of GPS disruption
"Having access to the digital world is now more important than ever, and ATSC 3.0 has great potential as a capacity multiplier to help all Calgarians gain equitable access and be part of the online world," says Erin Ruttan, IT Project Manager leading both The City's ATSC 3.0 and Digital Equity efforts. "Connections make our neighbourhoods strong. But when many of those connections happen online, it can be challenging for some people to be part of the community. We are keen to look at ways we can use ATSC 3.0 technology to make lives better for all the people in our community."
The initial phase of the project will involve experimental broadcasts using a single transmitter installed at the Harvard broadcast tower in Calgary that is directly connected to Humber's B²C Lab in Toronto. Humber's expert team of staff and students will oversee the implementation of applications, signal processing, and data transmission live from Toronto to Calgary. This phase is expected to continue through December 2025.
As part of Building Brilliance: Our Vision to 2030 and Beyond, Humber is reimagining education to adapt to and shape the world around us. Guided by this vision, Humber is reshaping learning, forging strong partnerships, and creating lasting value that will drive impact in our communities.
