STEPH SPRENGER
BIZ/TECH REPORTER
The launch of new mobile phone companies in Canada, coupled with last week’s throne speech mandate to relax regulations in the telecommunications industry, is good news for grads from Humber’s wireless telecommunications program.
Students Kaler Navjot Singh and Bajwa Marsimranjeet Singh. (Steph Sprenger)
“If there will be more companies coming in, there will be more opportunities and there will be more jobs,” said wireless telecommunications co-ordinator Muhammad Khan.
Canada’s mobile network industry opened up to competitors last year when Wind Mobile, owned by Egyptian company Globalive, successfully bought wireless spectrum covering most of the country and launched in late November.
New companies Public Mobile and Mobilicity are preparing to launch in the spring.
“These new networks need building, and that is opportunity for us,” said Hemant Shah, a wireless telecommunications student who is graduating in May.
To accommodate the growing demand for telecommunications technicians, Humber’s program is expanding.
“Three or four years ago we used to have a class of 30 students, now we have 85 to 90 students,” said Khan.
The program is actually over capacity, sharing lab space with Guelph-Humber, but it is six months into the process of getting new space to accommodate at least 160 students – the average number of applicants they receive per session.
“We should have the new space within six months to a year,” said Khan.
The key performance indicator for the program records over 90 per cent of students getting jobs six months after graduation.
“Many job opportunities are going to open in this wireless area,” said wireless telecommunications student, Harshvandan Panchal.
“Any job involving wireless we can do – troubleshooting, technician or technologist – so a lot of opportunities are coming to this field.”
And the opportunities are lucrative.
Program co-ordinator Muhammad Khan said that entry-level jobs as a technician range from $18 to $23 an hour, depending on the job, while jobs designing wireless networks start at $28 an hour.
“And there’s lots of overtime,” added Khan.
“With a few years experience, they get a lot more.”
Canadian Colleges and universities making indian student fool.we indian treated like a slum dog in Canada. we are working on Half Wages.. Canada they Dont have any wireless market. they just have 10 millions population who are using cell phones.. ultimately i would like to say that… we made the world fool. but now Canada is making us fool.