The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), has announced a rebrand to become the Canadian Telecommunications Association. The decision for the new name was made to better reflect the organization’s expanded focus on both wireless and wireline communications.
Nevertheless, the Canadian Telecommunications Association will continue to focuse on promoting the importance of both wireless and wireline telecommunications to Canada’s economic growth and social development. The association also says it will continue to focus on the “crucial role of ongoing investments by facilities-based service providers in delivering world-class internet and mobile-wireless services to Canadians.”
“Telecommunication services have become an essential part of the way we live, work and play,” says Canadian Telecommunications Association President and CEO Rob Ghiz. “To meet the growing demand for internet and mobile wireless services, Canadian facilities-based service providers – the service providers that build and operate Canada’s telecommunications networks – continue to make massive investments in building and enhancing network infrastructure in every region of Canada. These investments not only deliver world-class telecommunications services, they also help drive economic growth, enable innovation and create jobs across all industry sectors.”
In addition to the new name, the Association has adopted a new brand identity, including a new logo that represents the continued growth and expanding coverage of wireless and wireline telecommunications services in Canada.
Founded in 1975 as the Canadian Radio Common Carriers Association, the Association’s name and branding has evolved over the decades to reflect the changing nature of telecommunications in Canada.
“Canada’s future depends on connectivity,” Ghiz adds. “Our members are committed to ensuring that Canadians continue to enjoy world-class telecommunications services that are the cornerstone of Canada’s digital economy and an important contributor to the social fabric of our country. For this to happen, Canada must maintain a regulatory environment that incentivizes the high-level of private sector investment needed to connect all Canadians and build the next generation of connectivity infrastructure and services.”
Members of the Canadian Telecommunications Association include service providers, equipment manufacturers, and other organizations in the telecommunications ecosystem, that invest in, build, maintain, and operate Canada’s telecommunications networks.
Keen-eyed industry members will note that the acronym, CTA, becomes identical to that of the Consumer Technology Association, the stateside organization that represents the consumer technology industry. That organization, interestingly enough, was previously known as the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) but changed its name in 2015 to the CTA to better reflect its focus on all types of technology, software, and services, not just traditional “electronics.” It was previously known as CEMA, for Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association. When that organization launched in 1924, it began as the Radio Manufacturers Association (RMA) then was re-branded in 1950 to Radio-Television Manufacturers Association (RTMA), in 1953 to Radio-Electronics-Television Manufacturers Association (RETMA), and finally Electronic Industries Association (EIA) before CEMA. As a Canadian outlet and to avoid confusion, WiFi HiFi will continue to refer to the Consumer Technology Association as the CTA and to the Canadian Telecommunications Association by its full name.