Surinder Kumar , PhD / 79

Thanks to Surinder Kumar, the Internet is more reliable—and accessible—around the world.

Kumar is the founder of Vecima Networks—a Canadian company that specializes in products that improve broadband access to high-speed digital networks.

His expertise, and the secret to Vecima’s success, is in the innovative use of radio frequency—the technology that enables wireless devices to send and receive information. Kumar’s products can reliably process and transmit wireless data at a high speed—meaning customers who operate in regions with poor network infrastructure or over great distances can easily and securely access the Internet. Clients include oil companies, municipal governments and many more.

One of Kumar’s newest clients is the United States Air Force. Vecima has upgraded the Internet network at the Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, enabling serving soldiers to use the Internet to reach their friends and family back home.

Surinder Kumar received his Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering from Carleton University, where he was a Commonwealth Scholar.