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Walton Institute: a Decade of 5G Research (and the Path to Beyond 5G / 6G)

Posted: 20-02-2024

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    Walton Institute at South East Technological University (SETU) has a longstanding history conducting research within the telecommunications domain via the various project frameworks funded by the EU. When the first set of 5G related projects were announced by the EU in 2014, Walton Institute was in the ideal position to leverage its knowhow and experience into making a real and sustainable impact on the face of 5G technologies.

    Key Features of 5G

    In the realm of telecommunications, the advent of 5G technology marks a revolutionary leap forward. 5G stands for the fifth generation of wireless technology and going beyond its predecessors, 5G promises to redefine the way we connect, communicate, and experience the digital world. Some of the key features of 5G include:

    • Speed: offering unparalleled speed and responsiveness. Download and upload speeds are significantly faster than 4G, enabling almost instantaneous data transfer.
    • Low Latency: reducing the time it takes for devices to communicate with each other which is crucial for applications requiring real-time responsiveness, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and autonomous vehicles.
    • Capacity: the increased bandwidth of 5G allows for a massive number of devices to connect simultaneously without compromising performance. This capacity is vital for the growing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the ever-expanding demand for data.
    • Network Slicing: 5G introduces the concept of network slicing, enabling the creation of virtualized, independent networks to cater to diverse applications. Each slice can be customised to meet specific requirements, ensuring optimal performance for various use cases. 

    Since successfully submitting that initial 5G proposal for the CogNet project IN 2014, Walton Institute has continued to be involved with the 5G European initiative through each phase of the 5G frameworks, and each new project built upon the knowledge and talents gained in the previous. 

    CogNet Project Use Cases and Scenarios

    CogNet

    2015 saw the start of the CogNet project where Walton Institute was coordinating partner. The main objective of the CogNet project was to make a major contribution towards autonomic network management based on data available both within and external to the network. The final result is to proactively manage the network, maintain sufficient capacity to meet demand levels and maintain Quality of Service at the levels required by the different types of network users, all without manual intervention. This allowed Walton Institute to gain the knowledge and experience to operate within the core of the telecoms network and deploy applications that are essentially intrinsic within that core. 

    5G-Solutions

    The next project in the 5G theme was the 5G-Solutions project where the overall objective was to conduct advanced field trials of innovative and thematically diverse digital services that require 5G capabilities and performance in the vertical domains of Factories of the Future, Smart Energy, Smart Cities, Smart Ports, and Media and Entertainment. While Walton Institute was operating more in the vertical domain, the experience gained in previous projects allowed for the rapid design, deployment, integration, diagnosis of vertical specific applications and examination of the results. 

    5G-Solutions Architecture

    5GMediaHUB

    Currently, Walton Institute is involved in the 5GMediaHUB project, where the vertical domain is specific to media application developers. The main objective of the project is to accelerate the testing and validation of innovative 5G powered media applications and NetApps from third party experimenters and NetApps developers through the integrated and fully featured Experimentation Facility. This allows for experts within the media domain to concentrate on their core expertise to deploy and test their applications within the core 5G network in the form of NetApps (Network slices) without having to gain the expertise of the core network.

    The main principle of the 5GMediaHUB project is to demonstrate how through the use of NetApps, vertical application developers can deploy within the network, in an agnostic manner, and test their applications to verify they meet their set of KPIs prior to release. Walton Institute’s role within this project was pivotal as it was responsible for the encapsulation and specification of the vertical applications within the NetApps and for the management of those deployments within the multiple 5G target networks available to the developers. 

    5GMediaHUB Architecture

    Transforming industries, enhancing digital experiences

    5G technology is not just an evolution; it’s a revolution that promises to transform industries, enhance our digital experiences, and pave the way for a more connected and efficient future. To enable all of this, research continues in many areas including infrastructure rollout and security to ensure the integrity and privacy of data. As the 5G deployment continues, the 5G technology become ubiquitous and sets the benchmark for and acts as the springboard for future research. The current set of frameworks specified by the EU are focusing on Beyond 5G / 6G, which will extend the features of 5G while offering a rich set of services as consumables to the users. 

    6G Start

    Moreover, Walton Institute has dovetailed its 5G work into a number of currently running projects related to Beyond 5G / 6G and is a full member of the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA). Indeed, SETU is a partner in the following projects in the Beyond 5G / 6G space: 

    6G Start, a coordination and support action project with a prime objective to facilitate the preparation activities of the European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) Initiative, by maintaining the European momentum and leadership in 5G achieved through the 5G PPP as the communities moved toward the 6G SNS Initiative. Another objective of 6GStart objective to orchestrate, capture and promote the achievements of the new 6G SNS initiative and the ongoing 5G PPP by facilitating its activities in the inter-project working groups and maintaining the links to the NetworldEurope community and the 6G IA membership.

    SNS OPS

    SNS OPS, a coordination and support action project devoted to supporting the SNS JU Operations within the SNS Initiative via facilitating cross SNS projects coordination, organisation of the SNS as a coherent programme with clear links to the 6G Infrastructure Association and the EC via the partnership board and the JU Office and their strategic policies, and maximising output and exploitation of SNS project results in key domains (e.g., standardisation, spectrum) through managed cooperation between projects on horizontal issues.

    IMAGINE-B5G

    IMAGINE-B5G, a Research & Innovation Action project within Stream D (SNS-D-01-01) of the 6G SNS Initiative, which is addressing Large Scale Trials and Pilots (LST&Ps) with Verticals. The project brings together four advanced 5G experimental facilities, located in Norway, SpainPortugal, and France. The IMAGINE-B5G E2E facilities will fuel testing and experimentation of core technologies and architectures, facilitating innovative services and businesses, and become a key enabler for future B5G vertical services and applications. These facilities will capitalise on the previous 5G-PPP infrastructure (ICT-17) and vertical trial projects (ICT-19) by drawing analogies and reusing the platform components as much as possible. Walton Institute is involved in the implementation of the financial support to third parties (FSTP) open calls to bring in vertical experiments and platform extensions to extend upon the project’s facilities.