University of York involved in new project to expand 5G services across the country

Posted on 14 December 2021

The University of York is part of a new multi-million pound project to expand 5G services across the country.

The project will support the rollout of new 5G technologies across the UK.

The ‘5G Du-Volution project’ has received over £4million in government funding to boost the country’s 5G supply chain, and develop Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) solutions.

The project will see significant investment in the north of England, supporting the UK Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda.

The project, led by Telecommunications company ADVA, will see the building of a dedicated open RAN systems integration centre in the UK.

The University of York is one of several partners in a consortium led by ADVA, which also includes BT, the Scotland 5G Centre and UK-based software companies AccelerComm and CommAgility.

Reliability

The project will focus on developing a device known as a 'distributed unit' (DU) and the University of York will focus on modelling how the use of this device can increase the efficiency and reliability of the network, and how best it can be deployed and further developed.

Professor Alister Burr from the Department of Electronic Engineering, who will lead York’s involvement in the project, said: "Based on our long experience of computer simulation of radio networks, we will create a simulation model for the project, drawing on the characteristics of the DU as it is developed.

"We will also help to disseminate the results of the project in academic circles, and link it into the development of the next generation of mobile communication technology – 6G."

True potential

Christoph Glingener, Chief Technical Officer at ADVA said: "This project will help the UK unlock the true potential of 5G. Together with our partners, we’re solving key challenges for disaggregated, vendor-neutral RAN infrastructure and enabling a new generation of mobile services."

"As well as supporting interoperability and bolstering supply chains, 5G DU-Volution will create a springboard for British software innovation. By spearheading this project, we’re developing relationships between education institutions and employers and helping to transform the UK into a center of open RAN excellence."

The partnership was awarded the funding as one of the winning teams in the UK’s Future Radio Access Network Competition (FRANC), which supports the rapid nationwide rollout of 5G and attracting new home-grown telecommunication vendors to the mobile network supply chain.