Researchers from Trinity College Dublin and Connect have been awarded a 5G test licence to experiment on the next generation of communication networks.

Scientists from Connect, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centre for future networks and communications based at Trinity, aim to research faster internet speeds and more reliable mobile phone coverage, and on delivering new applications such as remote medical surgery.

A 5G test licence provides access to a portion of radio spectrum, allowing researchers to carry out experiments in real-world outdoor scenarios. It also allows them to consider environmental factors – such as buildings and geographical features – on the coverage and connection speed of a mobile network.

The researchers said this is important as the behaviour of wireless communications is strongly dependent on the frequency at which it operates, so experiments need to be done at those frequencies that will then be used by commercial implementations.

“This makes our research particularly relevant to industry partners, and we are looking forward to many new collaborative projects with different companies, including new spin-outs from Connect in Trinity,” associate prof Marco Ruffini said.

The licence was provided by ComReg, the general communications regulator for Ireland. This is the first test licence given by ComReg in the new 5G band (3.8-4.2GHz).

“This licence will be a key feature of our OpenIreland testbed as it enables deep research on the integration of optical communication, wireless systems (based on Open RAN) and edge cloud,” he added.

Open RAN differs from traditional radio access networks by allowing different parts of the network’s infrastructure to be built by different vendors. Proponents of the Open RAN standard hope that it will improve flexibility and lower costs through increasing competition and encouraging innovation.

The Open RAN standard has been gaining traction in recent years, with companies such as Vodafone and Accenture taking an active interest in its development in Europe. Wireless tech infrastructure provider Benetel shared a new radio unit at this year’s Mobile World Conference, focused on Open RAN technology.

Ruffini said most of the remaining challenges in the development of 5G are associated with “intelligent software for network control and optimisation”.

“This licence will allow us to perform research on these intelligent systems by exploring the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence for implementing network customisation and dependability,” Ruffini said. “The creation of network digital twins will also form part of the research plan.”

Connect director Dan Kilper said ComReg’s decision highlights the value of academic research in the development of “5G-and-beyond networks”.

“We anticipate significant interest from industry and we are open to discussing how we can tailor research projects to fit the interests of those interested in exploring commercial applications,” Kilper said.

10 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of essential sci-tech news.

The post ComReg awards 5G test licence for Trinity and SFI network research appeared first on Silicon Republic.