The Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya has been awarded 5 projects in the UNICO I+D 6G 2022 program, for a total budget of 7.3 M€, the largest among the beneficiaries of this program. The main goal of these 5 projects, that will run until mid-2025, is to endow CTTC with state-of-the-art scientific and technical infrastructures and lab equipment to enhance the execution of its world-class research in the field of advanced 5G and 6G technologies.
Dr. Miquel Payaró, Director of Open Innovation and Science at CTTC, stated, “The execution of these projects will bring the experimental capabilities of CTTC to a new level, featuring quantum technologies for communication, new topologies for access networks like cell-free massive MIMO and the integration of the satellite segment in mobile networks. Undoubtedly, the wide range of available technologies for experimentation in CTTC’s labs will turn it into one-of-a-kind among telecommunication research centers”.
The 5 projects will enable high-end research related to the development of new 6G network architectures and technologies, which promise to revolutionize the way we communicate and interact with the world around us. Out of the 5 projects, 4 of them correspond to the “Equipment” modality while the fifth is linked to the “Infrastructure” one. The specific experimental focus of each project is listed below:
- 6G-EDONIS (Equipment) – 6G Experimental Disaggregated packet Optical Network Infrastructure: The 6G-EDONIS project will develop an open and disaggregated fronthaul/backhaul network for 6G networks. This network combines optical and packet technologies and integrates edge and core computing technology for distributed data centers.
- FLEXIBLE (Equipment) – Experimental platform for high-capacity flexible and secure 6G communications: FLEXIBLE will develop an innovative experimental platform, comprising high-performant equipment with advanced capabilities, to enable high-capacity, flexible and secure 6G communications, making use of QKD-based quantum technology and communications.
- EMERGE6G (Equipment) – REconfigurable Modular intElligent extRa larGe antEnna system for 6G communications: The EMERGE6G project will enable research at the B5G/6G physical layer with a large number of antennas. This equipment will enable demonstrations of communications with Extra Large Antenna Arrays (ELAA) and cell-free massive MIMO.
- EVA-6G-NTN (Equipment): The EVA-6G-NTN focuses on the testing of 6G non-terrestrial-network systems. Based on present and future uses of satellites, the available lab equipment will allow the development of a teleport capable of communicating with geostationary and non-geostationary systems in the S, Ka, and Q/V bands.
- Plaza6G (Infrastructure): Plaza6G is conceived as a general purpose innovation pole with reference to experimentation in advanced 5G, 6G and future generations. Plaza6G will provide an experimentation framework that will enable experiments ranging from testing the performance of applications running in mobile networks to the dynamic modification of low-level parameters of the involved equipment.
The execution of these 5 projects will contribute to the continued growth of the CTTC research and innovation capabilities around 6G technologies, ensuring its leadership the shaping of future of 6G communication networks.
