AWTG is excited to be the part of the winning TUDOR consortium for the DCMS’ Future Open Networks Research Challenge (FONRC)
London, December 13, 2022 – AWTG is excited to be the part of the winning TUDOR consortium headed by 5G/6GIC of University of Surrey, for DCMS’s Future Open Networks Research Challenge (FONRC) where the team will lead on development, integration and testing.
The winning consortium is committed to creating an ambitious research project with the goal of achieving economically viable full geographic coverage hybrid networks, which can eliminate the digital divide. This open system seeks to create unprecedented energy efficiency and contribute significantly to the UK’s Diversification Strategy for telecom vendors. The consortium also plans to be at the forefront of technological advances such as 5G Advanced and 6G by generating essential IP and contributing to growing key skills.
The FONRC is part of the government’s strategy to invest and take leadership in next-generation 5G and 6G wireless technology and telecoms security to reduce the UK’s reliance on a small number of suppliers to build and maintain telecoms networks. The funding will support the roll out of lightning-fast 5G by making it easier for more firms to enter the market.
Through leveraging Open RAN (Radio Access Network) platforms developed in the UK, TUDOR will also develop intelligent network functions with AI-driven spectrum sharing mechanisms in order to support the smooth rollout of future mobile networks. In pursuit of Net-Zero goals, this consortium is dedicated to delivering consistent performance across a wide range of requirements for both public and private networks, all while striving for maximum energy efficiency.
TUDOR, led by University of Surrey will make it possible to create an ecosystem that enables 5G and 6G advanced networks. University of Surrey will receive a share of £28 million to team up with major telecoms companies to design and build networks of the future.
Among the other consortium partners are 5/6GIC (University of Surrey), AWS, AWTG, AMD, BAE, British Telecom, Ericsson, Imperial College London, IDE, King’s College London, Lancaster University, Mavenir, Nokia, NPL, OneWeb, Qualcomm, Queen’s University Belfast, Satellite Applications Catapult, University of Strathclyde, Toshiba, TWL, University College London, University of Glasgow, Viavi, and VirginMedia O2.
Open RAN enables operators to ‘mix and match’ equipment from several suppliers within a network, and is crucial to the government’s £250 million strategy to help the country to build a more diverse, competitive and secure telecoms supply chain.
Digital Secretary Michelle Donelan said:
“The technology powering our phone and internet networks is evolving rapidly and with 6G on the horizon we must stay ahead of the curve. “This government investment will see top UK universities join forces with industry to develop the nuts and bolts underpinning new networks, create skilled jobs testing the security of the latest telecoms tech, and ensure our plan for a more diverse and innovative 5G market is sustained in the future. “The funding will also turbocharge our work to strengthen telecoms supply chains so we are no longer reliant on a handful of companies to develop and maintain our 5G networks.”
AWTG’s CEO Abbey Alidoosti said:
“We are very proud to be part of this winning consortium to develop new technologies that will spearhead ubiquitous advanced 5G and the basis for 6G. With a goal of achieving economic viability for advanced hybrid networks, the project is an important step towards ensuring digital inclusion and creating better lives through technology.”
Regius Professor Rahim Tafazolli, Director of the 5G/6G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey, said:
“I would like to thank the government for launching this programme, and we are looking forward to working with our strong international TUDOR team to ensure the award-winning Surrey 5G Innovation Centre continues to add to the multiple contributions we’ve already made to telecommunications innovation and technologies.
“I am confident that this project will help ensure that the UK’s critical telecommunications infrastructure keeps up with the blistering pace of innovation that is happening across the globe and that the societal benefits of faster and more reliable communications are delivered in the most sustainable way possible.”
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For more information about this consortium: Contact AWTG Ltd at [email protected]