The FINANCIAL — The university which backed the WMCA bid for the 5G trial, has considerable expertise across numerous research disciplines related to 5G technology. The Aston Institute of Photonics Technologies (AIPT) is an internationally leading research institute with a 25-year history of research in optical fibre communication technologies; arguably the backbone of 5G infrastructure.
Aston also has considerable strengths in wireless and adaptive networks, with expertise in edge, fog and cloud computing. We also have deep expertise in Artificial Intelligence and computing approaches fundamental to 5G rollout.
The university campus would make an excellent 5G testbed. With a student population of approximately 14,000 and 1,200 academic and administrative staff, the university’s 60-acre single campus site is spread across four buildings, the library, the main building, the European Bioenergy Research Institute and the Business School. A new student union building is also under construction. The Directors of Estates and IT are both excited about the prospect of a 5G testbed on campus and are prepared to commit time and resource to facilitate this exciting opportunity.
A 5G testbed also aligns with Aston’s strategic intentions regarding smart cities technology. The university intends to dedicate significant resources to smart cities aligned science and technology, building on our on multi-disciplinary research strengths to develop advanced smart city technologies, solutions, applications, services and business models. 5G research and innovation is a vital part of this strategic intention.
Aston University is prepared to make a significant practical and intellectual contribution to the 5G testbed, committing researcher staff time and providing access to research facilities as appropriate.
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