Best of British RAN Development

Partners

Telet Research (N.I.) Limited, cellXica Limited, AccelerComm Limited

The Best of British RAN Development project (BoB) is demonstrating a commercial and technically viable Radio Access Network architecture designed, developed and manufactured in the UK.

It is serving private, local government and industrial owned networks which operate within UK Shared and Local Access Spectrum through the development of an innovative small cell within a disaggregated Open RAN network.

This project is supporting a range of different application layers, including public network applications and Multi Operator Neutral Host services alongside secure private network services.

The project is deploying around 150 units of the new radio, to deliver a range of 5G services within a number of its existing test and trial locations in Liverpool, the Chalke Valley and other suburban and rural test beds that were established in earlier 5G RCC and Create projects as well as sites with commercially delivered backhaul which seek improved mobile connectivity.

Project Overview from Innovation Briefing Issue 8

Best of British, or BoB will build high performance small cells 100 per cent designed and manufactured in the UK. The apparatus it produces will significantly reduce the cost of deploying a small network through advanced radio design, while expertise in engineering low power consumption cells will reduce the environmental impact and running costs.

The Project is led by Telet Research, which as a full operator member of the GSMA bills itself as the fifth UK mobile network. It will be working alongside specialist cell manufacturer cellXica and Southampton University spin-out AccelerComm.

Existing equipment uses generalised algorithms for some aspects of cell design. AccelerComm optimises these for 5G to deliver substantial performance gains. A network built using hardware designed with this technology will need 20 percent fewer cells than a network built with existing technology to provide the same level of coverage . Working closely with the engineering team at cellXica means that the technology can be delivered in a short timescale.

The relationship between the partners was as a direct result of UK5G organised events for FRANC. The cell the project will design will be  built in a short production run aimed at serving private, local government and industrial owned networks which operate within UK Shared and Local Access Spectrum.

The project will offer a complete Neutral Network solution which includes spectrum acquisition, numbering, core and operator interconnect. This is a much more comprehensive offering than most end to end offerings. Existing test and trial locations in Liverpool, the Chalke Valley in Wiltshire and other urban, suburban and rural test beds that were established in earlier 5G RCC and Create projects will validate the technology.