Tourist hotspots drive significant volumes of mobile traffic, presenting a challenge to existing mobile technologies. The REACH project brings together an exciting group of partners to find new solutions to address this challenge by improving the delivery of data in High Density Demand (HDD) areas.
Total project funding amount: £3,144,056
Project date(s): -
Category: Government Funded
Location(s): Blackpool, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire
Status: Open
Partners
- University of York
- Cybermoor 5G Services Ltd
- Quickline Communications Ltd
- Viavi Solutions Ltd
- Virgin Media O2 UK Ltd
- SafeNetics Ltd
- Blackpool Council
Project Summary
Tourist hotspots drive significant volumes of mobile traffic, presenting a challenge to existing mobile technologies. The REACH project brings together an exciting group of partners to find new solutions to address this challenge by improving the delivery of data in High Density Demand (HDD) areas.
By developing new tools (xApps and rApps) for an intelligent controller (RIC), the partners will enhance different aspects of data delivery. The project will deliver 3 distinct Open RAN HDD trials that will demonstrate the technology using realistic data. Supported by Virgin media 02, trial small cell HDD solutions to mobile users along Blackpool promenade and Winter Gardens. We will evaluate and trial massive MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) by conducting trials in North Yorkshire or Lincolnshire for multi-tower Gigabit MIMO fixed wireless access architectures, using technology from Quickline Communications. We will Develop Cell Free, a massive MIMO at University of York.
The project has the potential to address the technical issues from HDD scenarios by developing systems which can be integrated into the broader telecommunications ecosystem.
Professor David Grace, University of York said:
“This project will deliver improved data connections in areas which regularly host numbers of visitors and where the mobile networks experience high demand in small areas. The innovative O-RAN software and hardware systems being developed by the partners will develop expertise and support the growth of a flourishing UK ecosystem in 5G and future 6G technologies.”
Organisations participating in this project
Quickline
Quickline deliver fast reliable internet connectivity to Business, Public Sector and Residential customers via an independent Fibre and Fixed Wireless Access network, alongside our partner networks.
VIAVI Solutions
VIAVI Solutions (NASDAQ: VIAV) is a global leader in both network and service enablement and optical security performance products and solutions. Our technologies contribute to the success of a wide range of customers – from the world’s largest fixed and mobile operators and governmental entities, enterprise network, data centres and application providers to contractors laying the fibre and building the towers that keep us connected.