VIAVI 6G Forward project promotes academic and industry research development

VIAVI 6G Forward project promotes academic and industry research development

Shanghai, China, August 22, 2022 – VIAVI Solutions (VIAVI) recently announced that the company is supporting 6G academic and industry research around the world through the new 6G Forward project. The project aims to provide essential expertise, technology and funding for promising research directions that are expected to drive breakthroughs in next-generation wireless technologies. VIAVI has provided support to three universities: Northeastern University in the United States, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.

At Northeastern University, VIAVI supports the Institute for Wireless Internet of Things and the Open6G Collaborative Research Center led by Professor Tommaso Melodia. The team is exploring large-scale RF propagation channel modeling based on artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to develop a city-scale 6G network digital twin. The team is also using the Colosseum 256-port RF channel simulator and the VIAVI E500 UE simulator to develop a Massive MIMO beamforming optimization testbed that can support the RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC).

At the University of Texas at Austin, VIAVI supports 6G@UT, a joint research effort led by Professor Jeff Andrews, in the Wireless Networking and Communications Group (WNCG). The key topic of this joint research is to apply end-to-end machine learning, specifically deep reinforcement learning (DRL), to retrain more robust cellular traffic predictors using adversarial conditions.

At the University of Surrey, VIAVI is one of the founding members of the 5G/6G Innovation Centre. Led by Regius Professor Rahim Tafazolli FREng, the Innovation Centre is dedicated to addressing key challenges in advanced communication systems and developing 5G, 5G+ and 6G infrastructure to provide connectivity for future technologies. Its main research areas include: antenna and signal processing, artificial intelligence for wireless communications, intelligent and high-performance network and service delivery, intelligent RAN technology and management, mobile network security, new physical layer, satellite communications, terahertz components and communications in the context of future communication perception integration.

“At the Wireless Internet of Things Institute, we envision a future where people and their environments are connected through a range of AI-powered devices and networks,” said Professor Melodia. “The 6G research initiative requires collaboration between academia and industry, and the technology, expertise and funding provided by VIAVI are critical to our efforts to drive exponential growth in the speed, intelligence, energy efficiency and security of wireless communications.”

“6G@UT is at the intersection of immersive sensing and machine learning, imagining the future of wireless connectivity,” said Professor Andrews. “VIAVI has a unique perspective in enabling the entire network lifecycle from R&D to deployment, giving academic researchers like us insight into issues that impact real-world network deployments. We are excited to work with VIAVI’s experts on the journey toward 6G.”

Professor Tafazolli said: “VIAVI is a founding member of the Surrey Innovation Centre and we are grateful for the support and expertise they bring. This has enabled us to fully explore the concept and deliver technologies and approaches that will help define and improve the connected communities of the future. This is a great example of academia and industry working together to improve technology and people’s lives.”

“Academic institutions have an important role to play in exploring the potential of 6G. We believe it is important to get involved now so that disruptive and productive research areas can see ideas come to fruition before formal standards are defined,” said Dr. Ian Wong, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, VIAVI. “We have had wonderful and helpful exchanges with our academic partners and hope to expand the project in the future.”

VIAVI is also involved in multiple 6G initiatives around the world, including:

• The Next G Alliance is an industry initiative led by ATIS focused on advancing North America’s leadership in 6G and beyond mobile technologies over the next decade. VIAVI is a founding member of the Next G Alliance, whose projects span the entire lifecycle of R&D, manufacturing, standardization and market readiness.

• 6G BRAINS is working on developing AI-based multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (DRL) for resource allocation in 6G networks for Industry 4.0, smart transportation, e-health and other applications. The 6G BRAINS program is supported by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program and includes new options for network operators to adopt and combine sub-6 GHz, millimeter wave and terahertz spectrum and optical wireless communications.

• Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium is a forum in Japan for industry, academia and politics to share research and development information in related fields, such as the integration of cyberspace and the real world, also known as Society 5.0.

To learn more about VIAVI and 6G, visit here.