The Institute for Communication Systems (ICS) at the University of Surrey is the largest academic institute in ICT in Europe, and home to the 5G/6G Innovation Centre (5G/6GIC).
The Institute has more than 30 years of research and teaching experience, and its research covers all aspects of connectivity, from satellite to terrestrial systems. It has state-of-the-art laboratory and computing facilities, and a unique, campus-wide, open testbed for experimental end-to-end research which complements our fundamental Inresearch.November 2020, Surrey officially launched the 6GIC, building on the success of our pioneering work on 5G within the world’s first centre for 5G innovation. Our mission has been to work with stakeholders in the eco-system on the ‘art of possibilities’, fostering long-term collaboration with UK and global industry. With nearly 30 global industrial partners and over 300 UK SMEs, we have helped to build the UK’s work in 5G technology from the ground up and produced world-leading innovation in the field. This mission, and the various impacts we have achieved, were recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s inaugural Lord Bhattacharyya Award for best research centre in the UK for academia-industry collaboration in 2021. With the launch of the 6GIC, we have developed a new 10-year research and innovation strategy and will continue our mission of ‘art of possibilities’ for society, industry and government.
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surrey.ac.uk/institute-communication-systems 5G/6G INNOVATION CENTRE AT SURREY
CENTREINNOVATION6G IT WILL TAKE COMMUNICATIONS BEYOND HEARING AND SEEING TO COMPREHENSIVE HUMAN SENSING 04
Expected to be commercialised from 2030, 6G is the next generation of wireless technology: a hybrid ‘network of networks’ which will combine satellite and terrestrial networks utilising next generation AI and context-aware smart use cases. The 6G network will offer reliable low latency (delay) and highly accurate timing and geolocation, providing smart applications and intelligent communications supported by massive intelligence at the edge and in the core. It will take communications beyond hearing and seeing to comprehensive human sensing and user ambient information – enabling immersive 4D user experiences that, for the first time, seamlessly fuse the physical and virtual worlds.
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WHERE6G: MEETS PHYSICAL
OUR STRATEGY 6G will be much more diverse than previous communication networks, and therefore requires a completely new approach.
OVERCOMING NOT ONLY THE TECHNICAL HURDLES BUT
CENTREINNOVATION6G RESEARCH IS AIMED AT CHALLENGES.ENVIRONMENTALCOMMERCIALECONOMIC,FAST-EVOLVINGALSOSOCIETAL,AND
Our strategic vision is to forge a robust, reliable, trusted and open next generation wireless network which addresses grand societal challenges such as climate change, sustainable economic growth and future healthcare, enabling new and better ways of living.
Our research is aimed at overcoming not only the technical hurdles but also fast-evolving economic, societal, commercial and environmental challenges. Working in close collaboration with government, regulators, mobile operators, vendors, SMEs and research and development centres, we aim to bring advanced technologies together to enable extremely energy-efficient telecommunications.
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Our strategic vision is informed by our partnerships with industry leaders and driven by our understanding of user behaviour, commercial and environmental considerations, and the need for digital inclusion.
6G networks will support applications far beyond current mobile user scenarios, with Virtual/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) and Extended Reality (XR), pervasive intelligence and Internet of Things functions becoming commonplace. The research will build on rich and advanced functionalities of full 5G and work towards innovative solutions for coverage in indoor, outdoor and remote areas, substantially contributing to the net-zero agenda, and boosting productivity in a robust and reliable open network.
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While in the past strategic thinking has tended to come after R&D –which has often led to inflexibility and ‘architectural lock-in’ – our approach means that business requirements and cost efficiency of potential services are built into the research objectives from the start. Security across the whole system will also be embedded in the design, with the incorporation of intelligent firewalls, context-aware domain level protection, and advanced cryptography supported by cloud quantum computing.
surrey.ac.uk/institute-communication-systems
Teleportation – the transportation of people from one place to another –has long been the stuff of science fiction. With 6G, this can become a reality.
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THE SENSE OF THEREBEING
WHEN TIMING IS EVERYTHING
09 WE ARE AFIRSTOURASOFBUTSCIENCEOFNOTTELEPORTATION’TOWARDSWORKING‘DATA–THEMOVEMENTATOMS,ASINFICTION,THEMOVEMENTINFORMATION,INSCIENCEFACT.VISIONWASPRESENTEDINTEDXTALKIN2015.
surrey.ac.uk/institute-communication-systems
Regius Professor Rahim Tafazolli, Director of 5G/6GIC The 6G network will feature low latency, hyper-fine geolocation, time synchronisation to microseconds, and high-resolution sensing. These capabilities will enable digital services that link human senses with rich ambient and remote data. In other words, tomorrow we will be able to browse products by touching them and trying them out. We will be able to interact with people from different continents and cultures without any perception of not being physically together. Older people at home or in care homes will be supported by doctors as if face-to-face. 5G/6GIC is pioneering teleportation and its network support in the UK. We are home to a teleportation lab which allows us to capture and process raw content in real-time from an object and transmit this across the network. Looking forward, we plan to extend this facility to establish the world’s first dedicated platform for teleportation with 6G technology support. This will not only enable our team to develop a wide variety of use case applications, it will also allow SMEs across Europe to test their teleportation services in a real world environment.
Teleporting objects or the human body to a virtual space has huge technical challenges in terms of the user experience. Highly accurate time synchronisation is crucial to maintain the user’s perception that they are interacting with other people and objects in real time. We are currently developing smart synchronisation techniques, based on edge computing, to combat misalignments in time synchronisation.
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One of the challenges in bringing teleportation to reality is the potential expense for users. An important objective in the development of 6G is therefore to minimise investment on the user side. Leading this area of work, Professor Ning Wang explains: “Teleportation opens up many exciting applications but, if the user needs to buy extensive additional equipment, that would be a major obstacle. We want to make these services accessible to all.” The solution being developed within 5G/6GIC is shifting high power-demanding media processing functions from the user premises to the network side. ‘Offloading’ these complex tasks requires powerful edge computing capability along with sufficient radio resources from the user premises to the network. Taking a major step forward towards the commercial deployment of teleportation applications, 5G/6GIC has developed a novel software platform that shifts the task of content production from end user premises to the edge of networks, substantially reducing the potential costs of running holographic applications, and allowing much quicker market deployment. In addition, the platform improves the user experience through frame synchronisation when simultaneously teleporting multiple objects from different locations into a common virtual space. These breakthroughs in time synchronisation and offloading from user to edge computing have seen 5G/6GIC winning First Prize in the 5G Application Design Competition at the 2021 World 5G AlongsideConvention.thiswork,we are conducting research on THz imaging for simultaneous locating, and imaging for the sub-centimetre geo-location and real-time interactivity needed for interactive teleportation.
MAKING 6G SERVICES AFFORDABLE
11 TELEPORTATION OPENS UP MANY EXCITING APPLICATIONS BUT, IF THE USER NEEDS TO BUY EXTENSIVE ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT, THAT WOULD BE A MAJOR OBSTACLE. WE WANT TO MAKE THESE SERVICES ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. Professor Ning Wang
Activities we enjoy in our spare time could be transformed by teleportation, including gaming, which will become a far more holistic and realistic experience in which gamers can not only see and hear but touch and feel the magical world around them.
6G will extend this type of capability to create tailored interactive healthcare and wellbeing programmes based on sensory and tactile perceptions – such as a carer being able to hold an elderly person’s hand during a visit. In the longer term, teleportation could enable surgeons to operate on a patient on the other side of the world with full immersion, bringing specialist medical expertise to the places where it is most needed.
WHERE ENTERTAINMENTTAKETELEPORTATIONCOULDUS?
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Enjoying live matches or performances will also take on a new dimension. 5G/6GIC recently successfully trialled 5G broadcast technology which supercharges the fan experience at an MK Dons football match as part of the government-backed 5G VISTA programme. In the future, instead of watching a football match on a 2D screen, the entire match could be teleported on to a table, enabling the user to get a 360° view of every move.
TELECARE Teleportation will help to revolutionise the way healthcare is delivered. In 2019, 5G/6GIC led a ground-breaking programme funded by NHS England which for the first time demonstrated how people with Alzheimer’s Disease and their carers could be supported at home via an Internet of Things network of devices and sensors.
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SURREY’S VISION IS TO TRANSFORM VIRTUAL MEETINGS FROM 2D VIDEO TO A 4D ENVIRONMENT WHICH REPLICATES THE REAL EXPERIENCE OF MEETING IN A VIRTUAL BOARDROOM WITH COLLEAGUES FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
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Teleportation will open up a new era of our working lives. During the Covid pandemic, the way we interacted at work changed overnight with meetings on Zoom and Microsoft Teams becoming the norm. However, the user experience of these technologies is affected by issues such as screen fatigue and poor connectivity. Surrey’s vision is to transform virtual meetings from 2D video to a 4D environment which replicates the real experience of meeting in a virtual boardroom with colleagues from around the world. High accuracy time synchronisation will also enable cooperating robotics to work in the real physical world –or between the physical and cyber worlds – in a variety of applications such as cooperative manufacturing.
surrey.ac.uk/institute-communication-systems
CONNECTEDALWAYS One of the aims of 6G is ubiquitous coverage. We are striving to make the digital divide a thing of the past by significantly improving coverage indoors, and using intelligent surfaces and satellite technology to make exciting 6G services available anywhere. CENTREINNOVATION6G
GEOSTATIONARY 35786 KM 300-1500 KM -20 KM 0-12 KM LOW EARTH ORBIT STRATOSPHERE ATMOSPHERELOW EARTH’SSURFACE 15
IN THE FUTURE WE WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO FLEXIBLY DISTRIBUTE NETWORK FUNCTIONS OVER A 3D ARCHITECTURE, WHICH MIGHT MEAN HAVING A MOBILE PHONE THAT CONNECTS TO A BASESTATION THAT IS CARRIED ON A
Professor Mike Fitch comments:
SATELLITES: A KEY ENABLER In the 6G era, Non-Terrestrial-Networks (NTNs) and in particular satellite systems will become much smarter, with integrated solutions such as distributed MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output, cell-less systems, and massive and distributed antenna arrays making connectivity seamless from a user perspective. In the 6G network of networks, satellites will complement terrestrial systems in order to optimise coverage, data-rates bandwidth and resilience. NTNs will also include other aerial components such as UAVs (drones) and High-Altitude-Platforms (HAPs). These can communicate directly with low earth orbiting (LEO) satellites and higher GEO station satellites in a 3D space network to provide coverage and resilience as well as enable new 6G 5G/6GICservices.ispioneering research in this field. In 2019 we put 5G services over a GEO satellite for the first time anywhere in the world as part of the EU-funded SAT5G project. In this project we created essential virtualised satellite network functions, and developed smart algorithms for hybrid connections between satellite and terrestrial to improve the user Fundedexperience.bytheEuropean Space Agency (ESA), we are now working with UK-owned LEO satellite operator OneWeb to put 5G services over OneWeb satellites and create a roadmap to identify what will be required to put 6G traffic over its future system.
In addition to mobile broadband, we are conducting research into other services which the space network can bring into the 6G 3D-network such as earth sensing, positioning, navigation and time distribution.
HAVECORETHEUSINGEXPLOREOURDATARECEIVESTOTHISHIGH-ALTITUDE-PLATFORM.INTURNCOULDBELINKEDALEOSATELLITEWHICHCONFIGURATIONFROMAGEOSATELLITE.WORKWITHESAWILLTHESEPOSSIBILITIESREALSATELLITESAND5GSTANDARDCOMPLIANTWEOURSELVESDEVELOPED.
In another ESA-funded project, we are collaborating with the Satellite Applications Catapult to explore how the 3D space networks can be optimised using a combination of UAVs and satellites to carry 5G and 6G services.
Dr Khalily explains: “Our proposed RRS has a tracking mode to follow the user. This ability of the RRS to reconfigure itself means it can continuously reflect the signal, ensuring seamless connectivity for the user.”
In urban areas, the density of tall structures such as tower blocks creates a problem for mobile operators since mobile signals cannot penetrate or bypass these structures. This leads to ‘blind spots’ and patchy connectivity. To combat this challenge, we have pioneered a new technology, Reconfigurable Reflecting Surface (RRS), which senses electromagnetic waves and redirects them to blind spots. RRS technology is a highly energy efficient means of providing extensive coverage and can be installed on or inside buildings (on windows) in urban areas where coverage is poor or non-existent. RRS intelligently bounces the signal from a transmitter to a mobile receiver to ensure uninterrupted coverage. This technology was first tested and demonstrated in 2020 when Dr Mohsen Khalily and his team streamed a video across a coverage blind spot via both static and dynamic metasurfaces. The dynamic version is smart and can reconfigure itself, directing the reflected beams towards moving users. The RRS benefits from zero or near zero watt input power.
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The potential of these intelligent surfaces is vast and will become a vital tool in enabling seamless coverage.
Currently, 5G/6GIC is developing a novel transparent transmission surface which can be placed on windows to enhance indoor coverage by allowing signals to get through buildings. THIS ABILITY OF THE RRS TO RECONFIGURE ITSELF MEANS IT CAN CONTINUOUSLY REFLECT THE SIGNAL, ENSURING SEAMLESS CONNECTIVITY FOR THE USER. Dr Mohsen Khalily Beam dynamically tracks the receiver, ensuring connectivity.seamless
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AI FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS In the 6G era, AI will not only enable exciting new services, it will also be integral to maintaining seamless coverage in an economical and sustainable way. Whereas 5G networks are covered by a single operator with AI integrated using off-the-shelf machine learning technologies, in 6G AI will be designed as an intrinsic component of the network. With a more complex ecosystem of different stakeholders (including mobile operators, satellite operators and edge cloud providers), the challenge will be to enable AI owned by these different stakeholders to ‘talk’ to each to automate management of shared spectrum and infrastructure.
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5G/6GIC will build on its expertise in orchestration (whereby AI is used to manage resources within a single network) and AI-based network slicing (where network resources are partitioned for different purposes) to address this challenge. More widely, the University of Surrey is leading interdisciplinary research in AI through its Surrey Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence, launched in November 2021, which will focus on the benefits AI can bring to people and society.
surrey.ac.uk/institute-communication-systems
CENTREINNOVATION6G OUR 5G TESTBED IS THE LARGEST OF ITS KIND ON A UK UNIVERSITY CAMPUS AND IS CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVING. 18
Our 5G testbed is the largest of its kind on a UK university campus and is continuously evolving. In tandem with the development of 6G technologies, going forward our testbed will enable even lower latency, super fine time synchronisation and ultra-high accuracy geolocation, as well as THz imagery and sensing, and ‘memoryful’ intelligent networking.
Leveraging 6GIC’s growing network of international partners, the testbed is connected to institutions in Europe and India. In October 2021, our link with the Indian Institute of Science and Communication was set up under the UKRI-funded UK-India Future Networks Initiative project, with the aim of developing Open Radio Access Networks (OpenRAN) which will enable organisations to create innovative solutions and trial them in a real life test environment. In addition, 5G/6GIC has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korean Institute of Communications and Information Services (South Korea’s leading ICT institute on Beyond 5G and 6G). More locally, our testbed serves the area surrounding the University, in particular Guildford and Aldershot. SMEs in the local area and further afield are able to use the testbed to develop a variety of 5G applications.
The testbed is also connected to the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) – the UK’s National Metrology Institute – having been selected as one of three UK locations to host a timing innovation node. These innovation nodes will accelerate the development of time-critical 5G and 6G applications, factories of the future, and connected autonomous vehicles, backed by £4.7m grant funding through NPL’s National Timing Centre and Innovate UK.
surrey.ac.uk/institute-communication-systems
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RESEARCH OVERVIEW A huge number of challenges need to be overcome to enable the successful deployment of 6G, and we are taking the global lead on researching many of these. • 5G Advanced features such as slicing enabler • Integrated Satellite and Terrestrial 5G and 6G • AI-Networking • Reflective and Transmitive Intelligent Surfaces • THz communications and components • Positioning and image sensing • High Quality Time and Frequency Transmission • Teleportation • Connected transportation • Ultra-Massive MIMO • Terabits Per Second Communications • Internet of Senses • AI-Wireless • Network and Physical Layer security. OUR WORK INCLUDES:
OUR 5GIC+ PROGRAMME CONTINUES RESEARCH IN CHALLENGING AREAS INCLUDING: • Coverage • Automated networking • Vehicle and transport communications (V2X) • 5G-based IoT • E-healthcare • Broadcast techniques. We are a member of leading standards bodies including ETSI, 3GPP, ORAN, ITU, EU One6G and EC 6GIA.
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Collaboration and commercial focus are at the heart of 5G/6GIC’s strategy, ensuring market-driven outcomes and 6G leadership for our members. 5G/6GIC welcomes collaboration and membership from partners who share our vision. Please get in touch at r.tafazolli@surrey.ac.uk
BALANCE&SIGHTFOCUSHEARING NOISELIGHT TOUCH(PRESSURE,TEMPERATURE,...) 4D VIDEO, PHYSICAL & VIRTUAL WORLDS INTERACTIVEINTERACTIVEDRIVERLESS(TELEPORTATION)INTERACTIVITYTRANSPORTATIONE-HEALTHROBOTICS
PROXIMITY STATESMINDOF QUALITYAIRTASTESPEECHSMELL IMAGE ESTIMATION & ACTIVITY DETECTION DIGITAL NETWORKEEENVIRONMENTINCLUSIONSUSTAINABILITYCOVERAGEEXTENSIONOFNETWORKS VR + USERSYNCHRONISATION+LEVELSENSING (HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENT AND NETWORK MANYRESOURCESPHYSICALNATURALENVIRONMENTALSENSING)INFORMATIONINTERACTIVITYBETWEEN&VIRTUALWORLDSEFFICIENCYNEWSMARTSERVICES
