Dresden sets up 5G communications research lab

Dresden sets up 5G communications research lab

The Technical University of Dresden (TU-Dresden) in Germany is setting up a laboratory to explore technologies for 5G wireless systems beyond LTE-Advanced.

The 5G wireless lab will be one of the first in the world and the research results will be used to determine global standards for the next phase of wireless communications. While the research will include a variety of system concepts, there is a special focus on the evolution of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) technology and extending the use of multiple antenna MIMO technology past the current 8x8 systems.

Research on 5G wireless systems is in its infancy as 3.5G and 4G systems are still largely in development. TU-Dresden previously pioneered 3G systems research in conjunction with the Vodafone Chair Mobile Communications Systems, which is dedicated to cutting-edge research in wireless communication technology. It is using the LabVIEW system design software from National Instruments to model the new configurations and modular PXI technology to test the results.

"National Instruments RF and communications tools will enable us to design OFDM prototyping systems within a single software design flow," said Dr Gerhard Fettweis, head of the Vodafone Chair Mobile Communications Systems. "With the modular NI PXI system, we can start with a SISO link and expand to complex MIMO configuration with limited modifications to the code, exceeding an 8x8 setup, as our research evolves."

"TU-Dresden is one of the world's top research universities, and they're leading the way in groundbreaking research to prototype next-generation wireless communication systems," said Dr James Truchard, president, CEO and cofounder of National Instruments. "We are proud to accelerate the development of future technologies that will ultimately impact anyone who uses a cellphone."

This story was first published by EE Times Europe.


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TAG:National Instruments Dresden 5G communications research OFDM