5G-TRIDENT - 5G Technologies for Reconfigurable and efficient raDio accEss iNfrastrucTure and mobile devices

The 5G-TRIDENT project will contribute to the development of 5G radio access network (RAN) infrastructure and mobile devices by addressing some of the principal technological challenges stemming from their inherent flexibility and efficiency requirements. Specifically, the contribution will focus on design and implementation aspects, with special emphasis on reconfigurability and cost- and energy-efficiency enhancement.

In this context, regarding the improvements in the RAN infrastructure, a number of techniques and advanced mechanisms will be proposed for (i) the intelligent distribution and reconfiguration of 5G communication stack functions onto different RAN infrastructure nodes (including the use of satellites as intermediate nodes), as well as (ii) digital linearization for multi-antenna remote radio heads (RRH) that increase their inherent energy efficiency and, finally, (iii) the low-cost fabrication of 3D printed elements like multiplexers and filters to be used in RAN base stations. These improvements will be essential to contribute to an economically and energetically sustainable deployment of RAN infrastructure, which is expected to offer a superior user experience by handling a wide variety of applications and different traffic types at lower cost than existing wireless systems.

In the domain of mobile devices, this project will tackle (iv) the development of a microelectromechanic reconfigurable diplexer, which will enable the selection between different bands of operation for the transmission and reception of signals using the same single small-form-factor reconfigurable component, which is paramount in 5G mobile devices as they are expected to handle multiple 5G bands (for carrier aggregation) and be backwards compatible with multiple standards (2G/3G/4G). Finally, (v) a cost-effective sensor for IoT applications will be developed for the detection of hazardous gasses. The detection of hazardous gasses like the hydrogen gas are of interest for security applications, where the sensors will be wirelessly connected to 5G networks, allowing remote site monitoring and providing a safety environment.

An important aspect to be considered for the different 5G-TRIDENT contributions listed above is that the targeted frequency of operation is on the sub-6 GHz band, which will be the “go-to 5G” band in Europe. Another important distinction of the contributions of 5G-TRIDENT is that they will involve practical implementations and experimental validation tasks using state-of-the-art hardware (e.g., prototyping boards, fabrication tools, laboratory equipment, …) which will culminate in the development of 5 demonstrators, which will bring the proposed solutions closer to the real-world. In that sense, the 5G-TRIDENT project is expected to stimulate a number of technology transfer and IPR generation activities which are one of the most important outcomes of research and a cornerstone in the process of planning for the return of investment in long- and mid-term R&D activities. Given the strong industry ties of CTTC this will facilitate the establishment of new strategic partnerships with companies (network operators, equipment manufacturers, SMEs, etc.), both at the national and international levels.