Two new infrastructures for 6G research are already installed in the Ada Byron building of the University of Malaga: The new Keysight-UMA 6G Research Lab and the project to create an R+D+i 5G/6G private network in the province of Malaga, the Victoria Network.
Promoting technology through end-to-end solutions
The Keysight-UMA 6G Research Lab will be dedicated to promoting 6G technology through end-to-end solutions that address key use cases and scientific challenges. It includes all the hardware and software equipment of the network testing and measurement product catalog of the technology company. Therefore, the aim is to collaborate with other entities in R+D activities from the industry and academic institutions, the University of Malaga being its first user.
This new laboratory is the result of a collaboration agreement derived from the project of the European Commission 6-SANBDBOX (HORIZON-JU-SNS-2022-STREAM-C-01-01) and comprises three main spaces: Monitoring, Measurement and Experience. Hence, its applications are multiple, such as emulation of terrestrial and satellite channels, emulation of large quantities of mobile terminals, measurement of energy consumption, digital network twins, among others.
Specifically, the Monitoring space will focus on real-time analysis of Victoria Network, including artificial intelligence, IoT, satellite connectivity, and applications such as autonomous driving, citizen safety and smart agriculture, with plans of expansion to other sectors. The Measurement space will be equipped with advanced Keysight technology for testing in areas such as new frequencies, AI-driven networks, digital twins, network perception, scalable topologies, and security. Finally, the Experience space will show practical 6G use cases and demos.
Malaga, hub of activity in 5G/6G applications
Promoted by
ITIS (Institute of Software Engineering and Technologies), the objective of the
Victoria Networkplatform, on the other hand, is to turn Malaga into a hub of activity in 5G/6G technologies and applications, having a testing network to collaborate with public and private institutions, both national and foreign, during the period 2025-2029.
The network already has thirty 5G radio stations, five 5G terrestrial locations, fifty user entities, and one terrestrial station for 5G satellite testing in process of installation.
In addition to the network’s own technologies, the project includes activities in areas of great interest, such as artificial intelligence, satellite connectivity, the role of Cloud
and
IoT technologies or the integration of communications with detection capabilities in the network itself. Autonomous or remote driving, citizen safety (emergency communications or use of video from drones) or smart agriculture are some of the application areas where work has already been done within this project’s framework, which will take the leap to other areas such as transportation, logistics, industry or tourism.
International reference
Professor Pedro Merino, as head of Victoria Network and technical director of the 6-SANDBOX project, emphasizes the importance of having a unique facility in Spain, which brings together results from more than a decade of R+D projects funded by public and private investment. “Having these infrastructures positions the UMA as an international benchmark to maintain collaborations with companies and government institutions in the field of 6G technologies and represents an opportunity for research and innovation in the territory”. He also highlights the support and participation of entities and institutions such as Telefónica, Malaga City Council, the European Space Agency, Malaga Tech Park, Dekra or CSIC.
In sum, it is an open infrastructure to attract R&D companies and centers that has been designed for testing and experimentation related to the sixth generation of mobile network, with the highest technology –trillions of bits per second that reduce waiting time to milliseconds–, with no risks, and at a very low cost.