Wireless equipment testing company Anite has joined the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey (5GIC).
5GIC, which according to Anite is the largest academic research centre dedicated to 5G development in the UK, runs trials of 5G concepts and standards and conducts interoperability testing for vendor equipment.
The lab is backed by the UK Government and counts BT, Huawei, Samsung, Telefonica, Vodafone and the BBC amongst its members.
[Read more: Britain starts 5G research after Huawei investment]
Paul Beaver, Products Director at Anite’s Device & Infrastructure unit, said: “We are really excited to be joining 5GIC, adding Anite’s valuable expertise to help accelerate key research initiatives. 5G has the potential to transform wireless communications but it will be essential to ensure that key technology attributes are appropriately designed and tested, and this is where Anite can play an important role.”
Anite has previously been involved with 5G projects such as METIS: in April, the company claimed its METIS task group had finalised the world’s radio channels for next-generation networks.
It has also worked in a separate project called Virtuoso alongside Intel, in which it provided performance testing tools for 5G technologies.
Professor Rahim Tafazolli, Head of 5GIC, said: “Anite’s contribution to our 5G research programme will enable the development and testing of future technologies in a real environment and in an end to end manner.
“Through 5GIC’s collaboration with leading industry partners our 5G testbed will inform a new communications network that will revolutionise the way technologies are developed in the future.”