The University of Technology Sydney is partnering with Nokia to build a joint 5G innovation facility at UTS’ Tech Lab facility in Botany, NSW (Australia). The lab will push the boundaries of 5G technology as well as test and demonstrate new 5G use cases in and around the UTS Tech Lab campus.

The facility will feature a state-of-the-art radio frequency laboratory, a 5G showcase demonstration area, and will connect directly to UTS’s Anechoic Chamber , Australia’s largest near-field anechoic radio frequency test chamber.

The 5G lab will enable Nokia, UTS and their partners to push the boundaries of 5G technology and test exciting new 5G use cases with real-world applications. As well as providing a live 5G test bed for commercial partners, the lab will also serve as an environment for new research opportunities within the ICT sector.

“UTS Tech Lab is a unique facility that supports collaboration with industry on research and development projects, such as this partnership with Nokia, which will drive innovation and growth in 5G and 6G network infrastructure.

“Our cutting-edge equipment and world-class research talent, combined with Nokia’s commitment to innovation and technology leadership, creates a strong partnership to facilitate the development of new applications to unlock the huge potential of 5G and 6G,” said Associate Professor Ray Kirby, Director of UTS Tech Lab.

This multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment by Nokia reflects the company’s commitment to Australian innovation and the essential role telecommunication plays in both securing critical infrastructure and fostering economic growth.

Researchers and commercial partners will undertake projects to explore the capabilities of 5G/6G technologies for Industry 4.0 applications such as industrial automation, agriculture and human-robot interactions, as well as Internet of Things capabilities for Internet of Energy applications in smart grid, energy storage and management and wireless power transfer.

“I’m so excited to announce Nokia’s partnership with UTS on this exciting 5G adventure. This partnership builds upon the already great facilities at UTS Tech Lab and will enable Nokia, UTS and their partners to develop, test and demonstrate the full power of 5G here in Australia,” said Dr Robert Joyce, CTO at Nokia Oceania.

“We are already exploring some amazing 5G use cases unique to Australia and we look forward to demonstrating these in the near future.”

The joint facility will include a 5G lab and a 5G use case demonstration area, with campus-wide 5G coverage planned to allow for the development and testing of potential 5G use cases in both the lab and the field.

The new lab will also connect directly to UTS’s anechoic radio frequency test chamber, the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, allowing Nokia and UTS to test the potential of Nokia’s Massive Multiple-Input Mutltiple-Output(MIMO), a wireless technology that uses multiple transmitter and receivers to  transfer more data at the same time, and other exciting antenna.