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Press release issued: 19 April 2016
Two engineers from the University of Bristol’s Communication Systems and Networks (CSN) group, who are leaders in the field of 5th generation (5G) wireless networks, have been invited to discuss the future of wireless communications in Brussels and Brooklyn (US) this week [19 to 22 April].
Mark Beach, Professor of Radio Systems Engineering in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, will give an invited presentation on the Bristol Is Open Massive MIMO test bed to a European audience at the NetWorld2020 Annual Event and General Assembly 2016 in Brussels today [Tuesday 19 April].
This experimental hardware platform, which achieved a world’s first in terms of over-air spectrum efficiency, will be showcased alongside many EU Horizon 2020 5G-Public Private Partnership (5G-PPP) projects and European test-beds to experts in this area, including the EU Commission and standardisation bodies ITU-R and 3GPP.
Andrew Nix, Professor of Wireless Communication Systems and Professor Beach, will then attend the Brooklyn 5G Summit, hosted by Nokia Networks and New York University, to demonstrate Bristol’s 5G research to an international audience.
The exhibit will include collaborative examples of the CSN group’s work in the EU 5G-PPP research projects mmMAGIC and 5G-Xhaul, the experimental wireless facility through Bristol Is Open, together with pioneering research in the field of full duplex, Massive MIMO and Enabling RF Technologies.
Around 150 delegates are expected at this event, with experts from industry, academia and the standardisation bodies.
Professor Andrew Nix, Dean of Engineering, said: “In addition to our posters, we will also show a series of videos highlighting the state-of-the-art test bed and measurement facilities at Bristol alongside the expertise of our researchers.”
Professor Mark Beach added: “This is our third Brooklyn 5G Summit. It is an excellent opportunity for us to meet with our international collaborators, discuss results, plan further collaborations and most importantly showcase Bristol’s ground-breaking research.”
Further information
The Networld2020 Annual Event and General Assembly 2016 will be held on Tuesday 19 April 2016 in Brussels, Belgium.
The third Brooklyn 5G Summit will be held from Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 April 2016 at the NYU WIRELESS, a partner of Nokia Networks, in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
About Professor Andrew Nix
Andrew Nix received his PhD in High Throughput Wireless Communications from the University of Bristol in 1993. He is currently Professor of Wireless Communication Systems and Dean of Engineering at the University of Bristol. He also leads the Communication Systems & Networks research group (15 academics, 15 research staff and 55 PhD students).
His research interests include 5G networks & architectures, connected & autonomous vehicles, radio wave propagation modelling and advanced Wi-Fi systems. Andrew’s outdoor ray models were amongst the first to fully support MIMO communications and are well known for supporting “whole city” analysis. Andrew was a founder member of ETSI RES10 (1992-1995), the committee that drafted Europe’s first WLAN standard (Hiperlan), and later participated in the formation of the IEEE 802.11 standards. In 2001 Andrew co-founded ProVision Communications, a UK based company that specialises in the robust transmission of whole home HDMI signals via Wi-Fi. In 2013 Andrew joined the Strategic Advisory Board of BluWireless Technology, a Bristol based SME developing gigabit backhaul and access solutions in the millimetre wave bands.
Andrew has supervised more than 50 PhD students and published in excess of 450 journal and conference papers.
About Professor Mark Beach
Mark Beach received his PhD for research addressing the application of Smart Antenna techniques to GPS from the University of Bristol in 1989, where he subsequently joined as a member of academic staff. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1996, Reader in 1998 and Professor in 2003. He was Head of the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering from 2006 to 2010, and then spearheaded Bristol’s hosting of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Communications.
He currently manages the delivery of the EPSRC CDT in Communications, leads research in the field of enabling technologies for the delivery of 5G and beyond wireless connectivity, as well as his role as the School Research Impact Director. Mark’s current research activities are delivered through the Communication Systems and Networks Group, forming a key component within Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab. He has over 25 years of physical layer wireless research embracing the application of Spread Spectrum technology for cellular systems, adaptive or smart antenna for capacity and range extension in wireless networks, MIMO aided connectivity for through-put enhancement, Massive MIMO (including the recent world record for spectrum efficiency) and Millimetre wave connectivity as well as flexible RF technologies for SDR modems.
Mark is proactive in both UK EPSRC research, including TOUCAN and FARAD projects, and EU H2020 5GPPP collaborative research through mmMAGIC and 5G-Xhaul. In addition, he was the UK Representative on EU COST IC273 and IC1004 actions and member of the EPSRC ICT Strategic Advisory Team (SAT). Currently, he is a non-executive director of the UK Mobile VCE and co-chairs the experimental working group on radio access within COST IRACON action. He is also a regular speaker at international events on the future of wireless communications and external PhD examiner both in the UK and overseas.
