TiC6G houses a suite of instruments capable of testing prototype devices for future 6G networks
The University of Glasgow announced the opening of new research lab dedicated to helping advance future 6G communications technologies.
The “Terahertz On-chip Circuit Test Cluster for 6G Communications and Beyond” lab, or TiC6G, is funded by a £2.6 million ($3.18 million) grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
In a release, the University of Glasgow noted that TiC6G houses a suite of instruments capable of testing prototype devices for as-yet-unstandardized 6G networks.
The 6G lab is located in the Center for Advanced Electronics at the James Watt School of Engineering. It will help enable research critical to developing the infrastructure, spectrum, and protocols needed to achieve 6G speeds, the university said.
Professor Edward Wasige, principal investigator of the grant which supported the establishment of the TiC6G lab, noted that the University of Glasgow has been working at the forefront of communications technologies for many years, including as a host for the Scotland 5G Center’s testbed for 5G communications.
“The TiC6G lab will help us remain at the leading edge as the next generation is established, bringing with it exciting new applications in healthcare, transportation, clean energy, and more. It will also help us support partners around the world to comprehensively evaluate the new technologies that will help process the complex signals that will power 6G’s ultrafast speeds, up to 50 times faster than 5G,” Wasige said.
“Tic6G also aligns with key U.K. government strategies on semiconductors, digital technologies, space, and quantum computing, putting the University in a key position to help deliver national objectives,” he added.
Also, representatives from the University of Glasgow signed a new memorandum of understanding with Keysight Technologies, with the main aim of deepening collaboration in the development of new measurement technologies.
In February, the University of Sheffield announced the opening of what it claimed to be the first national 6G research facility in the U.K.
The University of Sheffield said that the new UKRI National 6G Radio Systems Facility was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The facility will play a key role in driving innovation in future 6G systems by bringing together academics and industrial partners and giving them the specialist equipment needed to collaborate and develop globally leading 6G solutions, according to the university.
The new facility received support from more than 40 companies and academic institutions with strong interests in the 6G field, the university added.
6G has not yet been standardized, but research and development of candidate technologies and spectrum is well underway. The commercial launch of 6G networks is expected to occur around 2030.
