Technologies such as high performance wireless connectivity, positioning for automated guided
vehicles and autonomous moving robots, drones, and extended reality are gaining more and
more importance for industries seeking higher operational efficiency and flexibility. Qualcomm
Technologies is at the forefront of research and development in all these areas. I'm excited
to show you how our live OTA (over-the-air) testbed in San Diego has improved with new capabilities for
the smart factory, and the innovation platform we are setting up in Lannion, France, in strategic
partnership with companies and universities for end-to-end research on 5G and 6G for new verticals.
We have added several new capabilities to our live, over-the-air testbed for the smarter factory of
the future. We started with the Open RAN framework for a disaggregated 5G Radio Access Network, or
RAN, with Time Sensitive Networking, or TSN, and Coordinated Multi-Point transmissions, or CoMP.
While TSN offers microsecond-level synchronization between network elements and devices,
5G CoMP provides the ultra-reliable wireless connectivity foundation, and these features
combine to deliver deterministic latency – a key requirement for industrial connectivity.
We added a RAN Intelligent Controller, or RIC, from the open RAN framework which
promotes a broad connectivity ecosystem with standardized interfaces between network functions.
Together, these network capabilities help industries build flexible,
scalable, and intelligent 5G networks with high performance for industrial needs.
For efficient ultra-reliable wireless connectivity, we developed intelligent CoMP as a RIC application
using machine learning to dynamically customize radio unit clusters for each 5G device.
The radio units are clustered independently in the uplink and downlink to account for
differences in the power levels between gNodeB and devices. To test intelligent CoMP over the
air in a dynamic wireless environment, we mounted a 5G device on an automated guided vehicle, or AGV,
moving around our test bed over a long duration. Our results showed intelligent CoMP significantly
increasing air interface capacity without compromising the 99.9999% reliability target to
be able to drive mission-critical applications on many more 5G devices. To test intelligent CoMP at a
larger scale, we simulated multiple scenarios in a factory setting with 18 radio units
and randomized signal blockers. The simulation showed major savings in air interface resources.
We also enhanced our 5G sidelink setup with dynamic path switching, which we tested with another AGV as
a RF blocker in the over-the-air testbed. Since we prioritized the 5G sidelink for device-to-device
communications, any packets lost over a degraded or obstructed sidelink are re-transmitted over
the air interface between the device and the radio units, also known as the Uu interface, with
CoMP for robustness. With dynamic path switching, we further increase the air interface capacity while
maintaining 99.9999% reliability. In conclusion, we demonstrated the smart use of wireless resources
with technologies like intelligent CoMP, implemented as a RIC application
in a disaggregated RAN with TSN, and 5G sidelink with dynamic path switching, without compromising
on six-nines reliability, all for higher 5G capacity and performance, so industries can do more with 5G.
Hi, I'm Amira Alloum here at the Qualcomm Research Center in Lannion, France, where
we advance long-term 5G/6G research spanning systems design, standardization,
and prototyping. We are setting up an innovation platform for end-to-end research on new verticals
including private networks, extended reality, industrial IoT, drones, and mission-critical
applications. Our innovation platform is continuously upgraded to track standards and is
a part of a strategic partnership with companies and universities in France on 5G and 6G solutions.
Our innovation platform includes an advanced prototype Radio Access Network that provides
5G millimeter wave to deliver low-latency, high- speed wireless connectivity. It is highly flexible,
can be upgraded with advanced 5G/6G features, and enables customization to address
new use-cases. The innovation platform includes state-of-the-art device reference platforms
such as the Qualcomm Mobile Test Platform with the latest 5G features, and XR headsets
with additional on-device processing such as perception, tracking, video decode, and reprojection.
The innovation platform also includes the edge cloud server, which can host low-latency
computationally-demanding applications. We now demonstrate our 5G system-level optimizations
on the innovation platform for low-latency high-throughput applications. As can be seen
in the graphical user interface, the Qualcomm 5G system can support a consistent throughput
of over a 100 Megabits/second, with an average 5G round-trip time of less than 15 milliseconds.
This enables us to support applications like boundless XR. Our next steps include demonstrating
over-the-air multi-user applications. We will expand the innovation platform to include indoor
and outdoor sub-6 Gigahertz and millimeter wave networks with multiple cells and multiple users.
We look forward to working with our France partners on advanced 5G/6G use-cases.