Impact case study database

Develop Europe’s 5G vision, innovation and trials

5G Infrastructure Public Private Partnership (5G-PPP) is the leading joint programme between the European Commission (EC) and European ICT industry, to deliver 5G architectures, technologies and standards – UWS research and influence has played an important role in shaping its decisions.

5G-PPP Technology Board (TB) has adopted the following 5G-PPP programme-level “Golden Nuggets” (flagship European 5G innovation achievements) – influenced by UWS research though UWS Board members Alcaraz Calero and Wang. These include: 5G PPP Phase 1 Golden Nuggets [5.1]: “Autonomic network management” [3.1, 3.3], “Automated physical and virtual infrastructure deployment” [3.2], and “Multi-level, multi-tenant-aware network monitoring” [3.6]; and 5G PPP Phase 2 Golden Nuggets [5.1]: “AI-empowered cognitive network management & orchestration” [3.5], and “End-to-end multi-domain multi-tenants network slicing” [ 3.4, 3.5].

10 high-profile and widely-cited official 5G-PPP White Papers commissioned by the EC, and co-authored by UWS, have led the EC to adopt the vision on 5G Autonomous network management architecture [5.2] and 5G Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) integration [5.2], strategies on 5G innovations for new business opportunities, especially service creation and security [5.3], and network slicing trials for eHealth [5.3].

UWS was the only Scottish university in 5G-PPP, and one of the very few UK universities that technically led both Phase-1 (SELFNET) and Phase-2 (SliceNet) projects; thereby being positioned to influence Europe’s 5G vision, strategies, innovation and trials, and bringing to bear world-leading UK academic expertise.

Create global impact through international standardisation

Working with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), UWS has led the standardisation in relation to six official standardisation Work Items, focusing on cognitive/intelligent management and control of Network Slicing – a key enabler in 5G for network operators and vertical businesses. Two of these Work Items have been approved as ITU Draft Recommendations [5.4, 5.5] (“The impact of interoperability and innovation enabled by the above work items extend beyond the current networks into foreseeable future”, as acknowledged by ITU FG-AN Vice Chair)], one approved as ETSI POC (Proof-of-Concept) etc. [5.6] in collaboration with Orange, Altice, DellEMC, IBM etc. ITU is the United Nations' world-leading standardisation organisation for mobile telecommunications. ETSI, on the other hand, is responsible for establishing European and globally applicable ICT standards. Such exceptional achievements were particularly appreciated in the project final review [5.9].

Moreover, UWS influenced de-facto industry standards via open source projects: Open vSwitch (de-facto software-networking platform) benefited from UWS’ enabling 5G-compatible processing capabilities [5.6]; OpenAirInterface (leading global 5G infrastructure platform) benefited from UWS’ 5G topology management facility [5.6].

Impact on Europe’s commercial 5G networks and vertical business trials

Orange Group's first commercial 5G network in Romania was launched on 5 November 2019, benefiting from UWS-led SliceNet and UWS development of mobile edge computing (MEC) (as acknowledged by Orange Development & Innovation Manager [5.7] and CEO **[5.9]**). UWS’ 5G network slice solutions have been deployed in the 5G trial testbeds of leading European 5G industries including DellEMC (Ireland), Orange Romania, Altice (Portugal) etc.

Importantly, UWS developed Network Slicing trials for service quality assurance in eHealth, with DellEMC and Irish Ambulance Services, to reduce fatalities of onboard stroke patients by 25% [5.3] (as acknowledged by DellEMC Principal Research Scientist **[5.8]**), and in Smart Grid Self-Healing with the largest Portuguese energy company EFACEC, to reduce maintenance costs by up to 20% (as acknowledged by EFACEC Director of Technology and Innovation **[5.8]**). UWS technologies were also applied to smart city lighting system in Bucharest with Orange Romania, to reduce energy costs by 77% (as acknowledged by Orange Development & Innovation Manager **[5.7]**). The UWS-led 5G autonomous network management solution was deployed in Altice, leading to the ETSI POC [5.6] (as acknowledged by Altice AI/Cognitive Solution Architect **[5.7]**).

Policy and wider impact

UWS’ beneficial impacts, in terms of knowledge transfer to industries, have been further recognised through a highly prestigious national accolade: UK Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2020 - Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Initiative of the Year Award [5.10]. “The judges applauded how the team had built on successive projects to demonstrate life-saving applications, commending the ‘growing stature of the academic team and their work to create AI-based business solutions’.” [5.10].

In recognition of its demonstratable world-leading expertise in 5G-AI [5.10], UWS was invited as a Member of Scotland’s AI Strategy - Developing AI & AI Enabled Services and Products Working Group [5.10], to have helped the Scottish Government in defining its nationwide AI strategy for businesses and research through extensive consultation in 2020. The Scotland’s AI Strategy has been recently launched [5.10].