Venue: Mappin Hall, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sheffield

The National 6G Radio Systems Facility (N6GRSF) provides a unique experimental platform for empirically researching and testing both current and future radio systems. Specifically, the N6GRSF realises test and measurement scales commensurate with the envisaged use of radio systems in 6G networks and beyond. The facility is based on a high-specification instrumented software-defined-radio architecture that enables both hardware and software in the loop development, testing and proof-of-concept.

The facility uses multiple, individually controlled over-the-air radio transmission paths spanning the frequency spectrum from sub-6GHz to 220GHz. A combination of deep waveform generation, wide signal bandwidths and the largest available digitisation bandwidths create an advanced experimental platform that, together with its comprehensive signal generation and analysis software, supports research, development and innovation across the entire radio system.

The launch event occurred on 1st July 2024 in the Sir Frederick Mappin Building at the University of Sheffield. It was attended by 83 delegates and sponsors from universities, industry, and government organisations. The university welcomed ten keynote speakers, including members of the advisory board. The event featured videos and live demonstrations of next-generation wireless technology, in collaboration with the AMRC and the YO-RAN project. Visitors were given a tour of the new laboratory by Professor O'Farrell, the Facility Director. The event was an opportunity for academics and industry experts to highlight the frontiers in 6G research, and provided a forum to discuss potential solutions. 

"Our new National 6G Facility will play a huge role in developing the UK’s 6G capabilities; it will enable the UK’s Universities and telecommunications industry to compete on a global scale and provide a unique experimental platform for researching and testing both current and future radio systems.”

Professor Timothy O'Farrell, Director of the N6GRSF