5G Living Lab

5G is the fifth generation of technology for broadband cellular networks. With mobile data speeds up to 100 times faster than the current 4G networks, 5G networks will process the amount of information needed to enable everything from remote surgery to autonomous cars and the creation of truly smart cities that optimize the lives of residents using innovation, data and connected technology.

The U of A 5G Living Lab is a digital sandbox that provides researchers, innovators, and their industry and community partners with access to TELUS’ next-generation telecommunications infrastructure to help accelerate the development of leading-edge, customer-ready solutions across a variety of fields. A $15 million infrastructure investment from TELUS established a private, commercial-scale 5G network at North and South Campus that helps innovators trial their innovations and refine them in a ‘living lab’ environment, as well as Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) nodes which provides teams with the low-latency computing power and the infrastructure needed to advance solutions to real-world problems.

The lab is used to facilitate research, particularly in the area of autonomous systems, with a heavy emphasis on automated transportation. Dr. Tony Qiu and the ITS Research Lab team will be using the lab to develop recommendations for an optimal communications infrastructure ecosystem that supports Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) and smart roadways. Specifically, Dr. Qiu’s team will be developing and testing safety critical applications and traffic flow operation algorithms that are integral to optimizing the safety and efficiency of CAVs.