Never mind 4G...is 5G on the horizon?
Researchers are working to create a new mobile network which could enable remote surgery and driverless cars.
Researchers are working to create a new mobile network which could enable remote surgery and driverless cars.
The Selfnet project to develop self-healing properties for the next generation of the mobile phone network, 5G, could also spell the end of signal blackspots in rural areas and poor coverage during demand peaks.
Lead researcher Dr Jose Alcaraz-Calero said: Put simply, Selfnet will allow 5G networks to make possible things that would have been considered science fiction just a few years ago.
Unprecedented reliability and stability will transform the way we think about mobile networks. For example, the 'self-healing' part of the network will ensure stable connectivity even when on the move - making driverless cars a realistic mainstream possibility.
Improved bandwidth and reliability means digital health, including mobile surgery, becomes viable, potentially dramatically improving the delivery of healthcare to remote areas.
Of course, the improvement to ordinary phone users would also be vast. HD video streaming and conferencing would become a much more enjoyable experience, even when travelling, through self-optimisation.''
The self-healing aspect of the project involves intelligent software which can forecast demand and allocate bandwidth in advance, meaning being unable to make phone calls from popular events such as football matches will be a thing of the past.
The system will also have built in protection to track large scale distributed denial of service attacks aimed at crippling networks and shut down hackers before they have a chance to do damage.
Dr Alcaraz-Calero and Dr Qi Wang are heading up the EU-funded project at the University of the West of Scotland, which is expected to last three years and is one of 19 schemes across Europe to design the cutting-edge 5G network.
Dr Wang said: We are tremendously excited by the potential Selfnet and 5G can offer, not just for users, but for the development of new technologies that are impossible with our current infrastructure.''