PRESS RELEASE

Factories of the future, remote energy readings, remotely controlled vehicles or smart homes fully controlled by voice. What used to sound like a scene from a sci-fi movie is gradually becoming a part of everyday life. But none of this could work without the new generation of communication networks, i.e. 5G networks. Experts from the BUT Institute of Telecommunications are now opening a new #VodafoneUniLab laboratory in cooperation with the Czech operator Vodafone, which will connect the academic sector with industrial partners and offer space for testing and development of equipment in the field of Internet of Things or Industry 4.0.

"Companies developing devices for smart homes, for example, can easily test their products or ideas with us. We have created an ecosystem to accelerate equipment development that can benefit both small start-ups and large multinationals. We even offer an initial consultation to companies completely free of charge," said Jiří Hošek from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication at BUT. After more than two years of preparations, experts from the local Telecommunications Institute managed to launch the new #VodafoneUniLab, where in addition to cooperation with commercial manufacturers, there will be space for teaching students in specialized subjects in the field of fifth-generation mobile networks.

Those interested in industry for development or testing have the opportunity to verify, for example, the design of a printed circuit board in an X-ray chamber, they can test the resistance of their equipment to climate change in a temperature chamber or test antenna systems in a non-reflective chamber. These are just some of the options that the workplace offers. Representatives of the BUT Faculty of Electrical Engineering, in cooperation with Vodafone specialists, will also recommend suitable communication principles to manufacturers for achieving maximum performance in 5G networks and will also advise on the development of battery-powered devices. For this purpose, the domestic operator Vodafone provided the Brno laboratory with equipment worth several million crowns.

"The opening of the laboratory is the result of long-term cooperation between Vodafone and the university. I studied at BUT myself and together with Jiří Hošek we thought for a long time how to connect the world of business and science. #VodafoneUniLab gives a unique opportunity for students, but also for start-ups, to significantly accelerate the development of new products and technological innovations and succeed in global competition. All you have to do is fill out a simple form on the Vodafone website and visit the laboratory based on it,” Otto Zeman from the Vodafone Czech Republic says.

Autonomous transport and smart factories are becoming a reality

Telecommunications specialists expect the volume of transmitted data in the world to increase up to eightfold within two years. In addition to smartphones, a whole digital ecosystem is being created, where entire factories based on the principles of Industry 4.0 communicate online, people routinely control their kitchen and the entire household remotely, and transport also becomes autonomous. It is therefore likely that newly connected smart devices will gradually exceed the number of mobile phones several times over.

Communication technologies designed for remote data transmission or remote control are now integrated into the commercial networks of mobile operators. A unique testing platform was created at BUT, which currently enables the development and testing of devices using the so-called Cellular IoT technology, i.e. NB-IoT and LTE Cat-M. "The uniqueness of the laboratory lies both in the possibility of using a separate laboratory network and connection to the production mobile network for the Internet of Things. At present, this is the only laboratory in the Czech Republic where it is possible to test the behaviour of smart devices or applications in new generation mobile networks," the researcher Pavel Mašek points out, who, together with colleagues and Vodafone representatives, was involved in launching these networks in the Czech Republic.

Thanks to the versatility of 5G networks, it is no longer just the higher quality of movies or games on mobile devices or the easily accessible virtual reality and live broadcasts from 360° events that attract attention. The innovation consists of a wide application and the possibility to operate communication infrastructures in the so-called network format as a service. This communication infrastructure enables future developments in the areas of production, logistics, energy, transport and healthcare. According to today's estimates, half of North America, a third of Asia and about a fifth of Western Europe will use the 5G network within two years. Today, thanks to Vodafone, 3.5 million people in the Czech Republic are within reach of this fastest mobile network. Its extension across the user is also helped by projects such as #VodafoneUniLab.

#VodafoneUniLab can be used by anyone

The laboratory has been open to all interested parties since April 20, 2021. By filling out a simple form on the website www.vodafone.cz/unilab, Vodafone specialists will be contacted regarding the date of the visit. After that, there is nothing to stop them from using the latest technologies for innovation, which will push not only their products.