Collaboration on Software Defined Radio Solutions for future 5th Generation (5G) Mobile Communications between UTM and NI Malaysia.

January 11, 2018 by suzalphakl

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Jan 2017: – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and National Instruments today have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to intensify collaboration and partnership in the research and development (R&D) of software defined radio solutions for future 5th Generation (5G) mobile communications. Under the terms of the MoU, UTM represented by their Wireless Communication Centre (WCC), the only recognized Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE) in 5G research by the Ministry of Education Malaysia, and NI will collaborate on R&D projects utilising NI’s software defined radio and LabVIEW integrated software development environment to enable rapid in house prototyping of UTM’s research and innovation. Both parties will engage in sharing of knowledge on the application of NI’s tools and equipment for 5G R&Ds, and facilitate the exchange of staff and researchers.

The partnership between NI and UTM plays an important role in promoting the industry-academia collaboration, strategically aligned with Malaysia’s Education Blueprint 2015-2025 and UTM Global Plan 2012-2020, with the aim of producing world class research outcomes. NI has a long history of providing a range of hardware and software development equipment, as well as visual programming tools, for test and development professionals. NI is currently collaborating globally with top researchers in leading international research institutions to accelerate the R&D of 5G technology using integrated platform that combines off-the-shelf LabVIEW Communications software and software defined radio hardware. NI will share their expertise and research collaboration experience to accelerate UTM’s discovery in countless 5G innovative applications. The next generation 5G mobile communication technology is expected to be standardised and launched by the year 2020. This new exciting 5G technology will not only support multi-gigabits per second enhanced broadband, but will also support massive internet of things (IoT) and ultra-reliable ultra-low latency applications such as autonomous driving and industrial automation. To address the above mentioned and challenging requirements, new radio and innovative signal processing technology is the key to boost and improve the spectral efficiency and latency of wireless communication. One important goal from this MoU is for WCC UTM, with NI as industry research collaborator, to develop innovative software defined radio solutions that can further improve the spectral efficiency and latency of wireless communications. The MoU document was signed by UTM’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), Prof. Datuk Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail and the Managing Director of NI Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Mr. Rajesh Purushothaman.