Multi-Modal Optimization of 5G and 6G Hybrid Wireless and IoT Communication Networks in Switzerland

Multi-Modal Optimization of 5G and 6G Hybrid Wireless and IoT Communication Networks in Switzerland

The IT'IS Foundation is pleased to announce the award of a project funded by the Swiss Research Foundation for Electricity and Mobile Communication (FSM). The 3-year project – Multi-Modal Optimization of 5G and 6G Hybrid Wireless and IoT Communication Networks in Switzerland – is designed to be complementary to several currently running HORIZON Europe projects that focus on human and animal exposure due to 5G systems and networks. The focus of the FSM project, which started 01 January 2023, is on future wireless technologies, such as 5G millimeter-wave, 6G, and, more broadly, the Internet of Things (IoT), their coverage and energy requirements, specifically on locations and the regulatory framework in Switzerland. The project was awarded to IT'IS and partners Profs. Luc Martens and Margot Deruyck of the University of Ghent Department of Information Technology.

The research involves combined evaluation of uplink transmissions (from user or IoT devices) and downlink communication issues related to network infrastructure, base stations, and relay stations. Endpoints to be evaluated include network capacity, bandwidth, coverage, energy consumption, radiation exposure, and the number of required base stations and relay sites. A network simulation tool will be used to investigate future wireless network topologies in Switzerland's urban, suburban, and rural geographical areas based on existing 4G/5G infrastructure locations. The simulation tool will further be used to model indoor exposures, IoT networks dependent on cellular technologies, 6G network concepts, and absorbed power density as the dosimetric measure at frequencies above 6 GHz, as well as to plan, simulate, and optimize prospective wireless communication networks for the time horizon of 2030 – 2035 in Switzerland.