Compiled by: Dr. Farrukh Aziz Bhatti, Institute of Space Technology

5G Research and Development in Pakistan: The Way Forward Institute of Space Technology, 16 Oct 2015

Panelists Recommendations Panelists: Dr. Ali Imran University of Surrey Dr. Qamar Ul Islam Institute of Space Technology Dr. Usman Gul National Instruments Aamir Sami National ICT R&D Fund Syed Asad Ali Telenor The second workshop on 5G research and development was jointly organized by National ICT R&D Fund and the Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad on 16 Oct 2015. The workshop featured several talks and a panel discussion from leading academic researchers, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) representatives, Telecom industry professionals and PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) representatives. The panel emphasized on the significance of carrying out world class, industry relevant research on 5G and related technologies for creating maximum impact both on national and international levels. The main conclusions of the panel discussion are described below.

5G Forum and Working Group A 5G forum should be established which may be called 5G Forum Pakistan. This forum will comprise of the following: 1) selected group of academic institutions that are working on various aspects of 5G technologies (called 5G Universities), 2) local Telecom operators that are interested in collaboration, 3) OEMs that are contributing in the development of 5G testbeds or related equipment, 4) Pakistani academics in foreign universities involved in 5G research 5) PTA and 6) National ICT R&D Fund. The above mentioned organizations will nominate 1-3 focal persons each that will form a 5G working group. The working group will meet quarterly or bi-annually (as mutually agreed). The ICTR&D representative will coordinate the activities of the working group. The working group will play a pivotal role in the overall coordination of activities related to the research and development of 5G related technologies. The members of the forum and working group can coordinate using an emailing group etc., such as the one already created by ICT R&D ([email protected]).

5G Testbed Development Testbed development is one of the vital elements in 5G research and development. For this purpose there are two main types of testbeds that can be setup – a distributed testbed or a centralized testbed. A distributed testbed has a smaller scale and it is designed for experimenting on certain specific aspects of the 5G technology. For example, National Instrument’s software-defined radio (SDR) platform can be used for the analysis of new waveforms for 5G. Distributed testbeds are relatively cost effective and are located at more than one location. Therefore, more universities can get the opportunity of hosting a testbed. These testbeds can also be utilized by researchers from other universities and the sharing

Compiled by: Dr. Farrukh Aziz Bhatti, Institute of Space Technology

mechanism can be devised by mutual agreement of all the 5G Universities and the National ICT R&D Fund. For initiating 5G research and development the smaller distributed testbeds is a convenient choice. A centralized testbed is a large scale testbed with all the major network components such as Macrocell Base Stations (BS), Microcell BS, packet switched network etc., which allows for link level testing. An example is the full scale cellular testbed at 5G Innovation Center, University of Surrey, which has been setup by Huawei and other OEMs. Due to the rapid development in technology, such testbeds can get outdated soon; therefore, it is more useful to seek in-kind funding from the OEMs. In this case the OEM is itself responsible for maintaining and upgrading the testbed. Such testbeds also require extensive human resource training due to the complexity involved in testbed operation. Effective collaboration between universities and OEMs is crucial in such a large scale setup. The interest of OEM is linked with the projection that they get through the dissemination of research conducted using their equipment. Due to the relatively relaxed policies on the use of RF spectrum for the outdoor experiments, link level trials can be conducted on the testbeds in Pakistan more easily as compared to most of the western countries that have more stringent policies. Universities interested in setting up a testbed can submit their expression of interest (EOI) to ICT R&D fund. The EOI can be judged on the basis of proven research record of the researchers and the capacity of the University for setting up a testbed, e.g. existing lab facilities, related equipment, proximity to other 5G Universities etc.

HR Training ICT R&D should facilitate mobility grants to the researchers for their visits to the foreign research groups and to attend study group meetings related to the development of new standards. Those faculty members who are actively involved in 5G research, as demonstrated through their publications, project funding, collaborations etc. may be given mobility funding to attend study group meetings. Participation in such meetings even as an observer can greatly benefit the researchers in staying abreast with the latest trends and directions in the research on 5G thus enabling them to focus on industry relevant research issues. Moreover, this can also help in doing collaborations with renowned researchers in the international arena. The faculty members involved in 5G research may perform the initial research work with their students using simulations or using small scale testbeds such as SDRs, once they get good results or develop some initial algorithms, then the link level trials can be conducted on foreign testbeds e.g. the University of Surrey 5G testbed. In this case, the foreign faculty member can do the initial assessment of the research work and can give recommendation to ICT R&D for providing funding to the local researchers including faculty members or PhD students. This can also be an incentive for the local PhD students to undertake field trips to renowned research groups should they do high quality research. ICT R&D can also do an annual assessment of the research and development conducted in a year and can give some incentives including monetary awards and certificates. The individuals/ research groups

Compiled by: Dr. Farrukh Aziz Bhatti, Institute of Space Technology

could be awarded based on their publications in top ranking journals and conferences, filing of patents or for their endeavors in commercialization of related technologies.

Conclusions ICT R&D can work on similar footings as MVCE (Mobile Virtual Center of Excellence) is working in UK. Through an effective coordination between academia, telecom industry, OEMs and regulators, high quality research in 5G and related technologies can be performed. This will lead to contribution in the development of international technology standards as well as commercialization of technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things) in the local market. The application of these technologies can address a lot of issues which are specifically related to Pakistan, such as, security, traffic congestion, tourism, rural education, commerce, agriculture, telemedicine and connectivity to remote areas (such as FATA) etc.