By Ellen Tsaprailis
A symposium highlighting the inventive 5G wireless communications research being conducted by Carleton University and Ericsson Canada brought together researchers from around the globe.
This first annual TechTalks Ericsson-Carleton Symposium showcased the collaboration born from the Ericsson-Carleton University Partnership for Research and Leadership in Wireless Networks which was held virtually in March, 2022 over three days.
With opening remarks from Carleton President and Vice-Chancellor Benoit-Antoine Bacon, Ericsson Senior Advisor and Head of Ottawa Site Marcos Cavaletti, and Carleton’s Vice-President (Research and International) Rafik Goubran, the symposium welcomed hundreds of attendees from Canada, the United States and Europe.
Moderated by Ericsson Ottawa Digital Design Manager Aroosh Elahi and Ericsson Chair in 5G Wireless Research and Chancellor’s Professor Ioannis Lambadaris, the three days saw more than 30 presenters covering more than 20 topics. The main themes of the TechTalks were: machine learning and artificial intelligence; channel estimate and radio propagation along with network resource allocation; and software/hardware verification and adaptive/autonomous systems control.
Presentations were given related to the above themes with Carleton professors and students showcasing their latest research and updates which included Systems and Computer Engineering Professor Chung Horng-Lung announcing he has filed for a new patent related to machine learning techniques in performance improvement for cellular handover in next-generation wireless cell towers.
The TechTalks Symposium was the first showcase for Carleton and Ericsson to highlight their collaborative research made possible through their partnership. Next year the organizers are hoping to offer these TechTalks in person to allow for demonstrations to better illustrate the research being conducted daily.
A major entity of the partnership is the Ericsson Fellowship Program. This new program is a prestigious research opportunity for graduate students. Currently there are six Ericsson Fellows who are financially supported by Ericsson to focus on their 5G research area. All six fellows presented at the TechTalks.
Through the partnership, Ericsson supports a 5G Wireless Research Chair at Carleton, a multitude of research projects are underway with 23 faculty members engaged, six Ericsson Fellows are being supported while more than 300 co-op work terms have taken place at Ericsson Ottawa and a state-of-the-art 5G wireless lab will open the summer of 2022 in the Advanced Research and Innovation in Smart Environments (ARISE) building.
The Wireless 5G ARISE Laboratory will provide hands-on research and training and will be unique as the first lab in Canada with a private standalone 5G network available to academic researchers.
The Ericsson-Carleton University Partnership Starting the third year of a four-year multimillion-dollar program, the goal of the Ericsson-Carleton University Partnership is to attract and retain talented individuals, promote and enhance research synergy and establish training in an energetic industry/academic environment. The Carleton University partnership is a key pillar of Ericsson Ottawa Research and Talent Development programs.