DSIT-funded study uses latest technology in a real-life proof of concept
A major music festival has been used as the testing ground for Open RAN HDD private network technology in partnership with a local authority, academia, and global and local technology providers. The technology test, at the Salt & Tar Music Festival was part of an assessment by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which is piloting the usability of this technology.
High-demand density (HDD) network sites are often small but carry very high volumes of network traffic. The UK government has been working towards 35% of UK mobile network traffic being carried on open and interoperable radio access networks (RAN) technology by 2030. There is a need to assess the requirements for RAN in high-demand density areas as there are technical and commercial challenges to RAN being a suitable technology in such environments.
Liverpool’s Combined Authority is working in partnership with the University of Liverpool on a £9 million HDD RAD assessment, which uses Open RAD technology in a private network.
The technology has the potential to be more power efficient, be lower cost, and use smaller cells to meet network demands in high-density environments. “Testing this innovative technology in a real-life setting is an important milestone for the project and a key part of establishing how effective the technology can be in improving connectivity at large events to improve the experience for those attending,” said Councillor Liam Robinson, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Cabinet Member for Innovation.
The Liverpool City Region HDD consortium is led by the University of Liverpool in partnership with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and ITS Technology Group, a networking provider. Other partners in the project include Liverpool John Moores University and a series of technology organisations including Aro, CGA Simulation, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Hartree Centre, Attocore, Weaver Labs, Telet, Radisys and Qualcomm.
The project has received £9 million in funding from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as part of its Open Networks Ecosystem, a nationwide feasibility study into open network technology.
Over the four days of the Salt & Tar Music Festival, 12,000 fans were part of a real-world high-density environment in Bootle. This allowed the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority HDD project to test if the technology can deliver high-capacity open WiFi. Sales of e-tickets and hospitality were hosted on the network. The security, speed and user experience were tested at the festival. “This trial will provide us with data that we can analyse to assess the different components of the technology to see if it exceeds the performance of current and traditional technology solutions,” said Professor Joe Spencer, from the University of Liverpool, who is leading the Liverpool City Region HDD project. Ann Williams, programme director, Liverpool5G added: “We successfully provided connectivity for point-of-sale terminals via 5G MiFis and some public internet access using a very high-capacity WiFi AP with 5G back-haul to the on-site network.
“We were able to demonstrate end-to-end functionality of the Open RAN 5G network and we will use the technical insights and data analysis gained from this event as we carry out further trials in the forthcoming months.”
“We will use the lessons learnt and data analysis from this event as we roll out trials in different types of venues in the forthcoming months,” Councillor Robinson said. Additional trials are set to take place at transport, sports and other music venues.
