HASC News
We are delighted to announce that the Future Communications Hub in All-Spectrum Connectivity (HASC) has secured an additional £3.2 million in funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). This continued support enables HASC to further its development of world-leading communication technologies essential to shaping the UK’s digital future.
Advancing Digital Infrastructure Through Innovation
“Communication underpins the functioning of modern society – from staying in touch with one another to powering the operations of smart cities and national systems,” said Professor Dominic O’Brien, HASC lead at the University of Oxford.
“The Hub is focused on developing the technologies and insights needed to create the networks of the future. We are delighted to continue collaborating with key partners, including TITAN, CHEDDAR, and JOINER, and we thank UKRI for their continued support in helping us realise this vision.”
What HASC Has Achieved to Date
Our work is pushing the boundaries in secure, high-speed and low-latency internet services. New technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) demand much higher capabilities than currently exist – our mission is to overcome the today’s limitations by completely reimaging connectivity. At HASC, we are exploring how to combine wired and wireless internet technologies to achieve seamless end-to-end connectivity.
The HASC project is led by Professor Dominic O’Brien from the University of Oxford and includes seven research partners from across the Universities of Belfast, Bristol, Cambridge, Southampton, Strathclyde, Imperial College and UCL. Additional partners include teams from the universities of Liverpool, Sheffield, Strathclyde, Surrey, Herriot Watt, Queen Mary and Kings College. Together, we are helping to develop the digital communications of the future by addressing four main challenges, Connectivity, Adaptivity, Security and tying it altogether with Modelling.
Here’s a look at what has been achieved so far:
- Innovative Research: Pioneering studies across the four main challenges resulting in over 35 new academic publications covering a huge range of brand-new discoveries and technologies
- Collaborative Partnerships: We have established strong collaborations with leading academic institutions and industry partners to help drive innovation and the practical applications of our research
- Talent Development: Nurturing a new generation of researchers and engineers skilled in advanced communication technologies
Looking Ahead: The Impact of Extended Funding
The need for reliable, high-speed, low-cost, and energy-efficient communications only continues to grow. HASC will continue to work with our partners in CHEDDAR, TITAN and JOINER to deliver new research and to exploit the work that we do. Our key goals for the coming year are to continue with our research across each of the challenges, and to make full use of the connectivity that the JOINER Platform provides. Funding in the coming year will support a broad range of work, including:
Challenge 1 (C1) Connectivity
The C1 challenge is focused on demonstrating novel connectivity across and between radio frequency (RF) and optical domains. Here, the focus is on engineering the wireless propagation environment and leveraging the JOINER infrastructure to demonstrate new types of connectivity.
Challenge 2 (C2) Adaptivity
The C2 challenge addresses the need for reliable, adaptable networks, with a particular focus on the adaption of the physical layer using AI/ML techniques. Continued funding will allow us to further advance this work, addressing the future demands of applications such as smart cities, autonomous transportation systems, and industrial IoT applications.
Challenge 3 (C3) Security
With rising threats, the one major consistency in telecoms is the need for security. The C3 challenge focuses on this area and includes the use of quantum key distribution (QKD), post-quantum and physical layer techniques. Our work is creating new deployment scenarios for QKD which is a key technology for many carriers and vendors. Work here will extend the applicability of QKD in free-space transmission applications.
Challenge 0 (C0) Modelling
And finally, the C0 challenge pulls together all the other research by developing ‘system level’ end-to-end models of RF and fibre systems, delivering the data and models required to enable spectrum sharing and engagement in standards activities. We will continue to develop models and measure channels, creating open-source data sets relevant to standards and future spectrum planning.
Acknowledgements
We wish to extend our gratitude to UKRI for their continued support and belief in our vision. We also appreciate the collaborative efforts of our partners, including the other Federated Telecoms Hubs, Cheddar, Titan and Joiner Platform who are leading complementary projects in this wider initiative.
Join HASC on Our Exciting Journey
We invite you to stay connected with HASC as we embark on this next phase of innovation. Follow our progress, engage with the research, and explore opportunities to collaborate by following us on social media and subscribing to our newsletter.
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