The Project SESAME consortium comprising telecom industry vendors, IT companies, small and medium-sized enterprises and academic organisations in Europe has been awarded €8m research funding to develop the infrastructure required to support the future 5G network and communication systems. The 30 month research and development programme will design and demonstrate virtualised, cloud-enabled, multi-operator, frequency agile, 5G-oriented radio access and services.
Various players have since joined the consortium which is led by Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE), including ip.access, a small cell solutions provider.
Starting from July 2015, Project SESAME targets innovations around the three central elements of 5G: network intelligence through Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) and Mobile Edge Cloud Computing, substantial evolution of the Small Cell concept to create targeted coverage and capacity; and the consolidation of multi-tenancy in mobile network infrastructure, allowing several operators and service providers to engage in new sharing models.
Dr. Nick Johnson, CTO of ip.access
The old model for cellular, with dedicated hardware and dedicated spectrum per operator, is breaking down. As demand continues to grow exponentially, with limited additional spectrum, flat subscriber growth and falling revenues per subscriber, new ways have to be found to use the resources we have more efficiently. This project does this by allowing spectrum to be shared between operators in a controllable, measurable and agile way.
Dr Ioannis Chochliourous, Head of Research Programmes, Fixed and Mobile Network Evolution, OTE, and Project Coordinator for SESAME
We are pleased to welcome ip.access to the SESAME consortium. They bring a rare combination of technical excellence and innovative thinking that will benefit the project immensely.
