Higher internet speeds, real-time communications, and more innovation are some of the expectations created by the 5G technology. Once implemented, this new technology will have a significant impact on the economy, industry, and society, where connectivity is fundamental – assures the Dean of the University of Aveiro (UA) to the Jornal de Notícias, Paulo Jorge Ferreira, in an interview that took place on 9-11-2021. So, this acceleration, at the crossroads of artificial intelligence, robotics, and data science, will definitely boost innovation. Even though this is an established point, it is necessary to think about what it takes to get there. What will it take to drive this transformative force? 

The digital transition requires R&D and – stats the Dean – continuous experimentation of new solutions for different sectors that ideally contemplate partnerships with industries, academia, and society.

For that purpose, Huawei, University of Aveiro, and Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) are developing a laboratory for experimenting with 5G Technology and artificial intelligence – the 5GAIner laboratory, inaugurated past November 16th. 

This laboratory is located at IT in the University of Aveiro (UA) and is dedicated to exploring 5G innovations and the potential of AI in telecommunications, to empower companies, assist the industry, and facilitate the digital transition to fifth-generation cellular networks.

For José Carlos Pedro, professor of UA and chairman of the IT's Management Committee, “this laboratory infrastructure of exceptional value for research and support for postgraduate training developed at IT”. It places the institution in a restricted set of “research units at world level with access to such cutting-edge scientific research instruments”, allowing it to fulfill its mission of serving the community even better.

Photo credits: University of Aveiro

Watch the streaming of the inauguration ceremony: