Non-profit cable consortium CableLabs has joined university research center NYU Wireless to help define and drive research around 5G, the next-generation of wireless technology. Specifically, the consortium will be an affiliate of NYU Wireless and join wireless industry stalwarts such as Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), Samsung, Nokia Networks and Solutions (NYSE:NOK) and Intel to figure out the role that millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology will play in 5G.
CableLabs, of course, has an interest in the 5G world as the consortium's members currently carry more than half of the wireless broadband traffic over their Wi-Fi networks. By joining NYU Wireless, CableLabs is making sure that its members will be able to handle any offloading of 5G traffic, much as they do today with their Wi-Fi networks.
"The use of mmWave frequencies provides a viable solution to meet the data-rates and speeds promised by 5G," said Dan Rice, senior vice president of network technology at CableLabs. "In order to ensure the most effective use of its capacity, it will require a ubiquitous wired network to offload data. The cable industry has invested a lot in its network and provides a robust and reliable platform for connecting wireless cells to the Internet. Collaborating with NYU WIRELESS enables us to solve the technical challenges of mmWave frequencies for the next generation of wireless broadband."
In an interview earlier this year with FierceWireless:Tech, Ted Rappaport, founding director of NYU Wireless said that affiliate members each pay $100,000 a year for a three-year commitment and usually also fund additional directed research grants with individual faculty members.
In return, affiliate members receive two seats on the NYU Wireless board and get access to all research before it is made public. In addition, they get access to NYU Wireless' propagation database for their internal research use.
For more:
- See this press release
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