In order to meet the demanding needs of the high 5G capabilities, massive indoor deployment is needed for cellular coverage. This is achieved through Remote Radio Heads (RRH) working at multiple frequency bands – a key component of the 5G infrastructure market (~$10B by 2023). With the ongoing transition to V-RAN (cloud) based network architecture, there is a strong need for new flexible, optimized and cost-effective solutions that will enable the eco-system with sustainable business cases and ROI. To meet this need, Siklu is developing a Software Defined Radio (SDR) Chip for RRH that supports multiple frequency channels and ranges from Sub-6GHz to millimetre waves (mmWave). This highly integrated chip replaces more than 10 existing chips, cuts cost by 80%, and provides future flexibility and scalability, disrupting price and performance for indoor and outdoor RRH at any combination of mmWave, sub 6GHz frequencies and channel bandwidths. This game changer chip is based on Siklu’s unique, patent pending architecture. Siklu will utilize the 5G SDR chip for RRH for its internal portfolio of products, as well as sell the chipset, reference design and firmware / software to ODM / OEM building variety of indoor / outdoor products and solutions. The 5G SDR RRH will be developed in close alignment with lead customers and partners, who will be the first customers for a rapid volume ramp-up. Participation in o-RAN and other eco-system forums will help to accelerate the adoption and deployment of this technology. During phase one of this project, Siklu will complete analysis of both the technological feasibility and economic viability of 5G SDR RRH product, based on extensive market validation process. The purpose of this validation process is to assess all technical and business aspects and conclude the final requirements and specs of this disruptive technology / product with a viable business opportunity, including a strong EU perspective.

In RAPID, we propose to use a centralized radio access (C-RAN) architecture to support high-capacity heterogeneous (3g, 4G and 60 GHz) radio access technologies through low-cost, but ultra-high-bandwidth photonic techniques for the fibre distribution. To meet the requirement to transport the high-frequency (and wide-bandwidth) wireless signals at low-cost, a novel coherent radio-over-fiber (CRoF) scheme is proposed in RAPID. Furthermore, for the mobile receiver, novel extremely low-cost (<10€) integrated transceivers will be developed based upon a SiGe technology. The radio resource management of the heterogeneous network using the developed mm-wave and photonic technologies together with legacy 3G/4G wireless will be demonstrated in RAPID and the developed hardware will be tested in life-cycle assessments within different real life networks scenarios including a public stadium, an operators fiber-optic and wireless network, as well as in train, airport scenarios.

Data traffic densities of several Tbps/km2 are already predicted for 5G networks. To service a fully mobile and connected society networks beyond 5G must undergo tremendous growth in connectivity, data traffic density and volume as well as the required multi-level ultra-densification. The ThoR project will provide technical solutions for the backhauling/fronthauling of this traffic. The ThoR consortium brings together the leading Japanese and European players from industry, R&D and academia, whose prior work defines the state-of-the-art in high data rate long range point-to-point THz links. This team has been instrumental in defining and implementing the new IEEE 802.15.3d Standard “100 Gbps Wireless Switched Point-to-Point Physical Layer.” ThoR’s technical concept builds on this standard, in a striking and innovative combination using state-of-the-art chip sets and modems operating in the standardized 60 and 70 GHz bands, which are aggregated on a bit-transparent high performance 300 GHz RF wireless link offering >100 Gbps real-time data rate capacity. ThoR will apply European and Japanese state-of-the-art photonic and electronic technologies to build an ultra-high bandwidth, high dynamic range transceiver operating at 300 GHz combined with state-of-the-art digital signal processing units in two world-first demonstrations: a)>100 Gbps P2P link over 1 km at 300 GHz using pseudo data in indoor and outdoor controlled environments b)>40 Gbps P2P link over 1 km at 300 GHz using emulated real data in a live operational communication network.This will require specific THz PHY technology advances (KETs) in photomixers, amplifiers including Travelling Wave Tube amplifiers, receivers, upconverters and channel aggregation. The success of ThoR will represent the first operational use of THz frequencies in ICT and this influential and powerful consortium will directly influence and shape the frequency regulation activities beyond 275 GHz through agenda item 1.15 of WRC 2019.

PARALIA will enable an agile, low-cost, and energy-efficient multi-sensor combining Radar and Lidar technologies will re-architect the sensors ecosystem, upgrading their capabilities and enabling ultra-high resolution at ultra-long distances crucial for current and futuristic automotive and aerospace applications. To this end, a common Lidar/Radar optical multibeam beamforming platform will be developed based on the best-in-class multi-port linear optical Xbar architecture previously used for neuromorphic applications. For its implementation, PARALIA will utilize hybrid InP-SiN integration while leveraging a tight integration of InP components in multi-element arrays and the advances in SiN PZT optical phase shifters with μs-reconfiguration time, and low power consumption < 1uW. To demonstrate the universality of the developed optical multi-beam platform number of Lidar and Radar will be developed: i) Two multibeam Lidar modules featuring 120 degrees horizontal field of view (FOV) and 30 degrees vertical FOV and supporting 8 and 64 independent beams with 64 independent beams, based on 8 wavelengths - 8x8 XBar architecture. ii) Two multibeam Radar modules operating at K- and E- band for aerospace and automotive industries respectively. Both radar modules feature 120 degrees Vertical and Horizontal FOVs and support 8 independent beams iii) A multisensor module combining the Radar and Lidar modules with a processing unit employing a fusion ML algorithm developed to acquire and process the information coming from the multiple beams of the multi-sensor greatly enhancing its range and resolution.