This article was originally published on the Gooii website on 2nd January 2024

The Cambridgeshire Open RAN Ecosystem (CORE) project: developing emerging technologies to improve mobile capacity for UK’s 5G Open RAN project

Gooii is proud to announce they are part of the government’s £88 million investment in innovative open 5G connectivity solutions across the UK. 

They were invited to take part in one of 19 projects that will benefit from the funding, which has come from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The Cambridgeshire Open RAN Ecosystem (CORE) project will be led by digital connectivity programme Connecting Cambridgeshire, on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council. 

Gooii will work with a consortium of partners to develop emerging technologies that will improve mobile capacity in busy areas of the UK, or ‘High Demand Density’ locations.

What are High Demand Density (HDD) locations?

Areas of high-density data usage are often referred to as High Demand Density (HDD) locations. 

Busy areas where many people use their devices at the same time present challenges for mobile networks. The funding hopes to develop new innovative solutions that will contribute to the connectivity of HDD locations and the overall connectivity of the UK. 

Sporting venues and tourism organisations within the 19 areas will be used as a testbed for new mobile technology. The project aims to develop 5G Open Radio Access Networks (RAN) across these HDD areas. 

What do these terms mean and how will we be using them to develop the technology?

What is a RAN?

A Radio Access Network (RAN) provides access to and coordinates the management of resources across the radio sites. It is the RAN that sends signals to a device when it connects to a network.  

Traditional RAN solutions tend to work with one supplier across one location, which can often cause a barrier for smaller emerging companies to break into the mobile network market.

What is Open RAN technology? 

Open RAN is to do with the ‘openness’ of mobile networks. It diversifies the market of mobile connectivity providers by increasing the amount of different suppliers that can enter into the RAN ecosystem. 

Enabling lots of different companies to work together makes the network a lot more flexible. It also encourages innovation and can lead to the adoption of new technologies more rapidly than traditional, closed networks. Here is a helpful Open RAN guide for more information. 

Using Open RAN to improve connectivity in busy locations

The overall project aims to show how Open RAN can help build mobile networks to deliver reliable connectivity in very busy locations.

It will also encourage lots of different companies to work together to achieve the same goal across the UK. The 19 different projects will showcase the resilience of Open RAN technologies by initiating trials of open 5G networks in major urban centres. These will include Glasgow, Cambridge, Liverpool, Bath, and the City of London, as well as seaside resorts Blackpool and Worthing. 

Iconic sports and entertainment venues such as Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, the National eSport Arena, Shelsley Walsh motorsport venue as well as Cambridge Corn Exchange will also take part.

Cambridgeshire Open RAN Ecosystem (CORE) project

Gooii is proud to be working alongside a range of partners on the CORE project including:

• Connecting Cambridgeshire
• Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
• Gooii
• AWTG
• Benetel
• Ontix
• Wolfram
• University of Surrey
• University of Cambridge

The above project team has been tasked with developing a 5G Open RAN platform in Cambridgeshire. Together they will work alongside mobile network operators and develop hardware and software that will seamlessly interconnect.

The new hardware and software will test the capabilities of the new Open RAN network and encourage new companies into the UK market. Some partners will introduce radio units. Others, like Gooii, will develop community-oriented products. These will aim to support the local tourism industry and test how well the network can handle different amounts of data. 

Gooii will develop Extended Reality technologies at Cambridge’s Corn Exchange

Gooii’s role will be to explore the capabilities of Open RAN at Cambridge’s Corn Exchange, a theatre and concert venue that hosts bands and comedians. 

They’ll be delivering Extended Reality (XR) prototypes to test this 5G Open RAN network and explore how it can benefit the entertainment and tourism industry. 

Currently in the Research and Development stage of the project, they’re researching new XR technologies. These will focus on Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality experiences.

What’s particularly exciting about this is that they’ve been afforded the freedom to experiment with these new technologies. They’re enjoying creating and testing prototypes and pushing their creative ideas even further. 

They’re proud to be part of a project that strives to diversify the supply chain of the UK’s Open RAN network and are excited to see how the scheme develops. 

Keep up to date with Gooii’s news on the project on their social media – LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.