Sheffield to open UK’s first national 6G research facility

The University of Sheffield is to set up a new research facility aimed at helping the UK become a world leader in 6G mobile phone technology. 

The national centre, which will be the UK’s first, will bring together academics and the industry to drive innovation in 6G, giving them the specialist equipment needed to collaborate and develop globally leading 6G solutions. 

More than 40 companies and academic institutions will support the project. 

It is expected that the facility, known as the UKRI National 6G Radio Systems Facility, will be up and running by January next year. 

The national facility we are creating at the University of Sheffield will play a huge role in the UK’s 6G capabilities

– Professor Timothy O’Farrell

Professor Timothy O’Farrell, professor of wireless communication at the University of Sheffield and director of the new facility, said: “6G is the next generation of telecommunications technology and has fast become a strategically important area for research and development. 

“If the UK is to maintain its place as a global leader in telecommunications, then we need the specialist equipment that our academics and industrial partners can use to innovate and develop next generation 6G technologies. 

“The national facility we are creating at the University of Sheffield will play a huge role in the UK’s 6G capabilities.” 

Cutting-edge research into many aspects of 6G radio systems will be enabled by the facility. 

It will be capable of supporting research into 6G radio systems spanning all of the operating frequency bands – from sub-6GHz to sub-THz – including the 6G pioneering band at 220GHz. 

Experts predict that 6G could be 100 times faster than 5G

Its key equipment will support multiple over-the-air transmissions at once, facilitating research into novel advanced radio systems. 

Funding for the centre has come from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the main body for engineering and physical sciences research in the UK. The EPSRC is governed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the agency responsible for dispersing grants for university research. 

Experts predict that 6G could be 100 times faster than 5G. Communications and 6G is an area of research interest at Sheffield, and researchers at the institution recently developed 3D-printed radio antennas that could speed up the development of new 5G and 6G infrastructure. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has indicated that science policy will be a key part of his governmental agenda, and he recently created a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology “focused on turning scientific and technical innovations into practical, appliable solutions to the challenges we face”.