Ericsson announced that it has extended its collaboration with KAUST for another two years.
Swedish vendor Ericsson has announced that it has extended its research and development partnership with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) for a further two years.
Building on the results achieved during the initial three-year collaboration, the extension demonstrates the two organizations’ commitment to continuously advance cutting-edge technologies in the communications sector, including 5G and 6G, with a particular focus on on-chip reflective intelligent surfaces and free-space optical communications, Ericsson said in a release.
Ericsson added that previous collaborations have focused on machine learning for frequency selective radio channels, terahertz and free-space optical communications, and transparent and flexible intelligent surfaces, while the new phase of the collaboration will focus on next-generation communications technologies with a particular focus on on-chip reflective intelligent surfaces and free-space optical communications.
The European vendor noted that the partnership has also fostered knowledge exchange and collaboration between students and researchers between KAUST and Ericsson Research in Sweden.
Pierre Magistretti, vice president for research at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, said: “Our expanding partnership with Ericsson reflects our two companies’ shared vision of pioneering the communications industry of tomorrow. Through this collaboration, we have been able to combine KAUST’s research capabilities with Ericsson’s industry expertise to produce groundbreaking scientific research.”
“Our efforts have not only enhanced research capabilities but also contributed greatly to developing skilled human resources in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. The next phase of our partnership promises to bring even greater innovation as we continue to explore the untapped potential of advanced communications technologies,” he added.
“The initial phase of our partnership has delivered major advancements in communications technology, which have been crucial in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the 5G and emerging 6G sectors. As we move into the next phase of our partnership, our focus remains on harnessing the full potential of next-generation technologies and further innovating in connectivity and communications technology,” said Masoor Al Sudairy, head of local content, Ericsson Saudi Arabia.
In March, Saudi Arabian telecommunications group stc and Ericsson announced they had collaborated on a 5G Standalone (5G SA) demonstration, achieving a data uplink speed record. The demonstration was conducted in a live network environment using Ericsson’s dual-mode 5G Core system with an end-to-end 5G SA network.
Leveraging 5G New Radio Dual Connectivity, which enables mobile devices to connect to multiple access networks, demonstrations have reportedly exceeded speeds of 4 gigabits per second (Gbps), an advancement that will enable faster data transmission between networks and devices, improving efficiency, reliability and coverage, the partners say.
