Bangor University Found Cost-Effective Way to Improve Bandwidth 10-fold

Bangor University through its Digital Signal Processing Centre found a cost-effective way to improve the performance of networks which supply mobile services and broadband to homes and businesses.

The said development in digital signal processing also improves its performance. Moreover, the new technique is much more kinder on our planet. This is achieved through its lack of complexity, so it takes less energy to transmit a set amount of data.

The process allowed them to set a new world record for using DSP to transform complicated, non-linear, low-speed optical transmission systems into simple, linear, high-speed ones.

Results from the latest research carried out at the DSP Centre in Bangor, North Wales, demonstrate that a 10-fold increase in bandwidth of commercially installed access networks is technically feasible over an extended distance of 100 kilometres by manipulating the way the data is processed in the receiver using a technique based on digital signal processing.

“Using advanced digital signal processing, we are manipulating the way in which signals are processed in the receiver to compensate for the effects that usually limit bandwidth and transmission distance. This approach could be used to upgrade existing networks without requiring considerable changes to be made to these networks. The approach also allows cheap and low-power consumption solutions to be deployed in new networks, capable of satisfying unprecedented technical requirements associated with 5G and beyond. We are now looking at how this approach could be further integrated with the DSP Centre’s other cutting-edge techniques to provide additional network security by detecting unauthorised changes to the network, and unauthorised access to the data, which is of paramount importance these days.”

Professor Jianming Tang, Director of the DSP Centre

The DSP Centre at Bangor University has secured £3.9million in project funding from European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. In addition to this funding, the centre has also recently secured £3million from the North Wales Growth Deal as one of the projects within the Digital Programme. Working with Ambition North Wales, the investment will be used to invest in cutting-edge equipment, expand its research facility and create up to 40 new jobs.

It is the only research site in the UK dedicated to addressing DSP for 5G and beyond and is working alongside high-profile international companies such as Vodafone, Orange, BT, Fujitsu and Ciena, as well as Welsh/UK SMEs to develop innovations that will revolutionise digital capabilities for both consumers and business.