Telstra and University of Melbourne on the crest of 5G wave
A key research project between the University of Melbourne and Telstra has developed a prototype tool to automate some steps in cell planning, with the potential to accelerate Telstra’s network planning process for 5G small cells.
Telstra’s Sri Amirthalingam, Commercial Engineering Executive, Global Networks and Technology says that the project ‘demonstrates a strong ongoing partnership between the two organisations.’
“Our relationship with the University of Melbourne continues to strengthen as we work together to create novel solutions that will benefit Telstra operationally and our customers’ everyday experience on our network,” he said.
Image: Telstra.
The 5G cell planning project is part of an overarching collaboration between the two iconic institutions, which has led to four Sprint Research Grant projects, a School of Computer and Information Systems - Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering seed funding project and a Capstone project. The research is based within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.
The project’s prototype software, the “Pole Classifier”, uses artificial intelligence (AI) applied to publicly available images to classify street poles for suitability for 5G small cell deployments.
Specifically, it will enable Australia’s leading telco to automate steps in an existing cell planning process that currently requires significant manual effort, thereby saving time and money.
The Pole Classifier is now being analysed as part of Telstra’s larger network planning process to assess potential efficiency gains. The tool has applicability for 5G small cells at traditional microwave frequencies as well as higher mmWave frequencies.
When fully developed, it will help to enable the deployment of 5G small cell networks that provide a better customer experience, as well as support new Telstra consumer and enterprise services that can take advantage of a higher capacity wireless network.
The team consists of Telstra staff – Dr Taka Sakurai, Dr Paul Fitzpatrick, Dr Yuting Fang and University of Melbourne staff – Dr Rajitha Senanayake, Dr Davood Shojaei, Prof Jamie Evans, Prof Tom Drummond, and PhD students Tian Han, Tharaka Perera, Cipher Zhang and Jiayu Huang.
Individual projects under the collaboration either build on each other or explore adjacent areas to test alternative approaches to tackle the same problem. As an example, the team is also exploring the use of point-cloud data, collected with a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner, to classify and geo-locate street furniture.
Dr Taka Sakurai, Engineering Senior Lead, Telstra, describes the portfolio collaboration as “very important and one in which we are both highly invested.”
“Working with the University of Melbourne gives us access to high-quality researchers who bring new ways of thinking to tackle our business challenges,” he said.
Dr Rajitha Senanayake, Senior Lecturer, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University, describes the future of the partnership as “very bright for both parties as we develop new ideas for future works and collaborations with Telstra”.
“We are the number one university in Australia and Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications company,” she said.
“We always look for challenges within the industry. Having access to Telstra staff brings us a great opportunity to develop practical methods to resolve any issues and ignite new thinking.”