Discovering new applications for 5G and beyond with Japan’s leading universities
What does a new student on campus today think of when they hear 5G? Perhaps better online gaming or movie streaming, or maybe better connectivity for calling home or ordering food delivery? Could it be that they dream of remote learning without buffering?
To discover and delve deeper into new applications for 5G, Rakuten Mobile has announced partnerships with three leading institutions in Japan: Tsukuba University, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Kobe University.
While these of course may all be possible, the reality of possibilities is much broader and deeper. The revolution that 5G is expected to bring to life will come from the combination of the high speed, ultra-low latency and massive multi-connectivity of the technology.
To discover and delve deeper into new applications for 5G, Rakuten Mobile has announced partnerships with three leading institutions in Japan: Tsukuba University, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and Kobe University.
The Rakuten Mobile team will collaborate with academics and students from the universities on research and trials of new services and experiences utilizing 5G to create new 5G-based services and address social issues.
The common thread across these Rakuten Mobile partnerships with leading universities is the aim to uncover how technology can empower society, and to bring 5G dreams to reality.
Experiential design
Rakuten Mobile and the University of Tsukuba are combining forces for a Special Joint Research Project for “5G Experiential Design.” With wide-ranging research expertise covering medicine, IT, system engineering, the arts, sports and more, the University of Tsukuba will work with Rakuten Mobile to develop entirely new 5G experiences in these fields. The two-year project aims to create new use cases that utilize 5G through interdisciplinary research and development.
The R&D and trials will focus on areas including remote medical care using telepresence technology, delivery services using autonomous delivery robots, expanding cultural and artistic experiences and creating new sports analysis and viewing experiences.
Making a smart society smarter
In another recent announcement, Rakuten Mobile and Tokyo Tech will conduct trials for 5G networks and collaborate with the Super Smart Society Promotion Consortium with the aim of realizing a super smart society, also known as Society 5.0.
Rakuten Mobile will build an end-to-end fully virtualized 5G network on Tokyo Tech’s Ookayama Campus and the surrounding area. Over the next four years, Rakuten Mobile and Tokyo Tech will carry out trials leveraging sub-6 and mmW 5G NR (New Radio) to support the development of the surrounding area, to address local community needs and to build a model case of a “Super Smart Town.” This is a concept that leverages the high speed and low latency of 5G to create services such as smart navigation, smart shopping and smart mobility, with the aim of realizing a better way of living and revitalizing the local community.
Going beyond 5G
Rakuten Mobile is also partnering with Tokyo Tech on R&D into edge cloud computing with the aim of exploring Beyond 5G (B5G) communication technology. This is the next generation of communications standards to follow 5G, expected to be introduced in the 2030s. This R&D will be carried out with the support of the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) as part of its “Beyond 5G R&D Promotion Project.” The R&D will focus on the specified research theme of “foundation for next-generation edge cloud computing to support Beyond 5G ultra-high-capacity wireless communication.”
B5G is expected to be even more sophisticated than 5G, enabling wireless communications of massive volumes of data, high reliability and low latency and simultaneous connections with a massive number of devices. To leverage these capabilities, data processing must take place close to the end user or target of the network, a process known as edge computing. Edge cloud computing combines the strengths of edge computing and cloud computing and is expected to become a major technical pillar of B5G wireless communication.
Over four years, Rakuten Mobile and Tokyo Tech will develop a platform to run application systems on edge cloud computing with B5G at its foundation. The platform will be used to optimize network functions while trialing the implementation of services that could potentially be used in a smart city.
Combatting the impact of COVID-19 with 5G
Over in western Japan, Rakuten Mobile is also collaborating with Kobe University on R&D into solutions for relieving congestion at event venues using 5G.
The R&D is part of the city’s “Daigakuhatsu Urban Innovation Kobe” (“University-created Urban Innovation Kobe”) project which provides support to young researchers at universities in the Kobe area carrying out research in humanities, social science and related fields. Through the project, the city aims to solve regional and governmental challenges and promote the development of highly skilled human resources.
With the global pandemic, managing crowds and securing social distance at events such as sporting matches where large numbers of people gather has become a major issue.
The R&D is focusing on solutions to relieve congestion at Noevir Stadium, the home ground of Rakuten’s J.League soccer team Vissel Kobe. By providing video streams showing the level of congestion in and around the stadium, well as other information and content on the local area, the aim is to encourage spectators to take different routes out of the stadium and home in order to break up crowds and reduce congestion.
The common thread across these Rakuten Mobile partnerships with leading universities is the aim to uncover how technology can empower society, and to bring 5G dreams to reality.
