09 October 2024
Policymakers, regulators, businesses and academics came together in London on 4 October 2024 for the second in a series of industry interaction workshops organised by Aberystwyth University’s National Spectrum Centre (NSC). The aim of the event was to share the latest information about the NSC’s offering and how it can support the next generation of wireless technologies. It was also a valuable opportunity to engage with potential end-users and find out more about their future spectrum requirements.
Held in the offices of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in central London, the event opened with a briefing by Professor Amit Kumar Mishra, the Director of the NSC, who set out his mission and vision for the NSC along with its unique value proposition. He explained how the NSC would help address the rapidly growing demand for new applications and technologies which use radio spectrum, including areas such as smart farming; the Internet of Things; public transport; autonomous land, sea and air vehicles; remote health monitoring and 6G. Potential funding paths and opportunities to collaborate with the NSC on research projects were highlighted too.
Guest speakers included Clare Allen, Senior Spectrum Engineer at Ofcom, who outlined the changing landscape of spectrum access and telecommunication regulation; Laura Iglesias, Head of Spectrum Innovation Policy at the UK Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, who talked about how spectrum technologies and emerging ways of sharing spectrum resource are crucial to accelerating industrial growth, and Professor Simon Saunders, Chair of the UKTIN Expert Working Groups, who highlighted the importance of spectrum data management and the need for facilities like the NSC for testing at scale. Other speakers included Jon Spencer, Chief C4 Systems Scientist at DSTL, and Julie Russell, Business Development Manager at Welsh Government.
Break-out sessions were also an integral part of the day, with smaller groups working through the potential applications and benefits of spectrum technologies in their respective organisations. One common thread of discussion was the NSC’s potential to bridge the skills gap in the radio frequency sector through training, internships and continuing professional development courses. Another was the provision of a range of sites for long-term evaluation testing of new spectrum technologies.
“This was an extremely valuable workshop for us and for stakeholders interested in finding out more about the National Spectrum Centre along with opportunities for collaboration as well as funding and investment,” said Professor Kumar. “In addition to showcasing the Centre’s capabilities and discussing areas of common concern, we also wanted to create a networking platform for players in spectrum innovations to network and discuss how best their innovation activities can be accelerated by the NSC in Wales. Thank you to all the speakers and delegates who joined us on the day”
If you’re interested in learning more about the NSC and opportunities to innovate and collaborate, please email Professor Mishra amm89@aber.ac.uk or spectrum@aber.ac.uk.