■ Introduction.
Recently, you may have seen or heard the term 5G more and more, which stands for 5th Generation, or fifth generation. What is the fifth generation of? It means the fifth generation of communication standards used in smartphones and other devices that have become as essential as water and air in the modern age. In this day and age, a quick Google search is all it takes to find out what 5G is, so I won't go into detail here, but it is the latest mobile communications system with the three characteristics of high speed, high capacity, high reliability, low latency and multiple simultaneous connections, and is attracting attention as the basis for realising DX (Digital Transformation). It is attracting attention as a foundation for realising DX (Digital Transformation).
In the "Strategy 10: Smart Tokyo/TOKYO Data Highway Strategy" of the "Future Tokyo" Strategy**1 announced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, three perspectives are presented, the first of which is to realise a "connected Tokyo" anytime, for anyone, anywhere through "radio roads". As a concrete example, it is stated that urban implementation using 5G and advanced technologies will be promoted intensively in the "Smart Tokyo" Advanced Implementation Areas, and that the results of this implementation will be spread not only to Tokyo but also to the rest of Japan. Minami-Osawa (Tokyo Metropolitan University) in Hachioji City, Tokyo, was selected as one of these 'advanced implementation areas' and has been designated as a priority development area for the TOKYO Data Highway. In developing the Minami-Osawa area, it was decided that a state-of-the-art research environment, including Local 5G, would be developed, research and demonstration experiments utilising the 5G environment would be promoted, and urban development using cutting-edge technology would be examined.
For the Tokyo Metropolitan University, this was a very challenging topic and there was some initial confusion, but in conjunction with the DX trend, momentum grew to see this as a good opportunity. Then, in April 2020, a 5G business promotion study council was set up within the university, and the 'Metropolitan University 5G Challenge' began.
■Local 5G environment development
The Local 5G project has the obvious advantage of being able to start research and demonstration experiments ahead of mobile operators' 5G environment development, but unlike 'carrier 5G' provided by mobile operators, it requires the construction of its own 5G network within the university's own premises. In the course of the five-year research from FY2020, it was necessary to develop a 5G environment that could respond to network requirements from the research themes and functional expansion due to technological progress. The Tokyo Metropolitan University had to procure, design and build the core network, antennas and other radio equipment, 5G devices and other equipment that make up the Local 5G environment, as well as carry out circuit construction, and obtain a new Local 5G radio station licence. The Tokyo Metropolitan University made such preparations and in December 2020 applied for a Local 5G radio station licence to the Kanto General Telecommunications Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and successfully obtained the licence (the official name is Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation). Figure 1 shows the Local 5G coverage areas at the Minami Osawa and Hino campuses developed by the University, combining the characteristics of the 4.7 GHz and 28 GHz bands to create one of the largest Local 5G environments in Japan, with 18 base stations (expanded in January 2022 and currently 20 stations) efficiently covering a wide area of the campus. 5G environment has been completed.
Figure 1 Local 5G areas on the Minami Osawa and Hino campuses
Combining the respective radio wave characteristics of the 28 GHz and 4.7 GHz bands, a wide area of both campuses is covered efficiently.
In parallel with the development of the Local 5G environment, the research environment was also developed. As part of this, two anechoic chambers for 5G research were built on the Hino campus. One of these, shown on the left in Photo 1, is a 3 m anechoic chamber for EMC measurements, where tests are carried out to check whether the equipment can operate normally even when subjected to electromagnetic interference. The other is the microwave anechoic chamber shown on the right in Photo 1, which is used to carry out various measurements using radio equipment under development (antennas, receivers, etc.). These have been in operation since August 2021.
Photo 1: Anechoic chambers for 5G research set up on the Hino campus.
The left is a 3m method anechoic chamber and the right is a microwave anechoic chamber.
■5G research support
By intensively supporting research that makes use of the newly developed Local 5G environment, the University aims to solve problems related to high-speed, high-capacity mobile communications, including 5G, which will be the key infrastructure for the realisation of Society 5.0, and to stimulate research unique to the University that will contribute to improving the lives of Tokyo residents through social implementation. The decision was made to To this end, two categories were prepared. The first is challenging basic research, which contributes to solving future issues that are difficult for companies to deal with, and which could become the core of innovations that bring about the development and transformation of science and technology, including the resolution of drawbacks associated with the spread of high-speed, high-capacity mobile communications systems such as 5G. The aim is to support research that can be the core of innovations that bring about the development and transformation of science and technology, such as the use of the Local 5G environment to advance research and the desired ripple effects on downstream fields. The other is social implementation-oriented research, which is applied research that leads to the realisation of Society 5.0 and is expected to be implemented in society, for example by proposing new lifestyles using high-speed, high-capacity mobile communication systems such as 5G, or by improving the quality of life of city residents by creating social and public value. This is support for research.
Table 1 shows the research proposals adopted by the university in FY2020 and FY2021, which were divided into short-term and long-term categories for social implementation-oriented research in FY2021, as the category with a support period of five years in FY2020 was changed to long-term and a new short-term category with a relatively short support period of two to three years was established. This is due to the establishment of a new short-term category with a relatively short support period of two to three years. Although an explanation of each issue is omitted, we hope that you will get a sense of the cutting-edge nature and uniqueness of the issues from the names of the issues.
Table 1: Research proposals adopted under the Tokyo Metropolitan University Local 5G Environment Utilisation Research Support Scheme
Industry-academia collaboration
In addition to research support, industry-academia collaboration initiatives using the Local 5G environment are also being implemented. As mentioned earlier, in the 'Future Tokyo' Strategy formulated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Minami-Osawa area is positioned as a 'Smart Tokyo' prior implementation area and, with the aim of realising Society 5.0, advanced research using the Local 5G environment is being promoted, and university ventures and start-ups are being supported by making use of the research results. The aim is to promote support for university ventures and start-ups by utilising the results of research. Therefore, in FY2021, with the aim of creating new 5G use cases through active collaboration with private companies and research institutions, including start-ups with cutting-edge seeds, the University's Local 5G environment will be used as a demonstration field for new products and services utilising 5G. The project provided the University's local 5G environment as a demonstration field for new products and services utilising 5G to private companies and others.
One company was selected from among the applicants from the private sector through a screening of documents and presentations, and a demonstration experiment of future communication using VR (virtual reality)/AR (augmented reality) was conducted using the Local 5G environment that covers a wide area of the Tokyo Metropolitan University. An AR platform was built to enable virtual classes and open campuses, and a real-time streaming mechanism utilising the 5G network was verified on this platform. In the future, the possibility is expected of using this system for university information sessions, for example, by examining a mechanism for projecting real-time holograms.
In the future, the idea is to offer the Local 5G environment to companies and others as a demonstration field for new products and services that utilise 5G. In fact, in June 2022, the local 5G environment will be provided to start-up companies in the TOKYO 5G Boosters Project (Miyako Project), and orders for cafés on the Minami Osawa campus will be received online from on-campus monitors, and products will be delivered to the on-campus monitors via remote-control robots using local 5G lines. An experiment was conducted to deliver products to on-campus monitors on the Minami-Osawa campus by a remote-controlled robot using a local 5G connection. Although there were some equipment problems at the end, the demonstration experiment was of particular interest to science students, who reported that orders were constantly coming in throughout the experiment period, and it can be said that the experiment was generally a success. The fact that we were able to cooperate with this kind of industry-academia collaboration is considered to be one of the achievements of the project as part of the project to utilise the Local 5G environment.
■ Local collaboration
As mentioned earlier, the Minami-Osawa area is positioned as a 'Smart Tokyo' pre-implementation area in the 'Future Tokyo' strategy formulated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which states that industry-academia-government collaboration will promote demonstration experiments using advanced technologies such as 5G in order to solve problems in the Tama region and create a future town. The project is to promote demonstration experiments using advanced technologies such as 5G through industry-academia-government collaboration in order to solve problems in the Tama region and create the town of the future. Specifically, it states that a council will be established together with local cities, metropolitan universities and local companies, and that the content of the demonstration experiments will be selected. In response, the Minami-Osawa Smart City Council was established with the participation of various stakeholders to discuss medium- and long-term initiatives. Council members include Hachioji City, Tokyo Metropolitan University, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (Urban Development Bureau, General Affairs Bureau, Digital Services Bureau) and cooperating companies and organisations. The council examined the current situation and issues in the region, utilised advanced technologies to solve problems, evaluated their introduction and examined their priority, and examined their social implementation and future issues. For example, experiments and demonstrations of autonomous mobility were conducted in the Minami-Osawa Station area. For details, see the Minami-Osawa Smart City Project - Minami-Osawa Smart City Council website.
■ Conclusion.
This section has introduced Tokyo Metropolitan University's research on 5G and its initiatives in industry-academia and regional cooperation. While it is natural for a university to conduct research, we have high expectations for the future results of cutting-edge research that makes use of one of the largest Local 5G environments in Japan, as research that is unique to Tokyo Metropolitan University. In addition to this, we also have high expectations for the development of industry-academia collaboration using such a Local 5G environment. The university intends to continue to provide companies and others with a field for demonstration tests of new products and services that utilise 5G.
Thttps://www.jst.go.jp/tt/journal/journal_contents/2022/11/2211-02_article.html
