Development of novel 5G fronthaul/backhaul integrated antenna systems to establish reliable 5G links in harsh maritime environments

JET is delivering world-first "5G connectivity at sea" through the deployment of high-bandwidth 5G floating-buoy systems, offering increased connectivity and communication capabilities throughout the marine sector, supporting the UK's priorities of critical national infrastructure for future wireless non-terrestrial network (MNTN), national security and 'net zero' ambitions. To date, JET has successfully demonstrated the detection/transition of 5G signals with our innovative 5G floating-buoy systems at sea using a novel high-gain-beamforming & low-gain integrated-antenna solution.

However, their operations are unstable, and our insight understanding of how antenna beams and link performance are formed is limited, especially in real-world, harsh operating environments.

JET now urgently needs support on the major problem we now face, having an inability in attaining rigorous validations of our 5G systems (e.g., its beamforming and link performance) to ensure reliably in real-world harsh operating environments at sea, alongside simulations to develop an insight understanding on how beamforming's operation may be optimised to ensure reliable link. This problem must be overcome at this stage of development, to avoid having to deploy antennas with customers and finding issues.

To tackle this problem, this project aims to establish and validate our novel fronthaul and backhaul integrated antenna systems. Focus will be given to formulating and validating the overall validity of our antenna systems, allowing for technology optimisation and refinement of broadcast antennas to guarantee the best possible connections for users, with minimum possible interference released into the radio-environment and additional antennas used.

Throughout the project NPL will provide consultancy, as well as conducting a series of beam-pattern and wireless link evaluations of antenna systems, de-risking future development of a clear solution to JET current long-running technical problem.

In the short-term this project enables JET to hire an additional RF engineer, who will work alongside our team to increase our expertise. We estimate the long-term value of the JET solution will be greater than £412-million over the next 10-years, based on our missed network sale opportunities. The revenues we anticipate within our chosen and extended markets will be further increased through additional service provision to a range of maritime markets, facilitating increased safety, sustainability and smart operations.

This project further contributes to the overall 5G connectivity and commercial developments within the offshore environment. The development and validation of our antenna systems delivers a solution which positively improves resilience within the UK, whilst also supporting Net-Zero ambitions and Levelling-Up Agendas.