University of Oviedo, Academic Leadership in SA Private 5G
The University of Oviedo (Asturias) has established itself as one of the leading drivers of knowledge in northern Spain. The Gijón Campus plays a vital role and is home to leading centers, notably the Polytechnic School of Engineering.
In this environment, the THIN5G Chair has become a key meeting point between the university and the business sector. Its mission is to launch the first open laboratory in Asturias dedicated to the development, experimentation, and validation of 5G technologies, encouraging the academic community and the business sector to collaborate in generating scientific knowledge.
To this end, the University of Oviedo decided to establish its own private 5G network—an infrastructure that would allow for experimentation, innovation, and training under real-world conditions.
One of the main challenges of this project was to deploy a private 5G network capable of providing full coverage—both indoors and outdoors—across a sprawling university campus.
Another key requirement was to operate in standalone (SA) mode, which is essential for a fully-fledged 5G network that is independent of any commercial infrastructure. This condition was intended to allow for complete control over all network elements, from the core to the base stations, facilitating monitoring and advanced configuration.
The University also sought to incorporate all the advanced technological capabilities associated with 5G, including millimeter-wave frequencies, which enable very high speeds and extremely low latency. Integrating these bands required a specific design and equipment capable of withstanding extreme performance demands, enabling state-of-the-art research scenarios.
