A new R&D lab has opened at The IQ HQ in Richardson at the heart of the city’s Innovation Quarter. It’s part of a nationwide collaboration to pursue research, testing, evaluation and development of the next generation of 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and services—and it’s affiliated with UT Dallas’ Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.
The OpenLab has been established under leadership provided by AT&T and Verizon, the city said.
A key goal of the lab is to test 5G network performance, interoperability, and security—and to develop new testing approaches to advance the adoption of an “open and interoperable multivendor wireless network infrastructure.”
Richardson’s IQ was designed as a place for innovative minds to get together. To pursue that goal, the new lab “will offer exposure to a vibrant ecosystem of researchers, enterprise partners, and entrepreneurs,” the city said, adding that it’s supporting the UTD effort with a partial rent abatement for the space.
“We’re thrilled to announce the creation of this 5G Interoperability lab and that AT&T and Verizon have joined UT Dallas in planting a flag in the Richardson IQ,” Richardson City Manager Don Magner said in a statement. “This collaboration marks another significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to advance technological research and commercial applications and highlights the impact The IQ HQ can have when the city, the university and private enterprise work together. This is precisely the type of partnership we imagined for our innovation ecosystem.”
Part of the rew ACCoRD consortium
The lab is part of the Acceleration of Compatibility and Commercialization for Open RAN Deployments (ACCoRD) consortium, a recently announced entity funded by over $42 million through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.
The aim is to speed the development and deployment of Open RAN, short for Open Radio Access Network, for future wireless communications.
Richardson said it’s providing UTD with a below-market-rate lease for up to four years for more than 3,600 square feet of space at the Richardson IQ HQ, located at 1302 E. Collins Blvd.
Other corsortium members
Beyond AT&T and Verizon, the consortium includes huge network operators like India-based Reliance Jio and Japanese telecommunications company NTT DOCOMO. Vendors in the consortium include Keysight, Ericsson, Samsung, Fujitsu and CommScope. Academic members include experts from UTD, Virginia Tech, Northeastern University, Iowa State University, Rutgers University, and Idaho National Laboratory.
“UT Dallas is a national leader in fundamental and applied research, and with partners in industry, government and academia, our researchers have spurred innovations that are changing the marketplace,” Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, VP for research and innovation at UT Dallas, said in a statement. “This consortium is certain to play a key role in meeting the increasing demand for more resilient and more secure wireless technologies that are so critical to citizens and businesses in the U.S. and around the globe.”
5G’s benefits
The city noted that 5G offers data rates “about 100 times that of 4G components” and is primarily used for enhanced mobile broadband, providing faster speeds and improved streaming for consumers. The technology supports industrial applications from smart factories to autonomous vehicles, and is fueling health care innovations from telemedicine to remote surgery. Businesses benefit from private 5G networks and edge computing for low latency and real-time analytics, the city added. Down the road, 5G applications could include advanced AI, smart agriculture, and “more immersive consumer experiences.”
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