As part of the “Modern and Prospective Mobile Communication Networks” roadmap, Skoltech’s three-year project aims to develop and verify key domestic technologies and solutions in software and hardware for fifth-generation networks with enhanced capabilities (5G Advanced), as well as to create a scientific and technological foundation for future development of technologies for sixth-generation networks (6G) by 2030.
Work on preparing the project has been underway since 2023 under the leadership of RAS Academician, Skoltech President Alexander Kuleshov in coordination with scientific and educational organizations and industry (telecom operators, telecom equipment manufacturers). The project team also includes Professor Alexey Frolov, who heads the Skoltech Wireless Center, and the center’s team, Nataliya Kosmodemyanskaya, the head of the Skoltech Project Support Department, Alexey Faustov, the deputy director of the Skoltech Industrial Programs Department, and Project Support Manager Igor Papkin. The grant work will be carried out at the Skoltech Wireless Center.
“As a technology factory, we undertook to prepare one technology for the market in one year. Making promises about technologies is thankless, but without ambitious goals, it is impossible to get closer to a scientific and technological breakthrough, let alone achieve it. We fulfilled our 5G promise — base stations developed at Skoltech have already been delivered to 37 regions of Russia. With great interest and full awareness of the responsibility, we are taking on next-generation technology,” shared RAS Academician, Skoltech President Alexander Kuleshov.
“Currently, active work is underway worldwide on the development and standardization of 5G Advanced networks, which serve as a transitional stage from 5G to 6G. The sixth generation is now at the stage of exploratory research, and actual equipment will appear in mass production around the 2030s. At present, only high-level requirements for 6G networks have been defined, such as a peak data transfer rate of 1 Tbps, which is 100 times higher than 5G. Thus, 6G wireless networks present a serious challenge for researchers and developers, requiring breakthrough solutions and an interdisciplinary approach. With unique expertise and relying on the collective efforts of the Skoltech team, we are confident that we can overcome these challenges and make a significant contribution to the development of telecommunications technologies. Our developments should become the basis for the next generation of domestic equipment,” said Professor Alexey Frolov, who heads the Skoltech Wireless Center.
The project will be implemented in collaboration with scientific and educational organizations: MIPT, HSE Tikhonov Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics, Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, and the Telecom Research Center. The result will be a set of critical technologies for creating 5G Advanced communication networks and network infrastructure elements. A foundation will be created for developing prospective 6G network technologies: base station software, their architectural modules, AI-based network management systems, digital twins and specialized solutions in the field of radio photonics and antenna systems. These solutions will form the basis of new generations of domestically produced telecommunications equipment.
“The launch of research and development of key domestic technologies in 5G Advanced and 6G hardware and software is a necessary and timely step, considering that this work has long been actively pursued worldwide. We would like to express our gratitude to the Russian Ministry of Digital Development for initiating the competition and contributing to the advancement of this field in Russia,” added Nataliya Kosmodemyanskaya, the head of the Skoltech Project Support Department.
