1. Laboratory Name and Physical Address

Research Lab:      5G/6G Wireless Network Enabling Technologies

Acronym:    5G/6G NETLab

Address:     Department of Computer Engineering

College of Engineering and Information Sciences

King Saud University

 

2. Working group and members 

Prof. Salman Ali AlQahtani

Department of Computer Engineering

College of Computer and Information Sciences

Tel: 467-

Mobile: 0505-225172

Email: salmanq@ksu.edu.sa

Web site: https://fac.ksu.edu.sa/salmanq

Prof. Mehedi Hassan, Member

Prof. Ghulam Muhammad, Member

Prof. Min Chen, 5G/6G Network Expert, IEEE Fellow, email: ncent@ksu.edu.sa
 

   3-Description of the Laboratory

An Introduction

This laboratory, named as 5G/6G NETLab , is intended to help develop applied research at King Saud University in the areas of Advanced Enabling Technologies for 5G and 6G Networks. The area of 5G/6G wireless networks, with its many applications, is not well developed in the gulf region, and thus such a laboratory would give King Saud University and consequently the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be the leader of such applied research in the region, in addition to having a respectable place within the international scientific community. Hence, this laboratory should facilitate interaction between KSU students/researchers and industry, including military institutions if possible, in the region and other international researchers and research centers through the valuable, rich, and different exchanges.

 

Area of Research

The aim of 5G/6G NETLab is to propose new approaches and provide innovative solutions enabling 5G and 6G wireless networks. The 5G/6G NETLab is oriented to carry out research activities on topics related to the advanced enabling technologies for 5G and 6G wireless networks, including, but not limited to:

• Wireless software-defined network (SDN), Cognitive radio networks
• Network function virtualization (NFV),
• 5G/6G Cybersecurity
• Millimeter wave spectrum (mm Wave),
• Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO),
• Network ultra-densification,
• Big data and mobile cloud computing,
• Scalable Internet of Things, V2X communications
• Device-to-device connectivity with high mobility,
• Green communications,
• Visible Light Communications (VLC)
• AI-based Wireless Networks
• New radio access techniques
• Innovative 5G Network Architectures: including MEC, C-RAN and 3D network architecture
• Flying base stations (drones, UAVs),

 

While 5G/6G NETLab is primarily intended to consider the development of advanced enabling technologies, it is not limited to those topics and new research topics and ideas will always be developed and considered, and investigated to include other research interests and especially be up to date with the advancement of science and technology in the world.

 

5G/6G NETLab contribution to College of Computer and information science and KSU

Both undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in this research laboratory. Undergraduate students will be involved through their senior design projects addressing experimental design components, and through undergraduate research in projects funded by the university or by different agencies such as King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), or the Ministry of education.  This should help in the development of the computer engineering program, as this will be another venue where undergraduates get hands on experience by making use of engineering tools, collecting data and analyzing it. This will also help facilitating the interaction between undergraduate and graduate students. It will help support and encourage students to pursue graduate studies and do research as they get exposed to advanced technological applications of 5G and 6G networks at their undergraduate level. This would be a formidable chance to undergraduate students to develop new applications and realize applications of existing advanced enabling technologies for 5G and 6G networks that may result in publications in international conferences and possibly journals.

At the graduate level, which is the main goal of this proposed research lab, graduate students working on their MS thesis or PhD dissertation get a chance to set-up experiments and obtain experimental lab data to be used for the application of advanced developed algorithms that can enhance the performance of 5G and 6G networks as part of their research. This will also give them a nice opportunity to have hands on lab experience, and validate results that otherwise would have been obtained through mathematical modeling and computer simulations only. This is definitely a plus in increasing publications in international conferences and journal publications, and would certainly provide a venue for engineering students of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to carry advanced research on topics related to the area of advanced enabling technologies for 5G and 6G networks.

While seeking international stature, this laboratory will be working closely with other research laboratories in the department and at the university level like ALISR (Advanced lab for Intelligent Systems Research) directed by Dr. Naif Alajlan, ECASP (Embedded Computing And Signal Processing Research Lab) directed by Dr. Musaed Alhussein,  PSATRI (Prince Sultan Advanced Technologies Research Institute) directed by Dr. Sami Alhumaidi, and KACST Innovation Center in Radio Frequency and Photonics for the e-Society (RFTONICS) directed by Prof. Saleh Alshebeili. In addition, The Laboratory will be open to colleagues in the department who would like to be part of a constructive research work that would eventually lead to further development of research at KSU and KSA.

 

KSU contribution to female research in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Since both male and female graduate students will be involved in the research, this research lab would be an extraordinary venue for Saudi female graduate students to work on advanced applications in the area of Advanced Enabling Technologies for 5G and 6G Networks, and thus contribute to the development of research in the country and even become leaders in the gulf region. Female students will be given the chance to access some of lab facilities; either remotely if high-performance computing facilities and advanced computer networks packages are needed for conducting simulation work or by providing them with the relevant hardware boards for conducting research pertaining to real-time implementation of algorithms designed for a specific application.

 

  4- Laboratory Objectives

The 5G/6G NETLab has also the following objectives:

• To allow KSU faculty, graduate and undergraduate students to explore various types of 5G/6G network technologies, develop 5G/6G network applications, experiment with new 5G/6G enabling technologies, and create solutions for use of 5G/6G networks for different business model.
• To support KSU students graduation projects and  research projects for both the graduate and undergraduate levels
• Give KSU students, undergraduate and graduate, male and female, hands on experience on the development and implementation of algorithms that can enhance the functionality of 5G and 6G enabling technologies, in laboratory experimental work as part of their theses; senior design project reports, MS theses and PhD theses.
• Provide the KSU students and interested college researchers with required services and facilities to innovate
• Encourage and support undergraduate students involved in the laboratory to pursue graduate studies.
• Facilitate  interactions between students, undergraduate and graduate, and other research centers at the university level (KSU) and industry nationally, in the gulf region, and internationally
• To develop killer-applications and new solutions of interest to the national industry.
• Valorization of the research by participation in colloquiums, seminars,  conferences, scientific visits: exchange of researchers, and thus increasing publication in international conferences and journals.

 

    5-Lab Assistant Neede

A qualified lab assistant would help in setting up the laboratory and its equipment. The experience gained during this process will be used in helping students setting up experiments and obtaining measurements. Also, he will be working closely with the students/researchers in the lab in determining future needed equipment, contacting companies worldwide, obtaining quotations, and following up purchasing orders so that the students/researchers can focus on the development of their research by setting up the experiment properly, obtaining measurements for analysis that may lead to publications, and for the completion of their thesis in order to obtain a graduate degree. The role of the lab assistant will also include keeping track of equipment borrowed by female students, maintaining order and the equipment clean and safe for future usage in the lab. A lab assistant with Master degree in any field of advanced enabling technologies for 5G and 6G is preferred.