Non-Linear Processing for Enhanced Wireless Experience and High Performing Wireless Networks
NL-COMM
NL-COMM is an innovative and efficient signal processing framework that addresses long-standing theoretical and practical challenges, offering substantial improvements in Spectral Efficiency, Connectivity, and Energy Efficiency in systems where multiple information streams are transmitted simultaneously at the same frequency—such as in Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) and Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) systems—by simply changing the base station/access point processing algorithms.
The Problem
Why Your Strong Signal Can’t Guarantee a Good Connection:The Limitations of Traditional Wireless Processing
Ever struggled with video calls or texting in crowded areas, even with strong signal strength? This happens due to the limited shared spatial, frequency, and time resources, combined with today’s suboptimal signal processing solutions. Modern wireless systems like 5G have shifted to allow multiple users to transmit concurrently on the same frequency (e.g., MIMO technology). However, existing linear signal processing approaches for such systems, despite their practical benefits, significantly underutilise wireless channel resources, resulting in poor user experiences and unnecessary development and operational costs, as they diverge considerably from ‘optimal’ transceiver design principles. On the other hand, existing attempts to apply ‘optimal’ transceiver principles to modern wireless systems are impractical due to processing complexity and latency and lack the efficient radio-resource-management functionalities needed to integrate such solutions into practical systems.
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Our Solution
NL-COMM: Revolutionising Wireless Networks with Non-Linear Processing
NL-COMM solves long-standing theoretical and practical problems and enables, for the first time, practical non-linear processing that improves wireless networks by optimising the way users can access and share the available resources. As verified in our demos, NL-COMM is the first low-cost and integrable non-linear processing solution that can substantially improve the capabilities of current wireless systems, and perhaps revolutionise future ones. NL-COMM consists of algorithmic solutions and hardware/software accelerators for advanced non-linear MIMO detection/precoding approaches that can provide substantial throughput (in terms of bps/Hz/used antenna) and connectivity gains (in terms of concurrently connected users), as well as algorithmic solutions and accelerators for efficient Radio Resource Management (RRM) approaches applicable to both linear and non-linear processing systems, enabling substantial connectivity benefits and reducing network deployment and operational costs.
Indicative results show that NL-COMM can enable gains of 200% or more in spectral efficiency, substantial power consumption savings at the base station by requiring 50% fewer antennas (and RF chains), and an increase in the number of supported users of 450% by only changing the processing algorithms of a base station, compared with systems using linear signal processing.
NL-COMM is fully compatible with both 3GPP-based and IEEE 802.11 wireless systems, allowing seamless integration into traditional networks, as well as into the rapidly growing Open-RAN ecosystem, driving the development of new commercial products and solutions.
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Video - An Introduction
Video - Demonstration
Our Team
Meet Our Founding Team
Prof. Konstantinos Nikitopoulos
NL-COMM is led by Prof. Konstantinos Nikitopoulos (Project Lead), a Professor in Wireless Communication Systems & Signal Processing, with strong expertise in non-linear processing. He is an active member of the 5G/6G Innovation Centre (5G/6GIC) where he leads the “Theory and Practice of Advanced Concepts in Wireless Communications” research area, and the Open RAN Lead for the University of Surrey.
His research focuses on the physical layer (PHY) aspects of pragmatic, energy and latency-efficient wireless communication systems that “work in practice” and, in particular, on the intersection of (i) advanced, highly efficient, physical layer (PHY) processing design, (ii) advanced computing architectures and (iii) system level design and demonstration. As an academic, he has led a plethora of research projects, with a big part of those being market-driven and industry supported.
He is the main inventor of the NL-COMM processing approaches and a recipient of the prestigious UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council “First Grant” in the same research area (i.e., MultiSphere).
The NL-COMM Engineering Team
The NL-COMM engineering teams consists of the following Members (from left to right)
- Dr Marcin Filo, Base Station Development Engineering Team Lead, System Integration and Software Implementation Lead
- Dr Chathura Jayawardena, Research Fellow, Algorithmic Development Lead
- Dr Juan Carlos De Luna Ducoing, Research Fellow, MU-MIMO User Scheduling Algorithmic Design and Development
- Dr Georgios N. Katsaros, Research Fellow, FPGA Prototype Design and Implementation
- Dr Thomas James Thomas, Research Fellow, FPGA Prototype Design and Implementation
- Mr Nima Jarahiyan, Research Software/Hardware Developer, FPGA Prototype Design and Implementation
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