Joins Telia and Ericsson's big 5G initiative for industry

Luleå University of Technology is now strengthening its collaboration with Telia and Ericsson by joining Telia and Ericsson's major 5G initiative in industry, the NorthStar innovation programme. The programme gives the university access to a brand new, purpose-built 5G network for innovation, equipped with the very latest technology from Ericsson.

“I´m so glad to welcome Luleå University of Technology to the NorthStar programme. This is another big and important milestone in our cooperation, which is also important for the region. The massive investments now being made in industry and green transformation in Norrbotten and Västerbotten place high demands on a robust and secure digital infrastructure. This is where 5G plays a key role, being developed for industrial applications and society-critical services," says Magnus Leonhardt, Head of Strategy and Innovation for Telia B2B.

Telia, Ericsson and Luleå University of Technology have been working closely together on 5G for many years. Back in 2019, the first joint test environment for 5G was inaugurated on campus. Since then, 5G has been tested in various contexts – from mining to healthcare and the energy sector.

“Today, the test site is used by both small and large companies to explore future services and applications. It also serves an important function for research and cooperation on a national and international level,” says Karl Andersson, Professor in Pervasive and Mobile Computing at Luleå University of Technology.

Connecting existing 5G test bed to the innovation network within the NorthStar programme

Luleå University of Technology is now connecting its existing 5G test bed to the innovation network within the NorthStar programme - giving it access to completely new technical possibilities in the 5G network such as positioning, network slicing and edge computing. The aim of the NorthStar programme is to accelerate the use of 5G in industry, with a particular focus on developing smarter and more sustainable transport solutions.

The electrification of Sweden is crucial for the green transformation of society and important sectors such as transport. One of the projects that will take advantage of the new technological opportunities that the university's 5G testbed now has access to through the NorthStar programme is VISA/5G External link, opens in new window..

The project, which is a collaboration between Luleå University of Technology, Telia, Vattenfall, Ericsson, Hitachi Energy, Metrum and IETV, will investigate and demonstrate how 5G can be used in smart grids to optimise power supply and increase operational reliability.

About NorthStar

Currently, a handful of selected companies and enterprises participate in the NorthStar programme, including AstaZero, a test environment for automated transport systems outside Gothenburg, run by the research institute RISE. Technically, the innovation network in NorthStar consists of a new 5G core network, i.e. the actual brain of a mobile network, which will be integrated into Telia's existing public 5G network. Companies can also build local networks, for example at test sites or research facilities, and connect them to the innovation network, regardless of where in Sweden they operate.