Networking & Wireless

University of Connecticut and AT&T Collaborating on 5G Lab

• By Rhea Kelly
• 04/22/21

A new private 5G network at the University of Connecticut's Stamford campus will advance academic programs and expand entrepreneurial activities in the Stamford Data Science Initiative. The university is working with AT&T to roll out the company's 5G millimeter wave and multi-access edge compute (MEC) technology, which enables near real-time, ultra-high bandwidth and ultra-low latency access for latency-dependent mobile applications, according to a news announcement. The collaboration is supported by startup-focused organizations CTNext and StamfordNext.

The Stamford Data Science Initiative includes a Start-up Studio, Technology Incubation Program (TIP) and the construction of a new 5G Lab, expected to be complete by late summer 2021. The new 5G infrastructure will support UConn Stamford's work in entrepreneurship and data science in a number of ways, such as:

• In the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Co-op program, student entrepreneurs will tap into 5G to build early stage products and technologies that power innovation and transform business operations in the real estate and construction industries.
• In the Data Science Tech Incubator, 5G will help startups monitor and analyze data faster and more efficiently.
• In the Data Science Faculty Fellows program, faculty researchers will use 5G for analytics and data visualization work across engineering, liberal arts, fine arts and business and collaborate with industry partners on potential commercialization projects.

"Our collaboration with AT&T helps make the university and the state stronger and enhances our focus on entrepreneurship, innovation and business partnership," said University of Connecticut President Thomas Katsouleas, in a statement. "We are honored to work with AT&T to explore the future of 5G and MEC-powered innovations."

"In UConn's hands, ultra-fast, reliable connectivity will open doors of opportunity for students, businesses and the community, enabling innovation in countless areas," commented John Emra, president of AT&T's New England Region.