In recent years, there has been a growing trend in academia to set up innovation hubs and collaborate with private enterprises to develop digital applications and solutions. More and more Universities are investing in high-speed, secure, and reliable fixed and private cellular (4G and 5G) network infrastructure, enabling enterprises across various industries to develop cutting-edge, connected solutions that meet the needs of businesses and consumers alike. This also helps create new opportunities for students and faculty to gain practical experience in 5G and advance their research initiatives.
The Purdue Research Foundation (PRF), a private, nonprofit foundation established in 1930 to advance the land-grant mission of Purdue University, is one such organization that supports scientific research and technology commercialization. In 2021, PRF deployed a private cellular network using the CBRS shared spectrum at the Discovery Park District, a 400-acre site on the west edge of Purdue’s campus in Indiana. It has built a facility, a mini smart city, where industry can test network deployment strategies and discover new ways to benefit from a private cellular network.
The OnGo Alliance, on their OnGoings podcast, recently spoke with David Broecker, the Purdue Research Foundation’s (PRF) Chief Innovation and Collaboration Officer, to learn more about their network, the progress they have made since the launch, and their future plans.
The CBRS Network at the Discovery Park District
The PRF office is housed at the Convergence Center, a 150,000-square-foot office building in the Discovery Park District that is the university’s and foundation’s business front door. The PRF works with many leading ICT companies and has an Advisory Board populated by notable enterprises such as AT&T, Celona, Cisco, Dell, Ericsson, Intel, SBA, and Tilson.
To deploy their CBRS-based network, the PRF worked with SBA, which manages the CBRS network using both CBRS PAL and GAA licenses, and with Celona, which supplies the radio equipment. Celona put CBRS access points on top of the Convergence Center, providing coverage to nearly all the surrounding acreage, with a robust 3.5 GHz signal available between three-quarters and one mile in radius.
The PRF also works closely with Tilson, a Maine-based telecommunications company. Tilson has laid over 15 miles of fiber at Discovery Park and acts as a neutral host (NH) platform, allowing multiple ISPs to lease fiber and provide broadband service in the District and providing access to IoT sensors, smart cameras, and other devices.
The CBRS network provides several benefits for the PRF itself, including increased bandwidth, lower latency, and greater reliability. The network is more cost-effective than traditional public cellular networks, as it uses a shared spectrum model and does not require the purchase of expensive spectrum licenses. Additionally, the CBRS network allows the PRF to deploy new wireless applications and services previously impossible with traditional wireless networks.
How has the Network Evolved?
In the discussion, David Broecker, who claims to have the “best job at Purdue and the Purdue Research Foundation,” talked of how he regularly works with technology leaders on what is strategically important to them and how Purdue and the PRF can help them. He says the answer often lies with finding the right faculty member to collaborate with, the right student to assist, or providing access to technology and spectrum, evaluating various use cases and advanced network deployments.
The Discovery Park District is a mixed-use development with over 1,000 residential units, including single-family homes, condominiums, townhouses, and multi-family residences. It also has retail, common park areas, professional offices, elderly care, a hotel, pubs, restaurants, and grocery stores. Advanced manufacturing facilities are in place, such as Saab, a leading defense and security company, which is building a factory to build a next-generation fighter plane for the US Air Force, and soon, the district will have a micro-hospital. When built out completely, there will be 7,000-10,000 people using the network eventually, independent of the Purdue faculty and student body.
Broecker said the District considers its connectivity a neutral host platform, a utility like water or electricity. He and his colleagues consider it a big playground, calling it a “lab to life platform” where they can work with intriguing technological and industrial partners.
According to Broecker, one of the PRF’s early victories came in education during the early days of the COVID outbreak. Rural community schools were struggling with the homework gap, and the PRF worked with a school located two counties away. In collaboration with local ISPs, they established an e-learning platform to help students and faculty.
The nearby Purdue airport, the second busiest in Indiana, is the newest addition to the PRF’s private 5G network. The airport spans over 600 acres and will be an extension of the existing District Park network. Built-in collaboration with Ericsson and Saab, the CBRS-based private cellular network will serve as the operational backbone of the airport management system. It will also serve as a “lab to life” platform to develop commercial solutions that can be replicated to improve operations and security at airports of all sizes. The PRF itself will offer connectivity and management services to the airport.
David also highlights that the future plans for the PRF’s network will involve centers of excellence that are not contiguous to Discovery Park, such as farms and manufacturing centers.
Click Here to listen to the podcast and learn more from the OnGo Alliance, David Broecker, and how CBRS is making a difference at the Discovery Park District.
Conclusion
The trend of academia collaborating with private enterprises on the development of new applications for private cellular networks is on the rise. We will see the benefits of these collaborations extend beyond the private sector and into the wider community. As technology advances, academia-private enterprise partnerships will play a critical role in developing innovative solutions that transform industries and improve people’s lives.
