VIAVI SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED

Their core work

VIAVI Solutions is a global leader in network test, measurement, and assurance — the company that builds the instruments and software used to validate whether telecom networks actually perform as designed. In H2020 projects, their UK division contributes expertise in optical and wireless network monitoring, analytics, and performance verification for next-generation connectivity (5G, 6G, optical wireless). Formerly known as Acterna and Wavetek Wandel & Goltermann, they bring decades of instrumentation heritage to EU research consortia focused on advanced network architectures.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

VIAVI's H2020 trajectory shows a clear migration up the wireless technology stack. Early projects (2015-2017) focused on converging existing radio and optical infrastructure — practical integration challenges for current networks. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted sharply toward 5G ecosystem analytics, localization services, and then 6G research incorporating AI, THz communications, and optical wireless. The recent inclusion of deep reinforcement learning and device-to-device cell-free architectures signals a pivot from passive network measurement toward intelligent, AI-driven network assurance.

VIAVI is moving from traditional test instrumentation toward AI-powered network intelligence for 6G, making them a strong partner for projects requiring automated network optimization and assurance.

How they like to work

VIAVI consistently joins as a participant or third party — never as coordinator — which reflects their role as an industry partner contributing commercial measurement expertise to research-led consortia. With 51 unique partners across just 4 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia (averaging 12+ partners per project). This pattern suggests they are sought after as an industry validation partner: the company that can ground-truth whether a new network architecture actually works in practice.

Despite only four projects, VIAVI has collaborated with 51 distinct partners across 15 countries, indicating they join large pan-European consortia with broad geographic spread. Their network is wide rather than deep — more a trusted industry contributor invited by different academic-led teams than a repeat-partner hub.

What sets them apart

VIAVI brings something most academic or telecom-operator partners cannot: real-world network measurement and validation capability backed by commercial products deployed globally. As the successor to Acterna and Wavetek Wandel & Goltermann, they carry decades of instrumentation credibility. For consortium builders, partnering with VIAVI means your 5G/6G prototype gets tested against the same standards and tools that real operators use in production networks.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 6G BRAINS
  Their most recent and forward-looking project, combining 6G, THz communications, optical wireless, and multi-agent deep reinforcement learning — signaling VIAVI's push into AI-driven network intelligence.
• iCIRRUS
  Their largest funded project (EUR 421,520), addressing the foundational challenge of converging radio and optical access around user equipment.
• LOCUS
  Participated as third party, contributing analytics and localization expertise to a 5G ecosystem project with direct vertical industry applications.