5G-PHOS · Project

Ultra-Fast 5G Network Hardware That Delivers 400 Gb/s Wireless Using Photonic Chips

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Imagine your mobile network is a highway, but at rush hour it grinds to a halt — especially in stadiums, city centers, or factory floors. 5G-PHOS built specialized optical chips and hardware boxes that merge fiber-optic lines directly with 5G antennas, eliminating the bottleneck between the wired backbone and the wireless signal. They tested this at a real Greek telecom network and inside a football stadium, pushing wireless speeds up to 400 Gb/s — enough to stream thousands of HD videos simultaneously in a single square kilometer.

By the numbers

400 Gb/s

Peak wireless data rate achieved in ultra-dense network configuration

28 Tb/s/km²

Network capacity density for ultra-dense environments

1.7 Tb/s/km²

Network capacity density for dense area deployment

<1 ms

Latency in ultra-dense SDM-enabled network

64x64

MIMO antenna array configuration for Remote Radio Heads

100 Gb/s

Peak data rate for hot-spot area network (stadium trial)

25 Gb/s

Peak data rate for PON-overlaid dense area network

Consortium partners across 8 countries

The business problem

What needed solving

Dense urban areas, stadiums, and industrial sites face a critical connectivity gap: current networks cannot deliver the speed and capacity that 5G promises because the link between fiber backbone and wireless antennas creates a bottleneck. Operators need hardware that can push hundreds of gigabits per second wirelessly while keeping latency below 1 millisecond — and it has to work with their existing fiber infrastructure, not replace it.

The solution

What was built

The project built and tested a complete set of hardware: SDN-programmable FlexBox and FlexBox-Pro units for fiber-wireless traffic (25-400 Gb/s), three configurations of 64x64 MIMO Remote Radio Head prototypes with optical beamforming, and a converged fiber-wireless SDN control plane. All components were validated in lab-scale experiments and real-world field trials on the COSMOTE network and at the PAOK FC stadium in Thessaloniki.

Audience

Who needs this

Mobile network operators deploying 5G in dense urban areasStadium and large venue operators needing reliable high-capacity wirelessIndustrial IoT companies requiring sub-millisecond latency connectivityTelecom equipment manufacturers looking for next-gen photonic componentsSmart city infrastructure planners designing ultra-dense network coverage

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Telecommunications

enterprise

Target: Mobile network operators and tower companies

If you are a telecom operator struggling to deliver consistent 5G coverage in dense urban areas — this project developed FlexBox hardware units compatible with 25 Gb/s PON access networks that can push fiber-wireless traffic from 25 to 400 Gb/s. Field trials on the COSMOTE operator network in Greece demonstrated 1.7 Tb/s/km² capacity for dense areas, directly addressing the capacity crunch without replacing your existing fiber infrastructure.

Sports & Entertainment Venues

enterprise

Target: Stadium operators and large venue managers

If you manage a stadium or arena where thousands of fans kill the network every match day — this project built and field-tested a 100 Gb/s hot-spot network using 64x64 MIMO antennas with optical beamforming at the PAOK FC stadium in Thessaloniki. The system handles massive simultaneous connections without the dead zones that plague current venue Wi-Fi and cellular setups.

Smart Manufacturing & Industrial IoT

mid-size

Target: Factory operators needing ultra-reliable low-latency connectivity

If you run a production facility requiring sub-millisecond communication between machines — this project demonstrated an ultra-dense 5G network delivering 28 Tb/s/km² capacity with less than 1 millisecond latency. The SDN-programmable FlexBox units allow dynamic bandwidth allocation, meaning your network adapts in real time to shifting production demands without manual reconfiguration.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this technology in our network?

The project data does not include pricing or per-unit cost estimates for the FlexBox hardware. However, the system is designed to work with existing 25 Gb/s PON access networks, which means deployment leverages your current fiber infrastructure rather than requiring a full network rebuild. Contact the consortium for pricing discussions.

Can this scale to a full commercial network, not just a lab demo?

Yes — the project went beyond lab testing. Field trials were conducted on the live COSMOTE operator network in Greece for dense-area use cases and at the PAOK FC stadium for hot-spot scenarios. The architecture supports three deployment tiers: 25 Gb/s for dense areas, 100 Gb/s for hot-spots, and 400 Gb/s for ultra-dense environments.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

The consortium includes 10 industry partners and 4 SMEs across 8 countries, which typically means IP is shared among partners under a consortium agreement. As an Innovation Action funded under Horizon 2020, results are expected to move toward commercialization. Specific licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the relevant consortium members who developed each component.

How does this integrate with our existing fiber and radio equipment?

The FlexBox units are specifically designed to be compatible with emerging 25 Gb/s PON access networks. The system uses a converged fiber-wireless SDN control plane that orchestrates both optical and wireless resources together, meaning it layers on top of existing fiber deployments rather than replacing them.

What is the timeline from pilot to full deployment?

The project ran from 2017 to 2021 and delivered fully assembled prototypes including FlexBox, FlexBox-Pro-WDM, FlexBox-Pro-SDM, and three different 64x64 MIMO Remote Radio Head configurations. Based on the field-trial results, the technology is at a stage where commercial partners could begin integration planning. Timeline to deployment depends on regulatory approvals and operator-specific network architecture.

Does this meet telecom regulatory requirements?

The project focused on technical demonstration and did not explicitly address regulatory certification in its deliverable descriptions. However, the field trials on a live commercial network (COSMOTE) suggest compliance with Greek telecom operating standards. Full regulatory certification for commercial deployment would be a next step.

Consortium

Who built it

The 5G-PHOS consortium is strongly industry-oriented with 10 out of 16 partners coming from industry (62%), complemented by 2 universities, 3 research organizations, and 1 other entity across 8 countries (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Israel, Italy, Netherlands). With 4 SMEs in the mix, the project balances large telecom players with smaller specialized photonics and component companies. The coordinator is Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, which anchored the Greek field trials. The geographic spread across major European telecom markets plus Israel's photonics expertise gives this consortium strong commercialization potential — these are partners who build and sell network equipment, not just study it.

ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKISCoordinator · EL
ORANGE SAparticipant · FR
INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUMparticipant · BE
COSMOTE KINITES TILEPIKOINONIES MONOPROSOPI AEparticipant · EL
INCELLIGENT IDIOTIKI KEFALAIOUCHIKIETAIREIAparticipant · EL
LIONIX INTERNATIONAL BVparticipant · NL
ERICSSON TELECOMUNICAZIONI SPAparticipant · IT
MELLANOX TECHNOLOGIES LTD - MLNXparticipant · IL
III-V LABparticipant · FR
IQUADRAT INFORMATICA SLparticipant · ES
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVENparticipant · NL
TELECOM ITALIA SPA O TIM SPAparticipant · IT
EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO SYSTIMATON EPIKOINONION KAI YPOLOGISTONparticipant · EL
SIKLU COMMUNICATION LTDparticipant · IL

How to reach the team

The project was coordinated by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). Use SciTransfer's coordinator lookup service to find the right contact person.

Order a report on this consortium See ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how 5G-PHOS photonic network technology could solve your connectivity challenges? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the right consortium partner for your use case.

Order a report on this topic More in Digital & ICT