5G-PICTURE · Project

Flexible 5G Network Infrastructure That Cuts Costs by Sharing Hardware Across Services

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Imagine a restaurant kitchen where every chef has their own dedicated fridge, oven, and counter — even when most sit idle. That's how mobile networks work today: rigid, wasteful, and expensive to scale. 5G-PICTURE built a system where network hardware and software are split apart and pooled, so any piece can be grabbed on demand — like a shared kitchen where resources flow to whoever needs them. They proved it works in three real-world settings: a smart city, a high-speed railway, and a packed stadium.

By the numbers

consortium partners across the project

countries represented in the consortium

EUR 7,997,250

EU funding for development and validation

industry partners in the consortium

SMEs involved in development

52%

industry ratio in the consortium

total deliverables completed

real-world demo scenarios tested (smart city, railway, stadium)

The business problem

What needed solving

Mobile network operators, transport providers, and venue managers face a common challenge: 5G demands massive infrastructure investment, but today's rigid network architecture means you build dedicated systems for each service type — broadband, IoT, critical communications — with most capacity sitting idle most of the time. This drives up capital costs and makes it nearly impossible to scale efficiently as demand patterns shift.

The solution

What was built

The consortium built a disaggregated RAN architecture where wireless, optical, and compute/storage components are decoupled into a shared resource pool, allocated on demand through software control. They delivered 25 project outputs including a converged fronthaul-backhaul infrastructure, an open reference platform with hardware programmability, and validated the full system through demos in a smart city, a high-speed railway testbed, and an ultra-dense stadium environment.

Audience

Who needs this

Mobile network operators planning 5G rollout who need to reduce infrastructure costsRailway operators requiring seamless high-speed connectivity for passengers and operationsStadium and venue operators managing ultra-high density wireless demandSmart city infrastructure planners deploying multi-service 5G networksTelecom equipment vendors looking for open, disaggregated hardware-software platforms

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Telecommunications

enterprise

Target: Mobile network operator or tower company

If you are a mobile operator struggling with rising infrastructure costs as you roll out 5G — this project developed a disaggregated network architecture where wireless, optical, and compute resources are pooled and allocated on demand. Tested across 21 partners in 8 countries, it allows you to serve different service types (broadband, IoT, mission-critical) from the same shared infrastructure instead of building dedicated networks for each.

Rail Transport

enterprise

Target: Railway operator or rail infrastructure provider

If you are a railway operator needing seamless 5G connectivity for passengers and train operations at high speed — this project built and tested a 5G railway experimental testbed demonstrating uninterrupted service and mobility management in high-speed moving environments. The converged fronthaul and backhaul solution was validated with real demo results documented across 25 deliverables.

Venues and Events

mid-size

Target: Stadium operator, event venue, or smart city infrastructure provider

If you are a stadium or venue operator dealing with network congestion when thousands of fans stream video simultaneously — this project demonstrated ultra-high density media services in a stadium environment using programmable 5G infrastructure. The system dynamically allocates network and compute resources to where demand peaks, validated through vertical demo testbed experiments.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this disaggregated 5G infrastructure?

The project itself received EUR 7,997,250 in EU funding across 21 partners to develop and validate the technology. Deployment costs would depend on your existing infrastructure and scale. Contact SciTransfer for a tailored assessment connecting you with the consortium's industry partners.

Has this been tested at industrial scale or only in the lab?

This went beyond the lab. The consortium ran vertical demos in three real-world scenarios: a smart city environment, a 5G railway testbed with high-speed mobility, and a stadium with ultra-high user density. Final demo and testbed experimentation results were documented with detailed evaluation reports.

What about IP and licensing — can I use this technology?

The project involved 11 industry partners including 4 SMEs, meaning significant commercial IP was generated. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the relevant consortium members. SciTransfer can identify which partner holds the IP relevant to your use case.

Does this work with existing network equipment or require a full replacement?

The core concept is disaggregation — decoupling hardware and software components so they can be mixed and matched independently. The project developed an open reference platform specifically to move away from closed proprietary systems, which suggests integration with multi-vendor equipment was a design goal.

How mature is this technology — is it ready to deploy?

The project ran from 2017 to 2020 and completed all 25 deliverables including final demo results. The technology was validated in realistic vertical scenarios. Based on available project data, this sits at the piloted stage — proven in relevant environments but requiring commercial productization for full deployment.

Which standards does this align with?

The project objective explicitly states that results were promoted for adoption and standardization. With 52% industry ratio in the consortium and partners from 8 countries, the work was designed to feed into 5G standards bodies. Based on available project data, specific standards contributions would need to be confirmed with the consortium.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavyweight consortium with serious commercial intent. Of the 21 partners across 8 countries, 11 are industry players (52% industry ratio) and 4 are SMEs — meaning the technology was built with market needs in mind, not just academic curiosity. The coordinator IHP GmbH is a German research institute specializing in high-performance microelectronics, providing deep hardware expertise. With 7 universities and 2 research organizations rounding out the team, the project had both the scientific depth to innovate and the commercial partners to validate real-world applicability. The geographic spread across Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Israel, Italy, Norway, and the UK gives broad European market coverage.

IHP GMBH - LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE MICROELECTRONICSCoordinator · DE
Xilinx Dresden GMBHparticipant · DE
BRISTOLISOPEN LIMITEDthirdparty · UK
ZEETTA NETWORKS LIMITEDparticipant · UK
HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES DUESSELDORF GMBHparticipant · DE
COSMOTE KINITES TILEPIKOINONIES MONOPROSOPI AEparticipant · EL
BLU WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY LIMITEDparticipant · UK
COMSA INSTALACIONES Y SISTEMAS INDUSTRIALES SAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYAthirdparty · ES
MELLANOX TECHNOLOGIES LTD - MLNXparticipant · IL
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunyaparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOLparticipant · UK
EURECOM GIEparticipant · FR
PANEPISTIMIO THESSALIASparticipant · EL
ADTRAN NETWORKS SEparticipant · DE
TELECOM ITALIA SPA O TIM SPAparticipant · IT
CONSORZIO NAZIONALE INTERUNIVERSITARIO PER LE TELECOMUNICAZIONIparticipant · IT
FUNDACIO PRIVADA I2CAT, INTERNET I INNOVACIO DIGITAL A CATALUNYAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITAET PADERBORNparticipant · DE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET DRESDENparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

IHP GmbH - Leibniz Institute for High Performance Microelectronics, Germany. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the project coordinator.

Order a report on this consortium See IHP GMBH - LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE MICROELECTRONICS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how 5G-PICTURE's disaggregated infrastructure technology could reduce your network deployment costs? Contact SciTransfer for a tailored briefing and introduction to the right consortium partner.

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