ATOM · Project

Smarter Wireless Antennas That Boost Speed, Save Energy, and Secure 5G Networks

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lancaster.ac.uk

Imagine your Wi-Fi router had hundreds of tiny antennas instead of just a few — it could serve way more devices at once without slowing down. That's basically what MIMO technology does for mobile networks. ATOM pushed this idea further by figuring out how to combine massive antenna arrays with cloud-based network management, so networks use less energy and can even power small sensors wirelessly. They also found ways to use the messy physics of radio signals as a built-in security lock, making eavesdropping much harder without needing traditional encryption keys.

By the numbers

78%

Annual growth rate of global wireless data traffic cited as the core problem

University partners in the research consortium

Countries represented in the consortium

Total project deliverables produced

Physical testbeds built (MIMO architecture + SWIPT verification)

EUR 904,500

EU contribution to the project

The business problem

What needed solving

Mobile networks are drowning in data demand — traffic was growing at 78% per year when this project launched, and every new connected device makes it worse. Operators need antennas that handle more users with less energy, sensors that don't need battery replacements, and wireless security that doesn't depend solely on encryption keys that can be stolen.

The solution

What was built

The team built two physical testbeds: one demonstrating a heterogeneous MIMO architecture that combines massive antenna arrays with cloud radio access networks for higher capacity and energy efficiency, and another verifying wireless power transfer (SWIPT) where devices receive data and energy from the same radio signal. Across the project, 27 deliverables were produced covering the architecture, energy harvesting, and physical layer security research.

Audience

Who needs this

Mobile network operators planning 5G-Advanced or 6G infrastructure upgradesTelecom equipment manufacturers (antenna systems, base stations)IoT platform companies deploying battery-constrained sensor networksDefense and critical infrastructure operators needing wireless security beyond encryptionSmart city solution providers managing dense wireless environments

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Telecommunications

enterprise

Target: Mobile network operators and infrastructure vendors

If you are a telecom operator struggling with exploding data demand and rising energy bills — this project developed a heterogeneous MIMO architecture combining massive antenna arrays with cloud radio access networks that boosts capacity while maximizing energy efficiency. They built and tested this on a real wireless testbed across a 7-partner consortium in 5 countries. With wireless traffic growing at 78% annually, this architecture addresses both throughput and cost pressure.

IoT and Smart Infrastructure

any

Target: Companies deploying large-scale IoT sensor networks

If you are deploying thousands of wireless sensors for smart buildings, agriculture, or industrial monitoring and battery replacement is a nightmare — this project demonstrated simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT), meaning devices can receive data and energy from the same signal. They extended their testbed specifically to verify this concept. This could eliminate battery dependency for low-power IoT devices in hard-to-reach locations.

Cybersecurity for Wireless

enterprise

Target: Defense contractors and critical infrastructure operators

If you are responsible for securing wireless communications in sensitive environments and worry about encryption keys being stolen or compromised — this project developed physical layer security solutions that use the natural randomness of wireless channels to create keyless secure transmissions. They bridged the gap between physical layer security and conventional cryptography, offering a complementary defense layer that works even when traditional encryption is broken.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

ATOM was funded with EUR 904,500 under the MSCA-RISE scheme, which focuses on staff exchange and knowledge transfer rather than product development. Since the consortium is entirely academic (7 universities, no industry partners), there is no commercial licensing structure in place. Any adoption would require negotiation directly with the coordinating university.

Can this work at industrial scale for real network deployments?

The project built two testbeds — one for the heterogeneous MIMO architecture and one to verify the SWIPT concept. These demonstrate proof-of-concept but are lab-scale research testbeds, not production-grade systems. Scaling to commercial deployment would require significant additional engineering and industry partnership.

What is the IP situation — can we use this?

All 7 consortium partners are universities, so IP is likely held by academic institutions. MSCA-RISE projects emphasize knowledge sharing rather than proprietary commercialization. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the University of Lancaster as coordinator.

How mature is the wireless power transfer (SWIPT) component?

The team extended their testbed specifically to verify the SWIPT concept, which is one of only 2 demo deliverables listed out of 27 total. Based on available project data, this remains at experimental validation stage rather than a deployable solution. Real-world range and efficiency figures are not provided in the project summary.

Is this still relevant given that 5G is already deployed?

The project ran from 2016 to 2020, during early 5G development. The massive MIMO and C-RAN techniques they researched are now core components of actual 5G infrastructure. Their security and energy harvesting work remains forward-looking and relevant to 5G-Advanced and future 6G research.

Who built and tested this?

A purely academic consortium of 7 universities across 5 countries (UK, Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Pakistan), coordinated by the University of Lancaster. There were zero industry partners. The project produced 27 deliverables including 2 physical testbeds.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a purely academic consortium — all 7 partners are universities spread across 5 countries (UK, Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Pakistan), with zero industry partners and zero SMEs. The project was funded under MSCA-RISE, which is a staff exchange and knowledge transfer program, not a technology commercialization instrument. The EUR 904,500 budget is modest and primarily covers researcher mobility. For a business considering adoption, this means the technology has been developed and validated in university labs, but has not been tested or adapted for any commercial environment. Any company interested would essentially be the first industrial adopter, which carries both risk and opportunity.

UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTERCoordinator · UK
COMSATS UNIVERSITY ISLAMABADpartner · PK
UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIApartner · MY
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIApartner · MY
UNIVERSITY OF YORKparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUSparticipant · CY

How to reach the team

University of Lancaster, School of Computing and Communications, UK — search for ATOM project lead in their wireless communications research group

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how advanced MIMO or wireless power transfer research could apply to your network infrastructure? SciTransfer can connect you with the research team and help assess fit for your specific use case.

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