The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has approved Finland’s proposal to establish two test centres in the country, one of which will focus on 6G research. The project was analysed by NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic.
The University of Oulu, which already leads Finland’s initiative 6G Flagship, will host the 6G test centre in cooperation with the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT).
“It will serve as an advanced global test centre providing services for the development and testing of future dual-use technologies for NATO’s DIANA partners and defence industry actors,” said Jukka Riekki, Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of Oulu.
According to the university, the space will give users access to “world-class, rare radio frequency measurement equipment”. The promise is that all measurements and testing related to the development of 6G technology could be carried out in one place, including a large RF anechoic chamber and RFIC sensor stations.
“We have a long history in military communications research since the late 80’s. In recent years, the role of dual-use technologies has dramatically increased, making defence vertical a natural extension of the 6G Flagship research portfolio,” added Matti Latva-aho, Director of 6G Flagship.
Quantum and Business
DIANA has also approved another test centre in Finland managed by VTT in Otaniemi, near Helsinki. This site will focus on testing cyber-secure communication and quantum and space technologies.
The same place will host a business accelerator, a collaboration between VTT, Aalto University, and the University of Helsinki. The accelerator will focus on future communication systems and quantum technologies and provide training for companies in business development in the defence sector.
Its services mainly target start-ups and SMEs with limited experience in the defence and security sector.
The announcement is part of a broader push from DIANA, which has approved 92 new research centres and 12 accelerator sites across NATO’s member states.
Featured picture by Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil
