Aeroflex Ltd. and Lancaster University, UK, have inaugurated the Aeroflex Wireless Broadband Laboratory in the University’s School of Computing and Communications at InfoLab21, Lancaster’s world-class center of excellence for research in information and communication technologies.
The new laboratory is equipped with $1.4 M worth of test equipment donated by Aeroflex, a leading US-headquartered technology company with a large R&D and manufacturing facility in Stevenage, UK. The laboratory will enable Lancaster University to play a leading role in the development of the next generation of wireless broadband networks and user equipment, such as smartphones, tablet PCs and future mobile devices.
Aeroflex has a longstanding relationship with Lancaster University, having provided financial support and work placements for postgraduate students taking the MSc course in Wireless Communications, and who have subsequently been employed at the Stevenage facility. Members of Aeroflex staff regularly contribute to the lecture program, and the company continues to offer placements to students on an ongoing basis.
Professor Garik Markarian, who is leading the research in the School of Computing and Communications at InfoLab21, along with his team members Dr. Phil Benachour, Dr. Hassan Ahmed and Dr. Ioannis Chatzigeorgiou, stated, “We are very grateful to Aeroflex for their generous donation. The new Wireless Broadband Laboratory provides Lancaster University with a state-of-the-art suite of test equipment to design, test and verify different protocols and algorithms for LTE-Advanced 4G wireless devices and systems, giving us total flexibility to develop the best system.”
“Aeroflex has a firm commitment to supporting academic research. This is the latest step in our ongoing program of assisting universities who are at the forefront of wireless technology to help nurture the talented engineers that the industry will need to be competitive in the future,” added Dr. Hayk Manukyan, Technical Product Manager and Head of Collaborations with Universities at Aeroflex. “We are delighted to be able to assist Lancaster University, both by donating the equipment to the new laboratory and by sponsoring postgraduate students there, and we look forward to reaping the mutual benefits of this partnership in the future.”
