The Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación (ETSIT) at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) has a long-standing tradition of collaboration with the industrial sector and participation in competitive national and international projects. Specifically, in the field of 5G, and without being exhaustive, the following European projects within the 5G-PPP program under Horizon 2020 have involved various research groups from the ETSIT-UPM: 5G-RECORDS, 5G-MEDIA, 5G-MOBIX, ARIADNE, and 5G-VINNI.

Currently, the ETSIT-UPM is developing and deploying a 5G/6G Laboratory (6GMADLab) on its premises. This laboratory will feature state-of-the-art instrumentation and measurement equipment, as well as various private networks and OPEN-RAN systems with diverse types and functionalities, providing it with great versatility and potential. Not only will this facility enable the School's research groups to conduct research in the field of 5G/6G technologies, but it will also serve as an innovation hub where companies and organizations can collaborate to evaluate the feasibility and applicability of these technologies by implementing different use cases.

The financial framework that has enabled the creation of this laboratory comes from the Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia, supported by UNICO R&D calls from the current Ministerio para la Transformación Digital y de la Función Pública.

The 6GMADLab will be an advanced research laboratory focused on the development, testing, and validation of 5G+/6G mobile technologies. This laboratory aims to explore the use and potential of future mobile technologies and contribute to their standardization by integrating the latest advancements in networks and telecommunications.

As mentioned earlier, the ultimate goal is not only to consolidate and provide access to an advanced 5G/5G+/6G communications laboratory but also to establish an Innovation HUB in 5G+/6G. This hub will support research conducted by the research groups at the ETSIT-UPM, foster collaboration with other universities and research centers, and strengthen partnerships with companies in the ICT sector.

One of the key players in this initiative will be the Madrid City Council, which, through a signed collaboration agreement, will work closely with the laboratory in areas such as IoT, cybersecurity, and the deployment of 5G across various municipal corridors.

Description of the functionalities of the 6G Laboratory of ETSIT-UPM

The Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación (ETSIT) at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) is in the process of implementing and deploying a 5G/5G+ laboratory within its facilities. This laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation and measurement equipment, as well as various private networks, providing it with great versatility. This enables not only the different Research Groups working on these topics to conduct their research, but also aims to establish the 5G Laboratory as an innovation environment where companies and organizations can work and test the viability and applicability of 5G technology through the implementation of this technology in various use cases.

The ultimate goal is not only the consolidation and availability of an advanced 5G/5G+ communications laboratory, but also the creation of a 5G+/6G Innovation HUB. This HUB is intended to support research and development in advanced 5G and 6G technologies, serving the Research Groups of ETSIT-UPM, other groups within the University, other universities and research centers, ICT sector companies, and interested public bodies. A key player in this initiative is the Madrid City Council, with which, through the signed Addendum to the Agreement, there will be close collaboration in the fields of IoT, cybersecurity, and the deployment of 5G in various municipal corridors.

Within the framework of various research projects obtained by ETSIT-UPM under Royal Decree 1040/2021, dated November 23, which regulates the direct award of grants to public research centers, foundations, and Spanish public universities for the implementation of innovative projects in the deployment of advanced 5G and 6G technologies, as part of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan of the Spanish Government funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, funding and technological scientific commitment have been secured. This support will facilitate the creation of the 5G Laboratory (LAB 5G) or 5G/5G+ Innovation HUB. Additionally, within the same funding framework, the Ministry, through Order ETD/805/2022, dated July 15, called for the granting of aid for the financing of research infrastructures, the acquisition of scientific-technical equipment, and R&D projects in advanced 5G under the Single Program R&D 6G 2022.
 
As previously mentioned, this laboratory is designed as a testbed for the School's research groups and is a crucial element in several initiatives planned in collaboration with the Madrid City Council. This funding will enable the acquisition of various equipment essential for the implementation and development of the laboratory’s infrastructure.The projects contributing to the financing of the infrastructure for the LAB 5G at ETSIT-UPM, and forming part of the contribution of ETSIT-UPM to the Addendum to the Agreement signed between the Madrid City Council and UPM, include:  

• Project TSI-063000-2021-80: "Technological Pilots". 
• Project TSI-063000-2021-83: "Development of Radiant Systems Technologies and Reconfigurable RF Subsystems for Future Communication Networks in mmWaves and 6G". 
• Project TSI-063000-2021-82: "Radio Resource Management and RIS Development". 
• Project: "RF Laboratory for Research and Development in Advanced 5G and 6G Technologies - 5G+RADIOLAB". 

Advanced 5G Network – 5GMADnet 

The City of Madrid aims to position itself as a leader in the deployment and densification of 5G in the municipal area. It has signed a collaboration agreement with the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) to leverage the potential and capabilities of the various research groups located in its different schools, enabling them to take advantage of the cross-disciplinary research required for the deployment of 5G. One of the pillars of this collaboration will be the 5G/6G Laboratory at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación of UPM, which will provide a pioneering 5G Stand-Alone private network infrastructure in the FR1 (3.5 GHz) and FR2 (26 GHz) bands for the application of advanced 5G technologies and their successive 5G+/6G versions. This network will constitute the core of the 5GMADnet, which will enable the use of the school's network in municipal and citizen services through the deployment of 5G corridors, as well as offering businesses and startups in the city the opportunity to work with the latest capabilities of this technology.

Description of the 5GMADnet network

The 5GMADnet network will provide global coverage through various 5G corridors across the city of Madrid. At the ETSIT, a high-performance base station will be deployed in the 3.5 GHz band to cover the university campus, enabling the deployment and testing of use cases in this frequency band. TELEFÓNICA will guarantee 10% of the network resources to carry out the use cases proposed in the DISRADIO project. Additionally, a second base station will be deployed in the 700 MHz band, guaranteeing 100% of the resources provided by it, as it will be exclusively dedicated to conducting the tests associated with the technological pilots of the DISRADIO project. A base station consisting of three sectors will also be deployed—two for outdoor coverage and one for indoor coverage—in the millimeter-wave band, specifically in the n258 band, ensuring 100% of the resources assigned to the network. This will also allow the validation of use cases associated with the millimeter-wave bands covered by the DISRADIO project.

The architecture of the 5GMADnet network includes the physical separation of pathways for service traffic in the 5G Stand Alone (SA) Private Network, covering both private clients and Movistar's public clients' devices in the coverage area. Connectivity will be ensured through fiber optic links between the base stations and the physical layer, utilizing a private 5G core, which will serve as the core of the 5GMADNet network, with the following features: