Universities that drive mobile and wireless communications development forward

In today’s tech-centric world, the development of mobile and wireless communications shows no signs of slowing down.

But is that any surprise when leading research company Gartner reported that worldwide smartphone sales would grow by three percent in 2020?

According to Gartner Research Vice President, Annette Zimmermann, “In 2020, the market is expected to rebound with the introduction of 5G network coverage in more countries.”

“The commercialisation of 5G phones will accelerate in 2020. 5G phones costing under US$300 have been announced, so sales growth of 5G phones is expected to exceed that of 4G phones over twelve months,” Zimmermann adds.

Although countries such as South Korea, Australia, UK and the US are racing to dominate the 5G economy, reports indicate that China is emerging as the leader of the pack..

In 2019, it announced in 2019 that its 5G technology is ready for commercial use while the rest of the world is still rolling their 5G services out on a trial basis for the public. With effect from November 1, 2019, three of the country’s leading telcos, namely  – China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom – have rolled out 5G services with plans starting at RMB128 (US$18.30) per month for 30Gb of data at peak download speeds of 300Mbps.

With such rapid development, many universities are increasingly offering Master’s programmes that teach students how to design, implement and develop 5G technology.

Here are four universities at the forefront of mobile and wireless communications development…

DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN – THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX

At the University of Sussex, students obtain the skills they need to thrive in the future through the MSc 5G Mobile Communications and Intelligent Embedded Systems (with an Industrial Placement year) programme.

Offered by the Department of Engineering and Design, this course has seven core modules: MSc Individual Project, Internet-of-Things, Mobile Communications, Real Time Embedded Systems, Reconfigurable Systems on Chip, Topics in Wireless Communications and Wearable Technologies

University of Sussex

There are optional modules for students to tailor the course to their interests too, which includes  Advanced Digital Signal Processing, Advanced Electronic Systems, Cryptography, Cybernetics and Neural Networks, Digital Signal Processing Laboratory, Image Processing and Satellite and Space Systems.

This MSc offers students the opportunity and support to go on an industrial placement year at a UK company. This means they’ll gain industry experience before starting their career.

And to further develop their hard and soft skills, students will take on a substantial project where they will have the chance to work with an industrial partner. This can lead to journal and conference publications, as previous students have done.

Master’s students will also have access to the 5G Research Centre and a dedicated MSc laboratory with the latest hardware and software.

To study here is to work among some of UK’s most established researchers too – 86 percent of the Department’s research output was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014).

FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING – THE UNIVERSITY OF OULU

The University of Oulu offers some of the best science education in Finland. For engineering and technology, it is ranked second in the nation in Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2020, one of the world’s most respected sources in global college rankings. For computer science, it is third nationally.

There are four key reasons why the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering has managed to do so: High-quality teaching and research, multi- and interdisciplinary collaboration enabled by the multidisciplinary university, strong external funding and close collaboration with industry and other research organisations.

The university is also where some of the world’s most cutting-edge research in mobile communication is taking place. For example, Professor of Practice, Seppo Yrjölä (who is also Principal Engineer at Nokia) is taking a “multi/inter/transdisciplinary” approach to 6G research.

The university also offers a Master of Science (Technology) programme in Wireless Communications Engineering. Students will gain knowledge and skills on the latest methods, tools and technologies related to steerable intelligent antennas for 5G MIMO and SDMA systems, communication networks, computer engineering, electronics and 5G and 6G wireless communication systems, among others. 

In this two-year programme, students also have the option to specialise in either Radio Access and Networks or RF Engineering.

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING – TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH (TUM)

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is home to one of the largest engineering departments in Germany.

Leading by example, their Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering stands by an interdisciplinary study approach.

For instance, the Department tackles all the current electrical and computer engineering trends, from automated design to data processing. 

Students may also find this interdisciplinary study approach embedded within the one-year Master’s programme in Communications Engineering. 

During the first semester of this programme, students will cover the fundamental areas of communications systems and communications electronics.

Whereas, the second and third semesters provide an array of modules and a practical research project to complete. 

For the fourth semester of this programme, students are expected to devote their study time to a Master’s thesis that covers a specialist area.

If you’re interested in driving your tech skills forward and embarking on these four semesters, click here to visit the TUM application portal.

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS – UNIVERSITY OF SIENA

The University of Siena is one of the oldest universities in Italy.

Despite being an old academic institution, the University offers new insight into the global electronics and communication engineering sector. 

Via their Electronic and Communication Engineering postgraduate degree, students will get to learn about advanced digital image processing, analogue circuit design, networking, statistical signal processing and digital communication.

They’ll also acquire advanced knowledge on current telecommunications and electronic systems, and the latest design skills to develop their entrepreneurial side.

According to the Department, graduates can find jobs in public companies, government agencies, financial institutions and research centres. They will be qualified for roles involving the design, production and management of information systems, data networking, wired and wireless transmission.

So if this is a programme that suits your career aspirations, click here to start your study venture in Siena.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article may be commercial partners of Study International

Liked this? Then you’ll love…

Electronic & electrical engineering: APAC’s spark of innovation

Global universities offering high-opportunity pathways in electrical engineering