July 28, 2021 • 18 mins
In this episode we speak with Christian Fager a professor from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. He speaks with us about the SERENA project. Partners in SERENA are looking at using gallium nitride alongside traditional silicon to enable beam steering antennas. Their goal is to develop an architecture which is small and cost efficient with robust thermal management schemes.
The SERENA project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 779305.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Intro (00:03):
Powerful collaborations, cutting edge science and curious minds coming together
for a glimpse of the future. Stay tuned as we
look at the latest updates on some of the most
promising technology projects.
Peter Balint (host) (00:20):
Hello and welcome, I'm your host, Peter Balint from Technikon. Today,
we take another look at the SERENA project. Our communication
needs in the not so distant future will dictate faster
data speeds and much higher bandwidth than ever before. 5G
is definitely a solution to deliver faster, higher quality video
(00:42):
and multimedia content services, but there is still quite a
bit of work to be done. We will see new,
smarter and more efficient antennas delivering these signals. And this
is where the SERENA project comes in. Partners in SERENA
are looking at using gallium nitride alongside traditional silicon to
enable beam steering antennas. Their goal is to develop an
(01:06):
architecture which is small and cost efficient with robust thermal
management schemes. Today we speak with Christian Fager, a professor
from project partner Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Welcome, Christian.
Christian Fager (01:20):
Thank you.
Peter Balint (host) (01:21):
Let's start at the beginning. The need for Serena -and
I will preface my first question by saying that SERENA
is about active antennas for milimeter wave communications and sensor systems.
This means that SERENA is contributing to building the infrastructure
for 5G. But tell us a little bit about the
need here. I mean, how important is millimeter wave or
(01:45):
very high frequency for 5G communications? And why won't today's
technology work for tomorrow's solutions?
Christian Fager (01:54):
That's a very good question and it's a question many
people ask, actually. Why do we need to have new bands,
so millimeter wave bands, what is the benefit of that?
And there are many answers to that question. And the
most straightforward answer is that at millimeter wave frequencies, we
have bandwidth or they're are not used so much for
(02:14):
commercial applications as the low frequencies are. So there are
chunks of bandwidth available for communication. Getting high capacity is
about having bandwidth available and at millimeter wave frequencies. We do
have more bandwidth available for our use. Well, that's one
aspect of it. And it doesn't mean that the millimeter
(02:35):
waves will replace the lower frequencies for communication. Actually, there's
a lot of things to do also at lower frequencies,
and that is something we should not forget when we
talk about 5G. But as an important complement to boost
the capacity millimeter wave frequencies and the wide bandwidth available
there will contribute to improve capacity and throughput when needed and
(02:57):
in areas where high capacity is needed. So it should
be seen as a complement and a capacity boost to
incorporate millimeter waves in future 5G systems.
Peter Balint (host) (03:08):
OK, so these lower frequencies, these aren't going anywhere. The
millimeter wave, for example, is sort of a boost for
the existing infrastructure.
Christian Fager (03:17):
Well, there are lots of things that could be done
and will be done in 5G also at lower frequencies,
but millimeter wave frequencies has the inevitable advantage that we
do have more bandwidth available. I mean, it's already very
pushed to the limits. What you can do at low frequencies,
at high frequencies, millimeter wave bands, we do have higher
(03:38):
bandwidth available and wide bandwidth means higher capacity. So it
is really opening up for new possibilities for increasing the
capacity which cannot be obtained if we only stay at
the lower frequency bands.
Peter Balint (host) (03:52):
I see. So when we talk about millimeter wave communications,
we talk about antennas that require a lot of electronics
in a small space and of course this configuration generates heat.
But we talked offline and you said you're not working
to reduce or manage heat. Can you tell us more
(04:14):
about that?
Christian Fager (04:15):
Yeah, it is true. I mean, millimeter waves... even in
the name it says millimeter wave. So it's about the waves,
having a wavelength on the order of millimeters and in
antenna systems and in particular active antenna systems, which... or
electronically steerable antennas that will be used in millimeter wave bands.
(04:41):
The separation between antennas is and or a wavelength that is...
we talk about millimeters between the antenna elements. And an antenna
is not making up a system and you need to
connect electronics behind each antenna. So, as you mentioned, having
lots of electronics behind each antenna, separated only by millimeters
(05:05):
apart is really, creating huge challenges when it comes to
not only the density itself, but also the heat that
it produces... the heat, I should say. is caused by
the fact that the electronics are not 100 percent efficient,
they are not efficient at lower frequencies either but at the millimeter
(05:27):
waves the efficiency of electronics, particularly the millimeter wave radio
frequency electronics, is really much lower than at the lower frequencies.
So not only are the electronics more densely packed, they
are also less efficient and therefore dissipate more heat. So
heat dissipation in electronics is really a big challenge in
(05:51):
realizing or in exploring millimeter wave bands for communication and sensing.
And that's really where much of the challenges are. And
we're very much in the heart of the SERENA project.
Peter Balint (host) (06:04):
OK, let's go back a second. You mentioned something which
I think our listeners might find rather interesting, steerable antenna.
I mean, can you in a few sentences explain what
that means? Because most people think of an antenna as
a fixed piece of equipment.
Christian Fager (06:20):
Yes. I mean, when we talk about antennas at the millimeter waves...
and it's actually the same at at lower frequencies, traditionally
antennas for base stations or communication have been fixed. And
you might have seen parabolic antennas on the rooftops or
you may have seen bars of antennas on base stations.
(06:41):
The problem is that to improve the energy efficiency and
also the capacity, we are not interested in just radiating
signals blindly in the air. We want to direct the
the energy that we or the signals and the communication
to where the users are. So if we could direct
(07:01):
the beams or the energy radiated from the antenna to
track the locations of the users, not only can we
improve the capacity, but we can also reduce the energy
consumption because the energy that we transmit is going just
where we need it to be. So how do we
do such steerable antennas? It is not, of course, possible
(07:26):
to imagine that you mechanically move the antenna to follow
the users. So we need to look for electronic ways
of doing it. And a solution that has been around
for quite many years actually, is to use active antennas,
which means that a single antenna element is replaced by
an array of individually controlled antenna elements. So by controlling
(07:52):
the face delay and the amplitude of those antennas of
the signal being radiated from those antennas, effectively we can
generate the equivalent of a larger antenna, but with direct...
but with properties that could be steered electronically so we
can electronically steer the beam of the antenna to where
(08:14):
the users are by having an antenna, an array of
antennas with phase shifters and amplitude control. And that's the what
is called an active antenna. And this is also what
has been used as a basis for for the research
in SERENA.
Peter Balint (host) (08:32):
Aha, so no moving parts and a very focused antenna beam.
Christian Fager (08:36):
Indeed, and maybe I can compliment also to say that
in the basic form we have one beam generated in
this way using phase shifters. Or of course, if you want, there
could actually be more than one beam generated from an
array and that would then be called a hybrid beam
forming arrays or multi... eventually MIMO systems. But, the basic
(08:59):
form is the phased array where phase shifters are needed and where the
beam is electronically steered by adjusting the faces of the
signals being transmitted.
Peter Balint (host) (09:10):
OK, yeah, makes sense. I'm wondering what sort of things
have you been able to produce or make or test?
Christian Fager (09:21):
Yeah, so, the SERENA project is about realizing... well, in the context
of active antenna systems for millimeter wave frequencies, we face
a number of challenges. I talked about the heat dissipation,
but another challenge is the fact that the output power
is not high enough quite often. In the SERENA project,
(09:43):
we address that problem by not using one single semiconductor technology,
but the combination of semiconductor technologies. We use low power,
silicon based or silicon germanium based electronics to generate the
signals and do the phase shifting, etc. or the signal
(10:03):
generation that is needed to realize the active antenna array. But the
problem is that the output power from silicon devices is
not sufficient. We want to generate more output power. And
that's why it's interesting to combine silicon devices with gallium
nitride technology. Gallium nitride is an emerging semiconductor technology that offers
(10:28):
higher output power, but also higher efficiency than silicon. So
the combination of silicon and gallium nitride is really what we're
looking for. And that... if we could do that, which
is the target of the SERENA project, then we can
get higher power, further reach and also higher capacity of
(10:50):
the system. Well, so the challenge now, and that's really
the core of the SERENA project is how to to
integrate those components. How do we integrate silicone devices, gallium nitride
devices and also antennas within the millimeter wave distances that
are dictated by the wavelength. So, in the SERENA project we are...
(11:15):
the different partners contribute to a different aspect of that.
For example, Infineon contributes with low power silicon chips OMIC
are working on a gallium nitride electronics the chips for high
power signal generation. Fraunhofer IZM is working with packaging and have their
(11:36):
own proprietary way of integrating those chips and interconnecting them
and also putting antenna on top. So all those parts
have been realized in the SERENA project
high power GAN transmitters and a packaging module by Fraunhofer.
So in terms of hardware, these are the components that
(11:58):
have been realized. And I should say that the composite
package that has been produced with all those components has
to be put in the context of a communication system.
So Ericsson and the Fraunhofer have developed the boards to
generate or emulate the communication link using the modules developed
(12:20):
by IZM, Infineon and OMIC. So what is the role
of Chalmers? Well, our role is to look at the effects,
or to look at what happens when we try to
build a high power density transmitter module. What is the
effect of the heat concentration? How does that impair those
(12:44):
heating effects and the mechanical properties and the left glass?
How do they come together and what is the implications
on the communication performance when we integrate things so hard?
So our task is about the modelling and prediction of
how things work together. That's our role. So there you
can see how the different parts of the project collaborate
(13:07):
about various aspects in this project.
Peter Balint (host) (13:10):
Yeah, and that's a really great overview of the consortium
and some of your industrial partners. Thanks for that...
Christian Fager (13:17):
And I should say that, here I talk about communication.
We also mentioned sensing. So I think another important part
of the project is using the same modules also to
look for high frequencies and radar applications, because it turns
out that the same... exactly the same challenges and requirements
are also needed in future sensor systems. And I think
(13:38):
that's also an important part of the project where FOI
and others are contributing just to get that clear.
Peter Balint (host) (13:45):
And when we talk about the tangible parts or the
things that have come out so far, it kind of
makes me wonder
see results from SERENA as a viable commercial solution?
Christian Fager (13:58):
Yeah, that's of course, very difficult to answer directly or exactly.
But I think that the need for a high... for
increased output power in particular 5G millimeter wave communication applications
is really important. And there's a strong commercial drive from
(14:21):
operators to telecom operators to reach further with their base
stations and also to improve the capacity of the communication
system as a whole in the offering that, for example,
Ericsson and others do. So I think that if things
go as we predict from the project here, that we
successfully manage to integrate now at the end of the
(14:44):
project or just after to integrate those electronics into a
module then I would say in the order of maybe
two to three years after the end of the project,
that's where I think commercial exploration of all this... the
exploration of these results in products could be seen.
Peter Balint (host) (15:07):
It's actually quicker than what I anticipated...
Christian Fager (15:09):
I mean, it's this is my first... my estimate. But
I mean, this is commercially driven thing so it's very
difficult to know what happens. But, if, realistically I think
that could still be in that time span for three
years or so.
Peter Balint (host) (15:23):
And, you know, I'm curious, too, with the project, many
times there are challenges that come up that are maybe
unforeseen or unexpected. Was there anything like that in SERENA?
Christian Fager (15:35):
Indeed. I mean there are all parts, even though the
partners are extremely qualified on the separate parts. I mean,
the the chips, the individual chips, for example, electronics, they
are not the main challenge, I would say, or the
(15:55):
the packaging per se but the challenge comes when putting it all together.
And I think what we have seen is, of course,
the challenges of dealing with the heat dissipation, where, as
we already touched upon, there are even simple things that
can become complicated. For example, how pads on one chip
(16:17):
should interface the package, which has not been tried before.
Even all those small steps that have to be evaluated
take time or even the system board. How do we
place this module on on, uh, on a PCB board?
And how do we make the cooling and the interfaces
to to existing testbeds... all those tiny parts will all...are all
(16:43):
engineering challenges that have to be addressed in reaching the
goals of the project. But I think that looking back and
also considering the challenges that the COVID situationist has put
when it comes to lab access, etc. , I think
we can be very proud of where we are in
the project now, seeing that all parts are being available
(17:06):
and we are really approaching, by the end of the project,
a situation where the things can be put together and
finally evaluated in a communication experiment. But I think there
have been many small challenges that have been necessary to
address in the project. So I think that's... as usual,
(17:28):
this is the problem. Yeah, the challenge comes when you
try to put things together that work on... by itself
Peter Balint (host) (17:35):
Well, the challenges are always there, but having an effective
consortium like you do really helps to address them rapidly
and efficiently. Thanks for sharing your views of SERENA today.
This project certainly is paving the way for a 5G
world and we look forward to the results.
Christian Fager (17:52):
Thank you very much for arranging this interview. I think
it has been very good to have the opportunity to
to share a little bit of my thoughts on the
developments and the challenges in this exciting research area.
Peter Balint (host) (18:03):
Happy to do it.
Outro (18:07):
For more information about SERENA, go to serena-h2020.eu. The SERENA
project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement number 779305
Powerful collaborations, cutting edge science and curious minds coming together
for a glimpse of the future. Stay tuned as we
look at the latest updates on some of the most
promising technology projects.
Peter Balint (host) (00:20):
Hello and welcome, I'm your host, Peter Balint from Technikon. Today,
we take another look at the SERENA project. Our communication
needs in the not so distant future will dictate faster
data speeds and much higher bandwidth than ever before. 5G
is definitely a solution to deliver faster, higher quality video
(00:42):
and multimedia content services, but there is still quite a
bit of work to be done. We will see new,
smarter and more efficient antennas delivering these signals. And this
is where the SERENA project comes in. Partners in SERENA
are looking at using gallium nitride alongside traditional silicon to
enable beam steering antennas. Their goal is to develop an
(01:06):
architecture which is small and cost efficient with robust thermal
management schemes. Today we speak with Christian Fager, a professor
from project partner Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Welcome, Christian.
Christian Fager (01:20):
Thank you.
Peter Balint (host) (01:21):
Let's start at the beginning. The need for Serena -and
I will preface my first question by saying that SERENA
is about active antennas for milimeter wave communications and sensor systems.
This means that SERENA is contributing to building the infrastructure
for 5G. But tell us a little bit about the
need here. I mean, how important is millimeter wave or
(01:45):
very high frequency for 5G communications? And why won't today's
technology work for tomorrow's solutions?
Christian Fager (01:54):
That's a very good question and it's a question many
people ask, actually. Why do we need to have new bands,
so millimeter wave bands, what is the benefit of that?
And there are many answers to that question. And the
most straightforward answer is that at millimeter wave frequencies, we
have bandwidth or they're are not used so much for
(02:14):
commercial applications as the low frequencies are. So there are
chunks of bandwidth available for communication. Getting high capacity is
about having bandwidth available and at millimeter wave frequencies. We do
have more bandwidth available for our use. Well, that's one
aspect of it. And it doesn't mean that the millimeter
(02:35):
waves will replace the lower frequencies for communication. Actually, there's
a lot of things to do also at lower frequencies,
and that is something we should not forget when we
talk about 5G. But as an important complement to boost
the capacity millimeter wave frequencies and the wide bandwidth available
there will contribute to improve capacity and throughput when needed and
(02:57):
in areas where high capacity is needed. So it should
be seen as a complement and a capacity boost to
incorporate millimeter waves in future 5G systems.
Peter Balint (host) (03:08):
OK, so these lower frequencies, these aren't going anywhere. The
millimeter wave, for example, is sort of a boost for
the existing infrastructure.
Christian Fager (03:17):
Well, there are lots of things that could be done
and will be done in 5G also at lower frequencies,
but millimeter wave frequencies has the inevitable advantage that we
do have more bandwidth available. I mean, it's already very
pushed to the limits. What you can do at low frequencies,
at high frequencies, millimeter wave bands, we do have higher
(03:38):
bandwidth available and wide bandwidth means higher capacity. So it
is really opening up for new possibilities for increasing the
capacity which cannot be obtained if we only stay at
the lower frequency bands.
Peter Balint (host) (03:52):
I see. So when we talk about millimeter wave communications,
we talk about antennas that require a lot of electronics
in a small space and of course this configuration generates heat.
But we talked offline and you said you're not working
to reduce or manage heat. Can you tell us more
(04:14):
about that?
Christian Fager (04:15):
Yeah, it is true. I mean, millimeter waves... even in
the name it says millimeter wave. So it's about the waves,
having a wavelength on the order of millimeters and in
antenna systems and in particular active antenna systems, which... or
electronically steerable antennas that will be used in millimeter wave bands.
(04:41):
The separation between antennas is and or a wavelength that is...
we talk about millimeters between the antenna elements. And an antenna
is not making up a system and you need to
connect electronics behind each antenna. So, as you mentioned, having
lots of electronics behind each antenna, separated only by millimeters
(05:05):
apart is really, creating huge challenges when it comes to
not only the density itself, but also the heat that
it produces... the heat, I should say. is caused by
the fact that the electronics are not 100 percent efficient,
they are not efficient at lower frequencies either but at the millimeter
(05:27):
waves the efficiency of electronics, particularly the millimeter wave radio
frequency electronics, is really much lower than at the lower frequencies.
So not only are the electronics more densely packed, they
are also less efficient and therefore dissipate more heat. So
heat dissipation in electronics is really a big challenge in
(05:51):
realizing or in exploring millimeter wave bands for communication and sensing.
And that's really where much of the challenges are. And
we're very much in the heart of the SERENA project.
Peter Balint (host) (06:04):
OK, let's go back a second. You mentioned something which
I think our listeners might find rather interesting, steerable antenna.
I mean, can you in a few sentences explain what
that means? Because most people think of an antenna as
a fixed piece of equipment.
Christian Fager (06:20):
Yes. I mean, when we talk about antennas at the millimeter waves...
and it's actually the same at at lower frequencies, traditionally
antennas for base stations or communication have been fixed. And
you might have seen parabolic antennas on the rooftops or
you may have seen bars of antennas on base stations.
(06:41):
The problem is that to improve the energy efficiency and
also the capacity, we are not interested in just radiating
signals blindly in the air. We want to direct the
the energy that we or the signals and the communication
to where the users are. So if we could direct
(07:01):
the beams or the energy radiated from the antenna to
track the locations of the users, not only can we
improve the capacity, but we can also reduce the energy
consumption because the energy that we transmit is going just
where we need it to be. So how do we
do such steerable antennas? It is not, of course, possible
(07:26):
to imagine that you mechanically move the antenna to follow
the users. So we need to look for electronic ways
of doing it. And a solution that has been around
for quite many years actually, is to use active antennas,
which means that a single antenna element is replaced by
an array of individually controlled antenna elements. So by controlling
(07:52):
the face delay and the amplitude of those antennas of
the signal being radiated from those antennas, effectively we can
generate the equivalent of a larger antenna, but with direct...
but with properties that could be steered electronically so we
can electronically steer the beam of the antenna to where
(08:14):
the users are by having an antenna, an array of
antennas with phase shifters and amplitude control. And that's the what
is called an active antenna. And this is also what
has been used as a basis for for the research
in SERENA.
Peter Balint (host) (08:32):
Aha, so no moving parts and a very focused antenna beam.
Christian Fager (08:36):
Indeed, and maybe I can compliment also to say that
in the basic form we have one beam generated in
this way using phase shifters. Or of course, if you want, there
could actually be more than one beam generated from an
array and that would then be called a hybrid beam
forming arrays or multi... eventually MIMO systems. But, the basic
(08:59):
form is the phased array where phase shifters are needed and where the
beam is electronically steered by adjusting the faces of the
signals being transmitted.
Peter Balint (host) (09:10):
OK, yeah, makes sense. I'm wondering what sort of things
have you been able to produce or make or test?
Christian Fager (09:21):
Yeah, so, the SERENA project is about realizing... well, in the context
of active antenna systems for millimeter wave frequencies, we face
a number of challenges. I talked about the heat dissipation,
but another challenge is the fact that the output power
is not high enough quite often. In the SERENA project,
(09:43):
we address that problem by not using one single semiconductor technology,
but the combination of semiconductor technologies. We use low power,
silicon based or silicon germanium based electronics to generate the
signals and do the phase shifting, etc. or the signal
(10:03):
generation that is needed to realize the active antenna array. But the
problem is that the output power from silicon devices is
not sufficient. We want to generate more output power. And
that's why it's interesting to combine silicon devices with gallium
nitride technology. Gallium nitride is an emerging semiconductor technology that offers
(10:28):
higher output power, but also higher efficiency than silicon. So
the combination of silicon and gallium nitride is really what we're
looking for. And that... if we could do that, which
is the target of the SERENA project, then we can
get higher power, further reach and also higher capacity of
(10:50):
the system. Well, so the challenge now, and that's really
the core of the SERENA project is how to to
integrate those components. How do we integrate silicone devices, gallium nitride
devices and also antennas within the millimeter wave distances that
are dictated by the wavelength. So, in the SERENA project we are...
(11:15):
the different partners contribute to a different aspect of that.
For example, Infineon contributes with low power silicon chips OMIC
are working on a gallium nitride electronics the chips for high
power signal generation. Fraunhofer IZM is working with packaging and have their
(11:36):
own proprietary way of integrating those chips and interconnecting them
and also putting antenna on top. So all those parts
have been realized in the SERENA project
high power GAN transmitters and a packaging module by Fraunhofer.
So in terms of hardware, these are the components that
(11:58):
have been realized. And I should say that the composite
package that has been produced with all those components has
to be put in the context of a communication system.
So Ericsson and the Fraunhofer have developed the boards to
generate or emulate the communication link using the modules developed
(12:20):
by IZM, Infineon and OMIC. So what is the role
of Chalmers? Well, our role is to look at the effects,
or to look at what happens when we try to
build a high power density transmitter module. What is the
effect of the heat concentration? How does that impair those
(12:44):
heating effects and the mechanical properties and the left glass?
How do they come together and what is the implications
on the communication performance when we integrate things so hard?
So our task is about the modelling and prediction of
how things work together. That's our role. So there you
can see how the different parts of the project collaborate
(13:07):
about various aspects in this project.
Peter Balint (host) (13:10):
Yeah, and that's a really great overview of the consortium
and some of your industrial partners. Thanks for that...
Christian Fager (13:17):
And I should say that, here I talk about communication.
We also mentioned sensing. So I think another important part
of the project is using the same modules also to
look for high frequencies and radar applications, because it turns
out that the same... exactly the same challenges and requirements
are also needed in future sensor systems. And I think
(13:38):
that's also an important part of the project where FOI
and others are contributing just to get that clear.
Peter Balint (host) (13:45):
And when we talk about the tangible parts or the
things that have come out so far, it kind of
makes me wonder
see results from SERENA as a viable commercial solution?
Christian Fager (13:58):
Yeah, that's of course, very difficult to answer directly or exactly.
But I think that the need for a high... for
increased output power in particular 5G millimeter wave communication applications
is really important. And there's a strong commercial drive from
(14:21):
operators to telecom operators to reach further with their base
stations and also to improve the capacity of the communication
system as a whole in the offering that, for example,
Ericsson and others do. So I think that if things
go as we predict from the project here, that we
successfully manage to integrate now at the end of the
(14:44):
project or just after to integrate those electronics into a
module then I would say in the order of maybe
two to three years after the end of the project,
that's where I think commercial exploration of all this... the
exploration of these results in products could be seen.
Peter Balint (host) (15:07):
It's actually quicker than what I anticipated...
Christian Fager (15:09):
I mean, it's this is my first... my estimate. But
I mean, this is commercially driven thing so it's very
difficult to know what happens. But, if, realistically I think
that could still be in that time span for three
years or so.
Peter Balint (host) (15:23):
And, you know, I'm curious, too, with the project, many
times there are challenges that come up that are maybe
unforeseen or unexpected. Was there anything like that in SERENA?
Christian Fager (15:35):
Indeed. I mean there are all parts, even though the
partners are extremely qualified on the separate parts. I mean,
the the chips, the individual chips, for example, electronics, they
are not the main challenge, I would say, or the
(15:55):
the packaging per se but the challenge comes when putting it all together.
And I think what we have seen is, of course,
the challenges of dealing with the heat dissipation, where, as
we already touched upon, there are even simple things that
can become complicated. For example, how pads on one chip
(16:17):
should interface the package, which has not been tried before.
Even all those small steps that have to be evaluated
take time or even the system board. How do we
place this module on on, uh, on a PCB board?
And how do we make the cooling and the interfaces
to to existing testbeds... all those tiny parts will all...are all
(16:43):
engineering challenges that have to be addressed in reaching the
goals of the project. But I think that looking back and
also considering the challenges that the COVID situationist has put
when it comes to lab access, etc. , I think
we can be very proud of where we are in
the project now, seeing that all parts are being available
(17:06):
and we are really approaching, by the end of the project,
a situation where the things can be put together and
finally evaluated in a communication experiment. But I think there
have been many small challenges that have been necessary to
address in the project. So I think that's... as usual,
(17:28):
this is the problem. Yeah, the challenge comes when you
try to put things together that work on... by itself
Peter Balint (host) (17:35):
Well, the challenges are always there, but having an effective
consortium like you do really helps to address them rapidly
and efficiently. Thanks for sharing your views of SERENA today.
This project certainly is paving the way for a 5G
world and we look forward to the results.
Christian Fager (17:52):
Thank you very much for arranging this interview. I think
it has been very good to have the opportunity to
to share a little bit of my thoughts on the
developments and the challenges in this exciting research area.
Peter Balint (host) (18:03):
Happy to do it.
Outro (18:07):
For more information about SERENA, go to serena-h2020.eu. The SERENA
project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement number 779305
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