̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - BT

Talking about a revolution: 25 years of BT and Cambridge

skbf2 — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 09:24:46 +0000

Cambridge and BT have been working together for more than 25 years developing new technologies, exploring human behaviour and considering how those two things come together to shape our world.

Existing infrastructure will be unable to support demand for high-speed internet

sc604 — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 15:00:00 +0000

̽��ֱ��researchers, from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and BT, have established the maximum speed at which data can be transmitted through existing copper cables. This limit would allow for faster internet compared to the speeds currently achievable using standard infrastructure, however it will not be able to support high-speed internet in the longer term.

̽��ֱ��team found that the ‘twisted pair’ copper cables that reach every house and business in the UK are physically limited in their ability to support higher frequencies, which in turn support higher data rates.

While full-fibre internet is currently available to around one in four households, it is expected to take at least two decades before it reaches every home in the UK. In the meantime, however, existing infrastructure can be improved to temporarily support high-speed internet.

̽��ֱ��results, reported in the journal Nature Communications, both establish a physical limit on the UK’s ubiquitous copper cables, and emphasise the importance of immediate investment in future technologies.

̽��ֱ��Cambridge-led team used a combination of computer modelling and experiments to determine whether it was possible to get higher speeds out of existing copper infrastructure and found that it can carry a maximum frequency of about 5 GHz, above the currently used spectrum, which is lower than 1 GHz. Above 5 GHz however, the copper cables start to behave like antennas.

Using this extra bandwidth can push data rates on the copper cables above several Gigabits per second on short ranges, while fibre cables can carry hundreds of Terabits per second or more.

“Any investment in existing copper infrastructure would only be an interim solution,” said co-author Dr Anas Al Rawi from Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory. “Our findings show that eventual migration to optical fibre is inevitable.”

̽��ֱ��twisted pair– where two conductors are twisted together to improve immunity against noise and to reduce electromagnetic radiation and interference – was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1881. Twisted pair cables replaced grounded lines by the end of the 19th century and have been highly reliable ever since. Today, twisted pair cables are standardised to carry 424 MHz bandwidth over shorter cable lengths owing to deeper fibre penetration and advancement in digital signal processing.

These cables are now reaching the end of their life as they cannot compete with the speed of fibre-optic cables, but it’s not possible to get rid of all the copper cables due to fibre’s high cost. ̽��ֱ��fibre network is continuously getting closer to users, but the connection between the fibre network and houses will continue to rely on the existing copper infrastructure. Therefore, it is vital to invest in technologies that can support the fibre networks on the last mile to make the best use of them.

“High-speed internet is a necessity of 21st century life,” said first author Dr Ergin Dinc, who carried out the research while he was based at Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory. “Internet service providers have been switching existing copper wires to high-speed fibre-optic cables, but it will take between 15 and 20 years for these to reach every house in the UK and will cost billions of pounds. While this change is happening, we’ve shown that existing copper infrastructure can support higher speeds as an intermediate solution.”

̽��ֱ��Cambridge researchers, working with industry collaborators, have been investigating whether it’s possible to squeeze faster internet speeds out of existing infrastructure as a potential stopgap measure, particularly for rural and remote areas.

“No one had really looked into the physical limitations driving the maximum internet speed for twisted pair cables before,” said Dinc. “If we used these cables in a different way, would it be possible to get them to carry data at higher speeds?”

Using a mix of theoretical modelling and experimentation, the researchers found that twisted pair cables are limited in the frequency they can carry, a limit that’s defined by the geometry of the cable. Above this limit, around 5 GHz, the twisted pair cables start to radiate and behave like an antenna.

“ ̽��ֱ��way that the cables are twisted together defines how high a frequency they can carry,” said Dr Eloy de Lera Acedo, also from the Cavendish, who led the research. “To enable higher data rates, we’d need the cables to carry a higher frequency, but this can’t happen indefinitely because of physical limitations. We can improve speeds a little bit, but not nearly enough to be future-proof.”

̽��ֱ��researchers say their results underline just how important it is that government and industry work together to build the UK’s future digital infrastructure, since existing infrastructure can handle higher data rates in the near future, while the move to a future-proof full-fibre network continues.

̽��ֱ��work is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Cavendish, the Department of Engineering, BT and Huawei in a project led by Professor Mike Payne, also of the Cavendish Laboratory. ̽��ֱ��research was also supported by the Royal Society, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

Reference:
Ergin Dinc et al. ‘High-Frequency Electromagnetic Waves on Unshielded Twisted Pairs: Upper Bound on Carrier Frequency.’ Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29631-8

Researchers have shown that the UK’s existing copper network cables can support faster internet speeds, but only to a limit. They say additional investment is urgently needed if the government is serious about its commitment to making high-speed internet available to all.

We can improve speeds a little bit, but not nearly enough to be future-proof

Eloy de Lera Acedo

Miroslaw Nozka/EyeEm via Getty Images

Copper wires

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Funding announced for almost 400 new doctoral places in arts and humanities

sjr81 — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 10:45:43 +0000

̽��ֱ��Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP is a consortium of the three universities for doctoral training and funding in the Humanities. ̽��ֱ��DTP is underpinned by world-class research and training environments, supported by strategic partnerships with the BBC World Service, the National Trust and British Telecom, and is national and international in mindset, and determined to take a leading role in shaping the future of doctoral training in the UK.

̽��ֱ��AHRC is the UK’s largest funder of postgraduate training in the arts and humanities, and plays an essential role in supporting the next generation of highly capable researchers. By working together, the AHRC, the Open ̽��ֱ��, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are able to commit to investing in this partnership over its lifetime.

Professor David Rechter, incoming Director of the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP, said: “I am pleased by the success of our bid, and look forward to recruiting our first cohort of students next year. Supported by our partners the National Trust, the BBC World Service and British Telecom, the Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP will offer students a wealth of opportunities to pursue research and engage in training, and to learn from each other as part of a large multi-disciplinary group. These opportunities will equip our DTP students with the research expertise and skills that will allow them to go on to wide range of careers in academia and beyond.”

Professor Martin Millett, Head of the School of Arts and Humanities at Cambridge, said: “ ̽��ֱ��success of this bid is excellent news. ̽��ֱ��unique collaboration between Oxford, Cambridge and the Open ̽��ֱ�� opens up exciting new prospects for the next generation of doctoral research students in the Arts and Humanities.”

Professor Edward Harcourt, the AHRC’s Director of Research, Strategy and Innovation, said: “ ̽��ֱ��AHRC is delighted to announce its renewed commitment to the Doctoral Training Partnerships model. Our support for the next generation of arts and humanities researchers is critical to securing the future of the UK arts and humanities sector, which accounts for nearly a third of all UK academic staff, is renowned the world over for its outstanding quality, and which plays a vital part in our higher education ecosystem as a whole.

“We were extremely pleased with the response to our call, which saw high-quality applications from across the UK from a variety of diverse and innovative consortia, each with a clear strategy and vision for the future support of their doctoral students.”

Professor Kevin Hetherington, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Academic Strategy), ̽��ֱ��Open ̽��ֱ��, said: “ ̽��ֱ��Open ̽��ֱ�� is delighted that the AHRC has chosen to recognise the commitment to innovation and diversity inherent in the Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP, and looks forward to participating fully in the delivery of an exciting training programme for our PhD students.”

Professor Karen O’Brien, Head of the Humanities Division, ̽��ֱ�� of Oxford, said: “This is good news and an endorsement of our collective commitment to developing the next generation of Humanities scholars. We are looking forward to working with the Open ̽��ֱ��, Cambridge, the AHRC and our strategic partners to deliver a truly exciting opportunity to our consortium students.”

Stephen Cassidy, Chief Researcher, System Science, BT Labs, said: “As a communication company deeply rooted in the interaction between people, communities and businesses, BT sees great benefit in being part of this DTP. Interaction with the students and academics will extend our understanding of ethical, legal and social ramifications of the possible directions the industry as a whole could (and is) embarking on. These are issues of international scale, and we are pleased to link with the DTP and to provide further links with our research collaborations around the UK and the globe.”

Jamie Angus, Director, BBC World Service Group, said: “ ̽��ֱ��objectives of the Consortium and the Doctoral Training partnership fit very well with the BBC World Service’s objectives; ̽��ֱ��BBC World Service Group provides independent impartial journalism to nearly 350 million people around the world each week, across cultural, linguistic and national boundaries. We look forward to working with world-class doctoral students in the Humanities drawing on their research skills and subject expertise, as well as making the most of the huge range of languages studied at Oxford, Cambridge and the OU. Working together we will play our part so that the Consortium can provide DTP-funded students with skills and experience they need to communicate their ideas beyond academia so that they may be better able to reach a wider audience.”

Nino Strachey, Head of Research and Specialist Advice at the National Trust, said: “ ̽��ֱ��National Trust is delighted at the success of the bid and excited to work with students and staff from these internationally recognised universities and partners. With a long history of hosting and co-supervising PhDs, we look forward to offering opportunities for students to gain experience of the heritage sector and to work with Europe’s largest conservation charity.”

Information on how to apply for scholarships via the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership for entry in 2019/20 will be available from www.oocdtp.ac.uk from 1 September 2018.

̽��ֱ��Open ̽��ֱ��, the ̽��ֱ�� of Oxford and the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge are pleased to announce the success of their bid for funding for the Open-Oxford-Cambridge Arts and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership, which will create nearly 400 new doctoral places in the arts and humanities.

̽��ֱ��unique collaboration between Oxford, Cambridge and the Open ̽��ֱ�� opens up exciting new prospects for the next generation of doctoral research students in the Arts and Humanities

Martin Millett

Sir Cam

Faculty of English on the ̽��ֱ��'s Sidgwick Site, home to many of the faculties and departments from the School of Arts and Humanities.

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Designing our Tomorrow: Resources to inspire the next generation of engineers

sjr90 — Thu, 08 May 2014 09:16:55 +0000

Designing our Tomorrow (DOT) is a joint project of the Department of Engineering and the Faculty of Education at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.

Working in partnership with leading engineering companies and local schools, DOT has developed a distinctive teaching approach and a unique set of resources, ‘DOT in a Box’, for teachers to use in Key Stage 3 Design and Technology classes.

̽��ֱ��three boxes being launched today are: Inclusive Design, Sensor Circuits and Picture Holders.

Each box includes a complete set of teaching resources, which would normally cover 12 D & T lessons.

“Inclusive Design” sets the challenge of designing more inclusive cutlery. ̽��ֱ��BOX includes a set of gloves and glasses that mimic the effects of human aging - the gloves restrict dexterity in a similar way to arthritis; while the glasses mimic the way vision declines from the age of 47.

Immersion in these and other creative/analytical tools contained in the BOX become the starting point to authentic engineering design challenges.

To help ensure that the case studies and challenges are authentic, leading engineering companies helped to develop the teaching resources:

Cambridge Design Partnership contributed real-world industry case studies to inspire the students, including the design of Dulux PaintPod, a self-cleaning powered painter; and the Waterpebble, a small device with complex electronics to measure water usage in the shower. “We enjoyed the opportunity to demonstrate how interesting product development and engineering work can be, and share this in the classroom,” a spokesman said.
Heba Bevan, PhD Researcher in Low-power Wireless Sensor Networks at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction, said: “Engaging with students in a creative and relevant way at the age of 13 and 14 is critically important to develop analytical skills and a lifelong love of problem solving. These workshops create a different atmosphere for learning, encouraging teamwork, innovation, and thinking about problems in a multi-dimensional way rather than in a linear input-output manner. I believe that widespread implementation of DOT will lead to an significant increase in the number of students that pursue careers in science and engineering.”

BT, Marshalls and Chesapeake also supported the development of DOT in a Box.

̽��ֱ��project has been piloted in a range of schools, including a number from Cambridgeshire to make sure that the resources work for teachers and pupils.

̽��ֱ��most recent pilot was funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering through its Ingenious grant scheme.

Ian Hosking, Senior Research Associate at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Engineering Design Centre, said: "Everything is designed. It is how we shape the world around us. Designing Our Tomorrow is about equipping students to design their futures and in particular address the global challenges of population ageing and environmental sustainability."

Bill Nichol, Lecturer in Design Education at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Faculty of Education, said “Although 71% of 13 and 14 year olds interviewed for the project said that engineering was ‘cool’, less than half felt challenged by their lessons and only 38% said they were considering a career in design and technology.

“By developing and delivering inspirational resources for teaching Design & Technology at Secondary level, DOT hopes that all Key Stage 3 students will enjoy challenging lessons and be inspired to consider design as a real and rewarding career path.”

New resources designed to inspire the next generation of engineers by bringing authentic engineering challenges into the classroom have been launched today by the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge.

These workshops create a different atmosphere for learning, encouraging teamwork, innovation, and thinking about problems in a multi-dimensional way.

Heba Bevan, PhD Researcher in Low-power Wireless Sensor Networks, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction,

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