St Petersburg University to launch 5G digital laboratory
St Petersburg University and MegaFon have reached an agreement of strategic cooperation and announced the establishment of a 5G digital laboratory equipped to train students in the use of the fifth-generation network test zone.
The key aim of this partnership is to help St Petersburg University students develop the competencies they will need for a successful career once they graduate and to foster cooperation in the fields of science, education and industry. The 5G digital laboratory will be used for the training of students, and likewise for the testing and development of digital products powered by 5G technology, including research into the radio-frequency spectrum, 5G radio network interfaces, information transmission rates, signal propagation delays, resource management, network computing, etc. The laboratory will be located on the Mikhailovskaya Dacha campus of the St Petersburg University Graduate School of Management.
MegaFon will help the University select topics for research and students’ graduation projects. Together they will develop special courses of study and academic programmes aimed at training professionals who are in demand on the labour market in this era of the digital economy.
The University is always looking for new practices and educational models in order to respond to the challenges presented by the digital economy. The 5G laboratory will become a focal point of collaboration between experts in different fields of education and business. We are delighted that the University will be in the vanguard when it comes to introducing this technology in Russia.
Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities and Teaching Methods
At the signing ceremony for the agreement, Marina Lavrikova, Senior Vice-Rector for Academic Activities and Teaching Methods at St Petersburg University, expressed her hope that the creation of this laboratory will give the University an opportunity to teach students something that they will not be able to learn at any other university.
‘St Petersburg University has an enormous research and educational potential,’ noted Valentina Vatrak, Director of Corporate Development and Human Resources at MegaFon. ‘But it will be realised much more effectively in partnership with a business that has both practical experience and resources. The 5G laboratory will provide students with all the conditions they need so that they can use what they have learned to solve real-world business problems with the support of experts from our company. We hope that our cooperation with St Petersburg University will lead to yet another stage in the formation of an ecosystem that will furnish a basis for the digitalisation of diverse fields of industry in Russia and allow MegaFon to make a significant contribution to training young professionals and developing digital talents.’