The electrical cabinet´s revenge: From dusty storage to 6G testbed
However, the technology wasn't quite mature at the time, and the heavy electrical cabinet has since followed Future by Lund through three relocations. Project Manager Anders Trana insisted on keeping it, despite his colleagues' complaints about the cumbersome piece of equipment. And now, it turns out he was right. The cabinet is set to become a central hub for testing the latest in mobile communications at Brunnshög.
The SOM Project originally tested how new sensor technology could be used in public environments. As part of this, the project trialed Bluetooth mesh technology, where evenly spaced devices form a network to relay sensor signals to a gateway. The network was established using units in electrical cabinets around Mårtenstorget in Lund, with the idea of connecting the demonstration cabinet at Future by Lund's office.
But because the Bluetooth mesh technology was so new, establishing the connections proved more time-consuming than expected. Although the cabinets around Mårtenstorget were eventually connected, it wasn't possible to link the one at Future by Lund's office before the project's deadline.
Since then, Future by Lund has moved several times: from Skomakaregatan to Vårfrugatan, then to Medicon Village, and finally to its current location on Scheelevägen. Each time, the heavy cabinet has been brought along.
"I've had to help haul this cabinet during every move, and it's so heavy you can't carry it alone," says Anders Trana, a project manager in digital technology at Future by Lund. "My colleagues suggested we should get rid of it, but I always thought it could be useful someday."
In 2024, a new project was launched to create a testbed in Lund where organizations can develop and test products based on the latest mobile communication technology. The idea is to link Ericsson's mobile network testbed with Future by Lund's IoT testbed, fostering development in advanced 5G technology and paving the way for 6G.
Establishing a connection point at Brunnshög required an electrical cabinet—and as luck would have it, one was readily available.
"The fact that it's now being used is my vindication," says a triumphant Anders Trana. "It turns out it was worth hauling it through three moves after all!"
Kraftringen has now collected the cabinet from Future by Lund and installed it at Brunnshög. By creating an access point, it will be possible to connect devices like a mobile base station to Ericsson's test network. This new setup will enable a wide range of tests on the path towards a 6G network.
Future by Lund, Ericsson, Kraftringen, and Sensative are all partners in the project.
Bluetooth mesh creates network in Lund
The mesh network in central Lund is growing
SOM project turned Kraftringen into IoT provider
