Overview of the role of COMNET-Aalto in the HEI ICI ENhANCE (Enhancing Education and Research in Networking and Communications Engineering) capacity building project.

1. COMNET as a Capacity-Building Partner for Two African
Institutions
Cookie Friday Presentation, 24/05/2013, COMNET Department, Aalto
Edward Mutafungwa
Department of Communications and Networking
Aalto School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto University
Espoo, Finland

2. Outline
• Background
• ENhANCE consortium
• Addressed challenges
• Target outcomes
• Brief overview of COMNET deliverables
• Immediate next steps

3. Background 1(2)
• Full title: Enhancing Education and Research in
Networking and Communications Engineering
• Acronym: ENhANCE
• Duration: 24 months (2 years)
• Type of project: Government-funded, capacity-building
• Project coordinator: COMNET, Aalto University
• Consortium size: 3 partners
• Total budget: 0,5m EUR (inc. 20% self-financing)

4. Background 2(2)
• Higher Education Institutions Institutional Cooperation
Instrument (HEI ICI)
– Funding instrument by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland
– Aim: ”…strengthen administrative, field-specific, methodological
and pedagogical capacity”
– Supports collaboration projects between HEIs in Finland and
developing countries
• Priority countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Tanzania,
Vietnam and Zambia
– Duration: 1-3 years
– 23 projects selected for 2013-15 period (3 from Aalto)
• For further info on this and similar instruments:
– Kiruthika Srinivasan, Aalto University Coordinator for
International Projects <kiruthika.srinivasan@aalto.fi>

5. ENhANCE Consortium 1(3)
• Three partners HEIs
1. COMNET, Aalto-ELEC, Finland
2. Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering (ECED), Addis Ababa Institute of
Technology (AAiT), Addis Ababa University,
Ethiopia
3. College of Information and Communication
Technologies (CoICT), University of Dar es
Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania

6. ENhANCE Consortium 2(4)
• COMNET team
– Project Leader: Prof. Riku Jäntti
– Technology Lead and Engineering Curriculum Advisor: Prof. Jyri
Hämäläinen
– Coordinator/Project Manager: Edward Mutafungwa
– Project Assistant & Wireless Networks Expert: Beneyam Haile
– Software Radio Expert: Kalle Ruttik
– Software Radio Expert: Yihenew Dagne Beyene
– Expert on Academic Communications: Laura Mendoza
– …plus other COMNET staff involved by request on specific
cases

7. ENhANCE Consortium 3(4)
• AAiT, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
– 2,500 students are enrolled at School of ECE
– 140 MSc and 2 PhD candidates

8. ENhANCE Consortium 4(4)
• CoICT, University of Dar es Salaam,Tanzania
– Formed in January 2011
• Merger School of Informatics and Communication Technologies
(SICT) with the Department of Electrical and Computer System
Engineering (ECSE)
– Number of MSc and PhD intakes in CoICT is very low

9. Challenges Addressed by ENhANCE
• Master’s and PhD-level curricula in networking and
communications engineering need of urgent updating
• Need to enhance skills of academic staff in specific
areas
– Improve quality of research
– Adopt new pedagogical methods
– Effective supervision of thesis research work
• Under-equipped research and teaching laboratory
facilities

10. Targeted Outcomes
• Introduction of new courses and pedagogical methods
• New Master’s level study program in area of
communications and networking (CoICT-UDSM)
• Introduce new wireless technology tools for teaching and
research
• Introduction of new industry outreach initiatives
– Enforce their linkages to research and education programs

11. Overview of COMNET Deliverables 1(6)
• Introduce Advanced Wireless Technologies course
• COMNET knowledge/experience
– S-72.3216 Radio Communication Systems I
– S-72.3226 Radio Communication Systems II
Base Station
City
θ Antenna Tilt Angle

12. Overview of COMNET Deliverables 2(6)
• Wireless network simulation tools (for teaching and
research)
– Matlab-based system simulators (created in COMNET)
10 Small Cells 30 Small Cells 60 Small Cells
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Number of Rooftop Small Cells
ThroughputGain
Throughput Gain per Deployment Scenario
10th percentile
50th percentile
90th percentile
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Fairness Index
CDF
Fairness Index CDF
Macro Only
Macro & 10 Small Cells(Rooftop)
Macro & 10 Small Cells(Indoor)
Macro & 30 Small Cells(Rooftop)
Macro & 30 Small Cells(Indoor)
Macro & 60 Small Cells(Rooftop)
Macro & 60 Small Cells(Indoor)

13. Overview of COMNET Deliverables 3(6)
• Wireless network simulation tools (for teaching and
research)
– Propagation modeling and network planning tool (commercial)

14. Overview of COMNET Deliverables 4(6)
• Software radio platform (for teaching and research)
– Lab course content currently under preparation in COMNET

15. Overview of COMNET Deliverables 5(6)
• Indoor positioning platform (for research)
– Using WLAN fingerprinting
– Developed by Ville Miekk-Oja and team (InPoint/COMNET)

16. Overview of COMNET Deliverables 6(6)
• Joint formulation of PBL-based (problem-based learning) course
– Problems defined by local industry partners, group-work
• Joint formulation of seminar course with speakers from local industry
and government
• COMNET knowledge/experience
– S-72.3120 Special Project in Communications
– S-72.3510 Product Development of Telecommunication Systems
– S-38.3001 Telecommunications Forum P

17. Next Steps…
• Teams from CoICT and AAiT (10-12 persons) visiting
COMNET in August 2013
– Training, demos, lab visits, presentations, project meeting etc.
• Smaller teams from COMNET to visit CoICT and AAiT in
Autumn/Winter 2013
– Lectures, training staff/students etc.
– Joint supervision of selected theses works
– Joint planning of industry outreach events etc.

18. Thank you for your attention!
Further info:
Edward Mutafungwa
Postdoc Researcher/Project Manager
Aalto University
School of Electrical Engineering
Department of Communications and Networking
Otakaari 5A, Espoo, Finland
edward.mutafungwa@aalto.fi
Tel: +358 40 733 3397