Components and Systems for Communications Research Group

Welcome

Welcome to the T.I.M.E. WEB-LAB 4 ALL Project Homepage!               

Introduction

Power Amplifiers (PAs) are key components in any wireless communication system, essential for amplifying signals before transmission allowing long-distance coverage. However, nonlinearities in PAs lead to signal distortion, reducing communication quality. In addition, there is an inherent trade-off between linearity and power efficiency in PAs. Typically, PA design prioritizes maximizing power efficiency at high back-off levels to accommodate the high peak-to-average power ratio of OFDM signals, while linearity is managed at the system level using linearization techniques. 

Digital Predistortion (DPD) has become the most widely adopted linearization technique to address this challenge. By pre-compensating for distortions at the digital baseband level, DPD enables transmitters to achieve both high efficiency and high linearity. Nevertheless, with the evolution of 5G and beyond (B5G) systems, new signal formats, and advanced amplifier technologies, there is an urgent need for novel algorithms, innovative approaches, and practical experimentation platforms.

This is precisely the mission of the T.I.M.E. WEB-LAB 4 ALL project, supported by the T.I.M.E. Association.

What is T.I.M.E. WEB-LAB 4 ALL?

T.I.M.E. WEB-LAB 4 ALL is a remote, internet-accessible laboratory that provides researchers, students, and engineers worldwide with the opportunity to design, test, and validate DPD algorithms on state-of-the-art SDR platforms and advanced power amplifier prototypes.

Hosted at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC, Barcelona, Spain) and developed in collaboration with Politecnico di Torino (POLITO,Turin, Italy), Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH, Aachen, Germany), and Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI, Wilmington, MA, USA), the platform integrates:

  • Software-Defined Radio (SDR) transceivers provided by ADI.

  • GaN-based and Silicon-based Power Amplifiers designed by POLITO and RWTH Aachen.

  • A secure client–server infrastructure for real-time remote experimentation, provided by remoteUPCLab and physically located at the EETAC-UPC laboratory.

  • User-friendly interfaces supporting MATLAB and Python APIs for custom algorithm testing.

Through this platform, T.I.M.E. WEB-LAB 4 ALL transforms specialized RF experiments into a globally accessible learning and research experience.

Why it matters

The T.I.M.E. WEB-LAB 4 ALL initiative is more than a technical project — it is a paradigm shift in engineering education, research, and collaboration.

  • Educational impact: Students worldwide, including those in institutions without advanced RF labs, can gain hands-on experience with industry-grade equipment. This supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (UN SDG 4) by promoting inclusive and equitable access to quality education: "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all."

  • Research opportunities: By providing a standardized platform for experimentation, T.I.M.E. WEB-LAB 4 ALL enables researchers to validate new DPD approaches on a common benchmark—accelerating innovation in wireless communications and gaining practical knowledge that closely aligns with industrial practices.

  • Global collaboration: Bringing together universities and industry partners from different countries, T.I.M.E. WEB-LAB 4 ALL embodies the T.I.M.E. mission of international cooperation and academic excellence.

Acknowledgements

The WEB-LAB 4 ALL project is made possible by the joint effort of:

  • Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC, Spain) – Pere L. Gilabert, Gabriel Montoro. Responsible for assembling the remoteUPCLab at the EETAC-UPC premises.

  • Politecnico di Torino (Italy) – Vittorio Camarchia, Anna Piacibello, responsible for designing a GaN PA used as
    device-under-test (DUT) for DPD linearization.

  • RWTH Aachen University (Germany) – Renato Negra, responsible for designing a Silicon PA used as DUT for DPD
    linearization.

  • Analog Devices, Inc. (USA) – Kevin Chuang, responsible for supplying the SDR platforms and providing specialized
    training on their usage.

We also gratefully acknowledge the support of the T.I.M.E. Association, whose mission of fostering international collaboration in engineering education has been central to the creation of this project.

Comprehensive details on how to access and use the T.I.M.E. WEB-LAB 4 ALL system, including files for signal generation, waveform upload/download, and DPD performance evaluation (all within the MATLAB environment), can be found under the Access and Scoring details section. A full description of the measurement setup is available in the Measurement Setup section.