5G Course
The 5G Networks graduate course is offered to both Carleton University and University of Ottawa master’s and Ph.D. students. Now in its fourth year, 104 students have completed the course, some of whom have achieved full-time roles at Ericsson.
The course introduces students to 5G wireless communications, with learning outcomes consisting of the planning, designing, developing and managing of 5G networks using best practices, standards and tools.
The course integrates both theoretical knowledge and practical experience, featuring occasional guest lectures by Ericsson researchers and lab tours of the 5G Lab in the ARISE building. This year, students had the opportunity to tour the Ericsson Ottawa site.
104
Students Completed the 5G Course (2020-2025)
18
Ericsson Guest Lectures (2020-2025)
4
Lab Tours (2020-2025)
"I appreciate how this course traces the full evolution of mobile networks—from the original 1G standards right up to early 6G visions—blending a clear historical narrative with deep explorations of advanced topics like network slicing, post-quantum security, quantum-enhanced wireless, and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces. This scope gives students both the context and the cutting-edge insights they need."
5G Course Participant
Building on Success: New 'Software for Mobile Networks' Course Launches Winter 2026
The initial Ericsson-funded 5G Course offered in Carleton’s Department of Systems and Computer Engineering and School of Computer Science, entitled “5G Networks,” began in the Winter 2021 semester. Following its immense success and student engagement, a second Ericsson-sponsored course was developed to complement the original class. The “Software for Mobile Networks” course will be focused on software, and its inaugural section will commence in the Winter 2026 semester. The goal of this second course is to be more hands-on and interactive. The class has a long list of topics to cover, which will be taught via lectures, engaging projects and assignments. To help facilitate the class’s interactivity and collaboration, the course instructors have selected LabLabee, an open-source system providing virtual labs and teaching and learning opportunities, to help fulfill the course objectives. Prof. Jun Huang, who is the professor for the original 5G course, has been tasked with instructing this exciting new class.
Michel Barbeau, Professor, School of Computer Science, was instrumental in designing the new course, and is very enthusiastic about what it will bring to Carleton students.
“This new graduate course on 5G and beyond will introduce students to software for mobile networks through hands-on learning,” Barbeau explained. “The course will also approach key topics with a software development perspective. Building state-of-the-art software-defined radio platforms, students will learn the detailed algorithms, network architectures, and protocols that make up modern mobile communications. This course is an ideal complement to the 5G graduate, which has been offered for five years now. While the current 5G course focuses on concepts, the new course emphasizes the practical realization of these concepts.”
