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Digita and TalTech: Operating a Live Private 5G Platform for Research and Industrial Collaboration

Digita and TalTech: Operating a Live Private 5G Platform for Research and Industrial Collaboration

Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) operates a live private 5G network with a variety of hardware and software components that supports international research projects, industrial collaboration, and teaching at all levels in real production-like conditions.

“Private 5G networks are essential for enabling cutting-edge research and meaningful collaboration with industry,” says Frederick Rang, head of laboratories of the Thomas Johann Seebeck Department of Electronics that is administrating variety of electronics and advanced communication labs. To participate in demanding international projects, the department required much more than simulation environments of modern mobile communication technologies. Projects have required a secure, and reconfigurable 5G platform capable for cross-border interoperability testing, cellular IoT sensor deployments, and real-time performance assessment.

“Private 5G networks are essential for enabling cutting-edge research and meaningful collaboration with industry,” says Frederick Rang, head of laboratories of the Thomas Johann Seebeck Department of Electronics

A Production-Grade 5G Applied Research Environment

TalTech established a dedicated private 5G test environment designed to mirror real industrial deployments. The platform enables:

  • Cross-border seamless data roaming validation in the 5G-ROUTES project
  • Secure IoT sensor networking and industrial workers’ safety applications development in the 5G-Timber project and ÕÜF fair transition program for North-East of Estonia.
  • Supporting master’s and doctoral experiments and research in actual 5G environment.

This environment allows students and researchers to practice with real network behaviors, real configuration parameters, and real-life operational constraints.

“The private 5G network allows us to move from theory to practice in conditions that reflect real-world deployments,” Rang explains.

TalTech also cooperates closely with Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, TTJA, on radio spectrum and network matters, ensuring compliance and alignment with national and EU-level frameworks.

 

Digita’s Role: Design, Integration, and Operational Discipline

Deploying a private 5G research platform requires more than hardware. It demands system integration, ecosystem coordination, and ongoing operational management.

Digita designed and enabled the TalTech private 5G environment in close cooperation with TalTech and technology partners. The work included technical configuration alignment, integration of network components, and structured coordination across stakeholders to ensure stable live operation.

The Digita team, led by Head of Mobile Network Systems Tommi Korhonen, worked alongside TalTech experts to ensure the platform could support both research experimentation and long-term operational reliability.

“The cooperation has been built on trust, openness, and strong expertise, enabling smooth execution even in technically complex areas,” Rang says.

For TalTech, this means a stable, adaptable platform that supports evolving research needs — from study laboratory work to international R&D programs.

Enabling Scalable Innovation

The TalTech 5G platform is not a one-off deployment. It is a continuously evolving research infrastructure.

As research projects grow in scale and complexity, the ability to operate, update, and integrate advanced private 5G environments becomes critical. Established collaboration models and proven execution capability reduce friction and accelerate innovation.

“We see strong potential to deepen this partnership further as research initiatives expand,” Rang concludes.

Pictures: Tallinn University of Technology