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Welcome to the

Communication Networks Institute

The Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Networks Institute (CNI) focuses on the re­search and development as well as the quantitative analysis of cutting-edge com­mu­ni­cation services, network architecture and their protocols. CNI has been led by Prof. Dr.-Ing Christian Wietfeld since 2005. With our numerous collaborative research projects, we contribute to the evolution of future wireless communication systems, in particular 5G+ and 6G networks, which are suited to fullfill challenging requirements in application fields like rescue robotics, automotive, smart grids, and the internet of things. 

The result of our research is documented in a wide range of publications, which have received a number of international awards. The impact of our research strongly builts on the integration of most recent machine learning techniques derived from our participation in the Collaborative Research Centre SFB 876 as well as on our excellent lab environment, which includes a mobile lab for experiments in the field, an outdoor testing site on the roof-top of a university building as well as access to unique test fields, such as the German Rescue Robotics Centre located nearby. 

We offer lectures on communication networks, mobile radio networks and the modelling and dimensioning of communication systems as well as entrepreneurial methods  in the field of Information & Communication Technology (ICT). The course catalog is supplemented with numerous practical labs.  We kindly invite interested students to to built up in-depth expertise mobile communication networks by joining our team as student assistant and by working on their final theses with us.

01/26/2023

Master student project group RESCUE (Robotic Exploration and Small Cell in Unidentified Environments) successfully completed

Within RESCUE, a group of ten students developed and built a modular sensor box as well as 5G small cell compatible with robotic platforms.

Project group photo with a SPOT and XTender platform
01/26/2023

Master student project group HEAT (HEAT: HIL-based End-to-End ReplicA of a 5G powered solar Thermal Power Plant) successfully completed

A team of students successfully completed the project group HEAT, in which a 5G-enabled, scaled model of a solar thermal power plant was realized.

Small-scaled build of a solar energy plant and a screen with the digital twin in the background
11/13/2022

NRW-Minister Mona Neubaur visits Dortmund to discuss sustainable 5G and 6G research

The highlight of the 5G.NRWeek 2022 was the conference on Thursday, November 10, 2022, at the Logistics Campus in Dortmund; co-sponsered by 6GEM.

11/04/2022

CNI participates to first responder exercise in Ahr valley

Rescue robots can support first responders by providing real-time situational insights in case of floodings and other large scale incidents.

10/14/2022

And the Best Paper Award of IEEE Future Networks World Forum 2022 in Montreal goes to ...

... M. Geis, B. Sliwa, C. Bektas and C. Wietfeld for their paper on "TinyDRaGon: Lightweight Radio Channel Estimation for 6G Pervasive Intelligence"

Logo of Future Networks Conference next to a Dragon logo
10/04/2022

Moving towards open, efficient and secure 6G Networks: Insights in on-going progress within the 6GEM research hub

On Nov 9th, 2022 (14:00-16:00), we offer an online-session with most recent results of NRW-related 6G research activities as part of 5G.NRweek 2022.

10/04/2022

Orientation phase for new students at CNI

The CNI took part in this year's orientation phase for the new students of electrical and communication engineering and introduced these students to…

Mobile 5G/6G crafter
09/23/2022

First face-to-face meeting of BMBF Lighthouse Project 6G-ANNA with CNI participation

The BMBF lighthouse industry project 6G-ANNA is dedicated to driving forward the 6G wireless technology with a significant budget of 38+ million Euro.

Location & approach

The campus of TU Dort­mund University is located close to interstate junction Dort­mund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dort­mund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is “Dort­mund-Eichlinghofen” (closer to South Campus), and from B 1 / A 40 “Dort­mund-Dorstfeld” (closer to North Campus). Signs for the uni­ver­si­ty are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dort­mund.

To get from North Campus to South Campus by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at North Campus and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.

TU Dort­mund University has its own train station (“Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät”). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dort­mund main station (“Dort­mund Hauptbahnhof”) and Düsseldorf main station via the “Düsseldorf Airport Train Station” (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 20 or 30 minutes). The uni­ver­si­ty is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.

You can also take the bus or subway train from Dort­mund city to the uni­ver­si­ty: From Dort­mund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station “Stadtgarten”, usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At “Stadtgarten” you switch trains and get on line U42 towards “Hombruch”. Look out for the Station “An der Palmweide”. From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dort­mund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dort­mund main station to the stop “Dort­mund Kampstraße”. From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop “Dort­mund Wittener Straße”. Switch to bus line 447 and get off at “Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S”.

The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.

The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dort­mund University. There are two stations on North Campus. One (“Dort­mund Uni­ver­si­tät S”) is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the uni­ver­si­ty directly with the city of Dort­mund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the “Technologiepark” and (via South Campus) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at North Campus and offers a direct connection to South Campus every five minutes.

The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent “Technologiepark”.

Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English).