KU researchers win $1.8 million grant to ease communication in the wireless world

LAWRENCE -- Losing a cell phone call or being unable to retrieve data from a wireless device can be a frustrating experience, especially in a world that relies more and more on wireless technology for personal communication and conducting business.

The explosion of wireless communication devices has created intense competition with radio and television broadcasts and satellite communications systems for space on the radio frequency (RF) spectrum -- a medium that allows radio signals and other information to travel from one point to another. Cell phones and personal computers, along with newer technology such as PalmPilots and MP3 players, are consuming more RF spectrum than is available, which could lead to a "spectrum drought."

Finding more room on the RF spectrum, using space on the spectrum more efficiently and evaluating new wireless technologies are the goals of University of Kansas researchers who recently won a $1.8 million National Science Foundation grant.

The grant will fund the National Radio Networking Research Testbed, a research project within the KU Information and Telecommunication Technology Center. Gary J. Minden, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, will lead the three-year project.

"The RF spectrum is a limited resource, and it is not being used efficiently," Minden said. "The spectrum has 'empty pockets' within it that may provide radio designers with additional resources. But before this can happen, we must find out how the spectrum is currently being used."

A better understanding of the spectrum will allow radio designers to build new types of radios and develop new services, Minden said. If these services can use spectrum space more efficiently and avoid interfering with other radios and other services, many more people and businesses can have their own local wireless networks.

"These radios, with a higher data capacity, will allow people to exchange greater amounts of information between computers and other communal resources," Minden added. "Desktops, handheld devices, printers, scanners and file servers will all communicate with each other without cumbersome cables."

The research Minden and his colleagues will undertake is extremely valuable, according to Victor S. Frost, ITTC director and the Dan F. Servey distinguished professor of electrical engineering and computer science.

"The explosion of wireless communication devices has created increasing competition for prime spectrum," Frost said. "The demand for spectrum simply may soon outstrip supply. For example, some big cell phone companies already have found themselves at capacity in some markets. The problem only gets worse as applications such as high-speed Internet access move into the wireless realm."