Team Aims To Improve Wireless Base Station Cooperation

Alexander Haimovich wants to improve consumer wireless services during the next three years, despite predictions of worsening services. That's why Haimovich, an electrical and computer engineering professor at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), will lead a research team to prevent a downturn in services. The plan is to tighten cooperation of processing signals between wireless network base stations, such as cellular networks.

"The rapid expansion of cellular phones and the Internet emboldens consumers to demand mobile access to a wide range of services from information to entertainment," Haimovich said. "Well, with this kind of accelerated demand, service for virtually all users portends to only get worse."

Base stations, which take in signals, will become greater gateways to the Internet, in addition to their traditional role serving as a conduit for voice messages. Base stations currently operate independent of, or with limited collaboration from, other base stations. "Our research will answer whether tighter cooperation in processing signals between base stations can enhance performance," said Haimovich.

Wireless services impacted by an upsurge in use will include cell phones and MP3 players. Affected technologies will include cellular, Wi-Fi and the new WiMax technology. A three-year $360,000 National Science Foundation grant supports the work.

The research team, based at the Center for Wireless Communication and Signal Processing Research at NJIT, is a joint effort with Princeton University. It continues a tradition of cooperation with other New Jersey research universities regarding research on wireless topics. Yeheskel Bar-Ness, PhD, distinguished professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering, at NJIT is director of the center.