The exponential growth of wireless data traffic causes spectrum depletion and significantly stresses the capacity of existing and future wireless networks. The massive unlicensed bandwidth in the 60 GHz band provides great potential to meet the surging wireless data demand. The goal of this project is to gain a deep understanding of the 60 GHz propagation and channel characteristics, and to develop effective 60 GHz network protocols. This project falls into four interacted thrusts: (i) 60 GHz 3-D channel propagation measurement and modeling; (ii) MAC scheduling in 60 GHz networks; (iii) 60 GHz mesh network protocols; and (iv) enabling rich multimedia communications in 60 GHz networks. Various methods including field testing and measurements, mathematical modeling, network protocol design, distributed control, and cross-layer optimization are adopted to address the research challenges.
This project is part of a broad and ambitious global effort to develop novel techniques to exploit the huge license-free spectrum in the 60 GHz band in face of the exponential wireless data growth. It has the potential to accelerate the deployment of more powerful, bandwidth intensive, ubiquitous and cheaper wireless applications and services, and the support of more versatile, robust and rich-multimedia wireless networks. Complementary to the research agenda, the project also carries out a broad range of education and outreach activities, including integration of research findings into wireless engineering courses, textbook development, promoting underrepresented and undergraduate populations, collaboration with an HBCU, and participating in existing programs at the PIs' institutions for outreach to K-12 students and teachers.
