News

Work on research problems related to the future of wireless networks is the focus of a new partnership between Waterloo Engineering researchers and Cisco Canada.

Catherine Rosenberg, who was announced today as the Cisco Research Chair in 5G Systems, will head a multidisciplinary team of experts to help the industry leader in networking prepare for the introduction of 5G.

Safieddin (Ali) Safavi-Naeini has been immersed for more than 15 years in the complex technical details of his work on intelligent antenna systems for Internet connectivity.

But as he embarks on the next phase of his cutting-edge research – a five-year project backed by $6.1 million in joint government-industry funding that was announced today – he hasn’t lost sight of what his research could ultimately mean in the big picture.

Research at the University of Waterloo that has the potential to affordably connect billions of new users to the Internet via intelligent antennas will receive $6.1 million in joint funding from C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. (C-COM) and the federal government.

They kept the details of their work quiet for years, just one of the many requirements of collaborating on a sensitive project with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

But now that their compact, one-of-a-kind antenna has made a public splash, blasting off from India this week as a key component of a microsatellite on a mission to test new technologies, Waterloo Engineering researchers  are ready to celebrate their success.

From a distance, it’s just possible to believe that University of Waterloo engineering professor Safieddin (Ali) Safavi-Naeini, who currently occupies the NSERC/BlackBerry Industrial Research Chair in wireless communication, has a dull, dry and theoretical job in academia.