A new National Science Foundation Industry-University Research Center led by Virginia Tech has funded 10 projects to advance the next generation of wireless networks.

The center is called WISPER, which stands for Wireless Innovation toward Secure, Pervasive, Efficient, and Resilient NextG networks. Industry members include A2 Labs, BAE Systems, Ericsson, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Hughes Network Systems, InterDigital, Keysight Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Ofinno, RTX, and Trust Web. 

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) is facilitating WISPER, which includes founding universities Virginia Tech, George Mason University, and the University of Arizona.  

“Wireless networks are a part of our daily lives, underpinning essential functions and keeping us connected,” said Luiz DaSilva, WISPER director and CCI executive director. “Industry and academic partnerships are essential to help create more secure and reliable future networks. Key to this partnership is that industry, through the WISPER Industry Advisory Board, provides guidance and recommendations on the research projects that are funded. These projects provide a great foundation for the new center.” 

Robert Gazda, senior director of wireless research at InterDigital, is WISPER’s inaugural Industry Advisory Board chair.

“The collaborative research model championed by WISPER is essential for tackling the most complex challenges in wireless innovation,” Gazda said. “By bridging academic research with real-world industry insights and needs, we can accelerate the development of secure, efficient, and highly scalable technologies that will shape the 6G era and beyond. I’m proud to support this strategic cross-sector partnership, which ensures the wireless solutions we create are not only groundbreaking but truly impactful.”

Top international companies are participating in the center to be at the forefront of advancing the next generation of wireless networks. 

“There is increased attention on wireless networks that are reliable, resilient, secure, and trustworthy,” said Mikael Prytz, director of research area networks at Ericsson. “We think there are great opportunities now for society and for our customers as well.”

WISPER is focused on four research themes in next generation networks or NextG: OpenG, SmartG, SpectrumG, and SecureG. “By emphasizing these research areas, WISPER is able to target where industry and customers will benefit the most from university-led research,” said Jacek Kibilda, Virginia Tech site co-director and a faculty member with CCI and the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

  • OpenG leverages virtualization, disaggregation, open interfaces, and open-source software to spur innovation, achieve efficiencies, and increase reliability through network sharing.
  • SmartG is an artificial intelligence (AI)-native and more sustainable NextG, in which some network management and functions are initially supported by, and eventually fully replaced with, AI.
  • SpectrumG embraces various forms of spectrum sharing and reconfiguration, with access to the new millimeter-wave and sub-Terahertz bands.
  • SecureG incorporates advanced wireless technologies and new spectrum bands in a secure-by-design and resilient manner.

About the 10 research projects

OpenG

Who Did What? Learning and Reconstructing O-RAN Conflicts with Graph Neural Networks

  • Lead principal investigator: Joao Santos, Virginia Tech

SmartG

Hardware-accelerated Machine Learning Designs for Energy-efficient Real-time Signal Intelligence at the Edge

  • Lead principal investigator: Marwan Krunz, University of Arizona

Multi-Agent Framework for Advanced Topic Intelligence and Search Optimization

  • Lead principal investigator: Marwan Krunz, University of Arizona

SecureG

Probabilistic Signal Processing for Integrated Sensing, Communications, and Detection (SPICED)

  • Lead principal investigator: Daniel J. Jakubisin, Virginia Tech

Secure Beamforming and Tracking in 5G/NextG Systems: Attacks and Countermeasures

  • Lead principal investigator: Marwan Krunz, University of Arizona

Adaptive Modular LLMs for Trustworthy and Efficient On-Device Intelligence in 6G Networks

  • Lead principal investigator: Michael Wu, University of Arizona

Wireless Geofencing with Passive Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces

  • Lead principal investigator: Jacek Kibilda, Virginia Tech

SpectrumG

Machine Learning Driven Beam Management for 5G/NextG

  • Lead principal investigator: Marwan Krunz, University of Arizona

QoS-Aware Scheduling for Coexistence of 5G NR-U and WiFi

  • Lead principal investigator: Brian L. Mark, George Mason University

Synthesis of RF Coverage Maps Using Generative AI

  • Lead principal investigator: Marwan Krunz, University of Arizona

 

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