Indian-American professor designing 5G network solution in US

An Indian-American university teacher is designing systems capable of supporting 5G infrastructure in the US as part of a project funded by the country's Department of Defense.

Harish Krishnamoorthy, assistant professor in the University of Houston's electrical and computer engineering department, has been given a grant of USD 1.7 million for the project.

Krishnamoorthy has partnered with New Edge Signal Solutions, a Massachusetts company which builds high-speed broadband radio frequency systems, to execute the project.

5G is the fifth generation of wireless communication technologies. In addition to faster speeds, 5G offers greater bandwidth and network capacity, paving the way for a future of driverless cars, more connected devices and high-definition connections for virtual meetings and telemedicine.

However, the rollout in the United States and elsewhere has been stymied by gaps in available technology that could operate at the high frequencies required by 5G.

Krishnamoorthy, whose lab focuses on power electronics, said successful adoption of 5G networks will require adapting software to support the demands.

"But first, we need hardware that is fast enough and capable of supporting 5G," Krishnamoorthy said, as he explains his role in developing a higher power 5G envelope tracking power supply that can operate with a bandwidth of 100 megahertz (MHz) or higher.