Science & Technology

Corporate Forces Join to Establish $32 Million Wireless Communications Research Centre

Business Wire - May 21st, 2001

Advanced Communications Technologies (Australia) Pty Ltd and NEC Australia Pty Ltd have jointly headed a proposal to the Australian Government to obtain funding for a A$32 million Next Generation Wireless Communications Research Centre to be located in Melbourne, Australia.

The proposal seeks to access part of the $A176 million recently allocated by the Australian Government for the establishment of new centres of excellence in the information and communications technology (ICT) and biotechnology fields.

Focusing on an ICT centre of excellence, the joint proposal from ACT and NEC aims to establish a centre to foster commercial development of wireless applications. Importantly, the proposal includes the involvement of both RMIT University and Victoria University of Technology as academic partners.

The centre is also proposed to play a key role in the retention and development of talented Australian researchers by offering research fellowships and career opportunities. The powerful combination of industry and academia that the proposal represents is expected to create a state of the art research facility that will be integral to the development of both the Australian wireless communications industry and Australia's place in the global technology marketplace.

"This proposal represents a major step forward for ACT's US operations," said Roger May, Chairman of ACT-US. "With this centre envisaged to become a world leader in the development of wireless technologies and standards, ACT-US's ability to tap this cost effective leading edge technical resource will be invaluable in establishing the company as major force in the next generation wireless technologies. Significantly, ACT-US's ability to commercialise leading edge technologies developed by the centre will provide it with a substantial competitive advantage throughout its marketplace of North, South and Central America."

Some of the research projects for the proposed facility are expected to include the following:

• Production of commercially viable enhanced air interface protocols
• Design of wireless radio chip sets
• New circuit design techniques and methodology that can be applied to ASICs
• Combine advanced smart algorithms, advanced systems theory and system-on-chip implementations

"The establishment of the Centre reflects our commitment to developing a pool of researchers with next generation wireless capability," says Mr Brendan McManus, Executive Director, NEC Australia. "NEC Australia currently employs 70 R&D engineers in 3G Wireless, and this proposal enables us to put this experience back into creation of a viable wireless industry for the long term."

Researchers with funding for areas of wireless technologies will be able to use the centre to carry out research. The proposal calls for a ramp-up to at least 100 researchers, but with possibly as many as 300 researchers over the five-year period, to be drawn from a wide range of leading edge technological ventures.