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SUNY Oswego wireless data research wins investment award

Payne Horning
/
WRVO News
Patanjali Parimi, director of SUNY Oswego's Advanced Wireless Systems Research Center, stands inside the college's anechoic chamber where he is developing a device to improve the speed and security of wireless data transmissions.

Inside SUNY Oswego's Advanced Wireless Systems Research Center, there's a giant lab where the walls, floor and ceiling are completely covered in foam cones.

It's called an anechoic chamber, or echo-less room, and it's the only one in all of SUNY's 64 campuses. This is the space where the center's director Patanjali Parimi has been developing a device that can move wireless data, like text messages or radio signals, at a faster and securer rate than what exists today. The project just won an investment award from SUNY's Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF) - a first for SUNY Oswego.

Parimi says the technology could let telecommunication companies retrofit their existing infrastructure rather than replacing it all to make way for the upcoming 5G network, which is supposed to bring faster speeds for customers, but be expensive to implement. 

"Because of competition, the spectrum is going to be highly expensive for a telecommunication companies to buy it," Parimi said. "They don’t have to buy that spectrum. They can buy the 4G spectrum, which will be rather cheaply available down the line."

Parimi says there could also be military applications for his technology. Two Syracuse companies have already expressed interest in the research, including SRC Inc., which develops technology for the U.S. military.

It's still early in the development stages, about a 3 on the 9-point Technology Readiness Level scale according to Parimi. But with up to $50,000 from SUNY's TAF grant, Parimi says he could have a prototype of the hardware finished within the next year.

Payne Horning is a reporter and producer, primarily focusing on the city of Oswego and Oswego County. He has a passion for covering local politics and how it impacts the lives of everyday citizens. Originally from Iowa, Horning moved to Muncie, Indiana to study journalism, telecommunications and political science at Ball State University. While there, he worked as a reporter and substitute host at Indiana Public Radio. He also covered the 2015 session of the Indiana General Assembly for the statewide Indiana Public Broadcasting network.