Practical Solutions for High Speed Internet Access
The unprecedented growth of the Internet witnessed in the past ten years is expected to continue and accelerate well into the next decade. One of the most pressing issues in establishing the global Internet infrastructure is the development of high-speed local access networks that connect ordinary homes and offices to the Internet backbone. This is because the cost of replacing existing low capacity copper wires and coaxial cables with high speed fibre optics is extremely high. This so-called "broadband access problem" is the most critical challenge facing the next-generation Internet.
Dr. Wei Yu is undertaking research focused specifically on this critical problem. He intends to develop efficient, high capacity communication techniques based on a fundamental understanding of information theory and test them on existing wireless access networks and wired infrastructures. His research will address some of the most fundamental theoretical issues in digital communications and solve practical problems related to widely adopted industry standards, such as the wireless local area network standard, the digital subscriber line standard, and the Gigabit Ethernet standard. His discoveries promise to uncover cost effective solutions for tackling many important and long-standing challenges related to the broadband access problem.
Dr. Yu intends to develop a unified theoretical understanding that can be applied to both wireless and wired access media. His two key program objectives include employing theoretical studies to advance knowledge about the fundamental performance limits in multi-user communications, and applying this insight to the design and implementation of cost-effective systems that can operate at maximum performance levels.
Growth in the information technology industry has been a major economic engine in Canada for many years. Dr. Yu's program will advance technological innovations and train highly skilled personnel to work in this critical field-key factors for continued growth.