The U.S. National Science Foundation will continue to support a program office that oversees the development and deployment of advanced wireless research platforms to boost broadband communications connectivity.
NSF has awarded additional funding to the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research Project Office (PPO), jointly managed by US Ignite and Northeastern University, to help support its network of testbeds for 5G and 6G technologies, PAWR said Thursday.
“The shared infrastructure assets of the PAWR program play a crucial role in advancing wireless research and innovation,” said Margaret Martonosi, assistant director of NSF.
Martonosi added that the agency is looking forward to seeing the PAWR program “democratizing access to new researchers and expanding the geography of innovation.”
Since its establishment, the PPO has helped create four network testbeds: AERPAW in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina; ARA, a rural broadband testbed for smart and connected communities currently under construction in Ames, Iowa; COSMOS in New York City; and POWDER in Salt Lake City.
This $2.8 million investment from NSF extends PPO’s initial five-year term.
