In 1996, researchers at AT&T made a breakthrough in wireless technology.

They figured out how to improve the speed, efficacy and reliability of wireless communication by correlating signals from multiple antennas, as opposed to just one. This “space-time coding” technology remains integral to mobile phone calls to this day.

The researchers’ landmark paper in 1998 on their work has since been cited more than 10,000 times. Robert Calderbank , who led AT&T research, and Vahid Tarokh , who led the wireless and signal processing department at AT&T, later joined Duke University in the 2010s as faculty members in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) .

Three decades after that important innovation in wireless technology helped usher in 2G and 3G technologies, the industry is now rapidly moving toward 6G.

Duke Engineering is working to play a key role in developing the next generation of wireless technologies thanks to a growing roster of experts—including many beyond Calderbank and Tarokh—and collaborations across campus.

“Duke has a unique team of theorists and experimentalists who can talk in each other’s language and closely collaborate,” said Hai “Helen” Li , the Marie Foote Reel E’46 Professor and chair of ECE.