Norman Abramson, pioneer of wireless computer networks, dies

Abramson is known for creating ALOHAnet, an early wireless network that led to the next-gen technologies being used in modern satellite, phone, and computer networks.

San Francisco: Norman Abramson, one of the pioneers behind wireless computer networks for communication, has died at age 88.

Abramson is known for creating ALOHAnet, an early wireless network that led to the next-gen technologies being used in modern satellite, phone, and computer networks.

Abramson died of skin cancer that had metastasised in his lungs, according to The New York Times.

One of Abramson’s first projects at the University of Hawaii was to develop radio technology to help the school send and receive data from its remote geographic location to the US.

A key innovation in the technology was to divide the data in packets which could be resent if the data was lost during transmission.

ALOHAnet became the foundation of modern wireless communication as well as influencing the development of Ethernet-based communications.

Born on April 1, 1932 in Boston, Abramson continued to serve as a professor at Hawaii until 1994 when he retired.

“There are very few people who had as significant an impact as Norm on the way the entire planet communicates and shares information today,” University of Hawaii president David Lassner said in a memorial posted on the college’s blog.

“Norm linked the islands of Hawaii to each other and to the world, leaving a legacy at UH and beyond through his ideas and his students”.

Abramson went on to co-found Aloha Networks in San Francisco where he served as a CTO.