Did you know that the ubiquitous Wi-Fi technology we rely on daily was conceived by an Egyptian?
Hatim Zaghloul, the visionary behind the wireless revolution, shares his incredible journey in this interview, recounting how his groundbreaking invention has shaped the digital world we live in today.
Zaghloul’s story is a testament to the innovative spirit of Egyptian minds and their significant contributions to global technology.
From Imbaba to global recognition: A spark ignited
Zaghloul began by reminiscing about his childhood in Egypt, saying: “I grew up in Imbaba, specifically in the city of Tahrir. Those were beautiful days, and I spent my childhood surrounded by friends and family. My passion for science began to emerge clearly during my preparatory school years. There was a significant step when they allocated a special class for high-achieving students at Imbaba Preparatory School. This educational environment was a great motivator for us, and we started making simple inventions like small radios.”
“When I joined El Orman Secondary School in Dokki, I discovered a new subject, modern mathematics, in which I excelled exceptionally. The teachers would often say that they didn’t need my seat number to identify my exam paper, as they could recognize it by my unique style,” he continued.
From engineering to science: The Egyptian scientist charts his course
This excellence helped the Egyptian scientist gain admission to the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University.
He went on saying, “I was among the top of my class throughout my five years, even though my dream was to study at the Faculty of Science. After completing my engineering studies, I actually joined the Faculty of Science in the Department of Applied Mathematics at Ain Shams University.”
Speaking about his academic development, he stated, “After completing my military service, I worked for an oil services company and traveled with the company to Europe for three years. There, I began studying new fields in electromagnetic waves and microwaves, and I started blending my studies in communications with applications of electromagnetic waves. This direction was the beginning of my path toward excellence in the field of wireless communications.”
A new beginning in Canada
Zaghloul moved to Canada where he began studying electromagnetic waves and their applications in wireless communications.
“When I started working in Canada, I connected my studies in engineering in Egypt with electromagnetic waves, and from there I began to see enormous potential for improving wireless communications,” he told us.
This idea was the beginning of a seismic shift in the world of technology.
The journey of discovery: Second generation and the invention of Wi-Fi
Zaghloul’s achievements didn’t stop at Wi-Fi.
In Canada, he was tasked with developing research on the third generation of mobile networks.
“The first generation was easy to intercept, and the second generation was a digital evolution, but the real challenge was to create a new generation of communications that was more efficient and secure. This is what the fourth and fifth-generation networks we see today are built upon,” he explained.
He added, “We worked hard to develop solutions to several problems, and we didn’t know that we were about to invent a technology that would become the foundation of high-speed communications worldwide. After several experiments, we succeeded in inventing a technology for wireless data transfer, which we know today as ‘Wi-Fi’. Initially, we presented the invention to 60 major companies, but only three showed initial interest.”
Regarding this, Zaghloul said, “We were very disappointed at the time and wished we had sold the idea for even $10,000.”
Challenges and triumphs
“At that time, a Canadian businessman advised us to provide a working model of the idea instead of just a theoretical concept,” Zaghloul said, describing the most significant challenges they faced.
“He offered them five million dollars to buy the project, on the condition that they prove their ability to implement the idea. And indeed, they succeeded in producing a final model within nine months. In October 1993, they presented the first effective Wi-Fi model, marking a turning point in their journey.”
He clarified, “When we created the first model, it was capable of transferring 20 million pieces of information per second, which was a huge achievement at the time. After presenting the initial model, major companies like Intel became interested in miniaturizing the device so that it could become part of a computer. Here we faced significant challenges in reducing the size, and by 1997, we were able to convert it into a card that could be installed inside a computer.”
“The invention of Wi-Fi was not just a technological advancement but a radical change in the way the world communicates. That’s why I believe what we did in this field was equivalent to inventing the telephone,” Zaghloul concluded.
