The billions of phones, tablets, and other gadgets that connect to cellular data networks aren’t as sophisticated as they look. They’re actually quite primitive, with electronics that consume too much power, software that’s vulnerable to infiltration, and radios that waste valuable bandwidth.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is aiming to change that with the launch Thursday of a new research program. The MIT Center for Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing will bring together scientists and engineers from academia and the private sector to create the next generation of mobile devices, with tougher data security, longer battery life, and faster data download speeds.