Institute for Telecommunication Sciences

Last month, NTIA’s research laboratory, the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS), released NTIA Technical Report TR-22-561, “Outdoor Propagation Measurements in the 37–40 GHz Band in Boulder, Colorado.” The measured data summarized in this report will be provided to NTIA’s Office of Spectrum Management (OSM) to be used to validate the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and other millimeter-wave propagation prediction models that are essential to further development of advanced fifth generation (5G) wireless technologies.  

5G wireless networks and technologies promise not only an enhanced consumer experience of cellular connectivity, but also revolutionary new applications such as smart electrical grids, smart cities, telehealth, autonomous vehicles, and many more. These new applications depend on very high connection speeds, very low latency, enormous data capacity, and ubiquitous connectivity. Fully achieving the promise of 5G technologies requires access to radio spectrum frequencies in what is known as the millimeter wave band (above 24 GHz) that have not previously been widely exploited for telecommunications services.  

NTIA serves a critical role in ensuring the most effective and efficient use of spectrum across the federal government. With a focus on working toward a coordinated, national approach to spectrum use, promoting evidence-based approaches to spectrum allocation is a critical endeavor. Much effort is currently focused on spectrum sharing. NTIA’s research laboratory, the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS), is bringing needed clarity to the challenge through its specialized engineering studies known as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) studies.

Specialized engineering studies assess the ability of wireless telecommunications systems, in particular emerging wireless technologies such as 5G, to function acceptably in their electromagnetic environment. If multiple systems are operating in the same or adjacent spectrum, EMC studies can determine whether they all function for their intended purposes or will cause unacceptable interference and performance degradation. 

As a leading expert in the essential EMC engineering disciplines -  spectrum measurements, spectrum propagation modeling, and interference analysis - ITS performs EMC studies to support NTIA’s Office of Spectrum Management and inform spectrum sharing policy and regulation as well as to answer EMC questions posed by other federal agencies.