Spectrum research center funded by the National Science Foundation will focus on spectrum research, workforce development
The National Science Foundation, which has funded 5G projects including a set of testbeds across the country through the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program, has established its first NSF Spectrum Innovation Initiative Center: SpectrumX.
SpectrumX was announced in September of this year, when the NSF awarded a $25 million, five-year grant to fund the program. A kick-off event was held in Washington, D.C. in early November, and the program director has said that an implementation plan is in development now that will be reviewed by NSF.
NSF said in announcing Spectrum X that the funding “represents the first federal investment in a national center focused on the transformation of wireless spectrum management.”
Who is involved with Spectrum X?
The Spectrum X project is led by the University of Notre Dame’s Wireless Institute. Nick Laneman is director of Spectrum X, as well as co-director of Notre Dame’s Wireless Institute and a professor of electrical engineering.
Laneman spoke at a recent WInnForum virtual event, WInnComm. As wireless commercial systems use higher frequencies, he explained, there are more conflicts with existing defense and scientific uses of the spectrum. For example, potential interference with GPS systems used by the Department of Defense has been an issue for Ligado Networks as it pursues plans for a 5G/IoT network, and AT&T and Verizon have recently ran into C-Band deployment concerns about potential conflict with airplane cockpit systems.
“We think there’s a … there’s a really significant opportunity to figure out how to enable systems to co-exist and share spectrum in a more dynamic and decentralized way,” Laneman said.
While there are a number of existing organizations in the U.S. that focus on spectrum, Laneman explained that Spectrum X’s role is to be an academic hub for research coordination as well as education of future RF specialists, and also serve as a hub that could facilitate better collaboration among academic research and existing parts of the fragmented U.S. spectrum ecosystem.
“For the United States to continue unleashing spectrum at home and competing globally, we need a more national, interdisciplinary and proactive approach to pursue breakthroughs at many levels — in scientific receivers, spectrum sensing, coexistence and sharing mechanisms, cloud automation, and flexible licenses and enforcement,” said Laneman, when SpectrumX was first announced. “SpectrumX will pursue these innovations and create the world’s largest academic hub where all radio spectrum stakeholders can collaborate and contribute to maximizing the societal benefits provided by this precious resource.”
While most of Spectrum X’s founding partners are academic institutions, founding partners also include the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Virginia Diodes. According to Laneman’s presentation at WInnForum, additional collaborators from industry include AT&T Labs, Federated Wireless, Aurora Insight, tower companies American Tower and Crown Castle, the National Spectrum Consortium and aerospace companies Lockheed Martin and Ball Aerospace.
What spectrum will the research focus on?
While SpectrumX’s work is still in its early phases of implementation, Laneman’s WInnForum presentation gave a preview of some of the spectrum seen as research priorities. Many of those bands involve airwaves where 5G systems would interact with other technologies, such as atmospheric or weather systems, spectrum where there are existing DoD users, or where Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) “megaconstellations” are planned.
Many of the academic institutions involved already have related spectrum research underway, ranging from expanding the capabilities of massive MIMO, to spectrum sensing/monitoring, to how to apply AI and ML to large-scale spectrum data.
How will SpectrumX support workforce needs?
Spectrum X is not just a spectrum research hub, but also has an eye toward developing a future workforce with RF expertise: A organization which sends out students to do internships at SpectrumX collaborators, where researchers could come to do temporary stints with specific projects in mind, where government and commercial collaborators and academic researchers interface with existing organizations in a more holistic way.
“Given the importance and scale of all of this work, we have a tremendous opportunity to prepare a spectrum workforce of diverse, civic-minded and globally engaged scientists, engineers, economists and policymakers in the field,” Laneman said.
SpectrumX just opened up post-doctoral position applications.
NSF has entered into agreements with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the FCC to align their respective efforts in spectrum research, infrastructure and workforce development so that there is a coherent federal effort in these areas.
Find out more about SpectrumX here.
