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Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
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Summary

The Department of Commerce (DOC) operates two telecommunications1 research laboratories located at its Boulder, Colorado, campus: the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA’s) Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL).

The Boulder telecommunications laboratories currently play an important role in the economic vitality of the country and can play an even greater role given the importance of access to spectrum and spectrum sharing to the wireless networking and mobile cellular industries. Research advances are needed to ensure the continued evolution and enhancement of the connected world the public has come to expect. In addition to familiar portable communication and computing devices, anticipated deployment of a variety of new, connected “smart” devices will demand more access to spectrum and advanced networked communication technologies. The economic value of spectrum as a natural resource is illustrated by the $41 billion in revenue from the 2014-2015 advanced wireless services (AWS)-3 auction. New wireless applications such telehealth, machine-to-machine communications, and augmented reality will fuel further demand for wireless communications. The Boulder telecommunications laboratories serve an important role in communications research and engineering for the nation. Key areas include spectrum measurement and propagation modeling; applied research on wireless network access technologies; and applied research, testing, and evaluation of newly developed technologies. ITS and CTL also provide technical support to other federal agencies and the private sector, principally for spectrum measurement and analysis of spectrum sharing and service coexistence. ITS and CTL participate in several formal collaborative structures. The Public Safety Communication Research Program (PSCR), a long-standing (and well-regarded) collaboration between NIST and NTIA, is also collocated with ITS and CTL in Boulder. NTIA and NIST established the new Center for Advanced Communications (CAC) in 2014 to coordinate ITS and CTL programs on spectrum research and other communications work central to the goals of the DOC and established the National Advanced Spectrum and Communications Test Network (NASCTN) in 2015 to organize a network of test facilities to support spectrum-related testing, modeling, and analysis.

The Committee on Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Department of Commerce’s Boulder Laboratories visited the Boulder telecommunications laboratories on April 20-22, 2015, to receive briefings from and hold discussions with ITS and CTL staff to learn about current activities of each laboratory, their strengths and weaknesses, and plans for the near future. The sections below provide the committee’s assessment of CTL, followed by discussion of two crosscutting topics—opportunities for collaboration and satisfying long-term national communications network infrastructure (both wired and wireless) research needs and long-term implications for both laboratories. The committee suggests a two-

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1 The term telecommunications is used throughout this report to mean technology-mediated communications and data transfer. Numerous applications, outside of what was historically termed telecommunications (telephony), today take advantage of a vast and complex communications network infrastructure that encompasses the Internet, traditional telephony, wireless technologies, communications satellites, and many other modes of communication. An expanded definition of telecommunications that is inclusive of a wide array of communications technologies and infrastructure and the applications that take advantage of it is imperative when considering the national research needs for advanced communications infrastructure.

Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×

prong strategy for developing technical expertise and research goals in telecommunications. First, CTL will need to further define the near-term research strategy it developed as part of its launch. Second, the DOC will need to develop short- and long-term applied and basic research plans to support national goals in areas such as spectrum sharing, service coexistence, and spectrum repurposing to ensure the most efficient use of its laboratories in achieving these goals.

ASSESSMENT OF THE COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY

CTL is a newly organized laboratory within NIST, formed mid-2014, and consists of the Boulder Laboratory Director Office, the Communications Test Coordination Office, the Public Safety Communications Research Division, the RF Technology Division, and the Wireless Networks Division (located at NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland). According to its functional statement, CTL “promotes the development and deployment of advanced communications technologies, through the conduct of leading edge R&D.” (See Box 1.2 for a full functional statement.) Because it is new and its planned work represents a departure from that carried out by the elements of which it was composed, the committee’s assessment is focused on its available resources and future plans rather than past work.

Capabilities and Performance

In contrast to ITS, CTL is directly funded in large part from the DOC budget; 82.8 percent of the budget comes directly from NIST, while only 17.1 percent comes from other agencies via fees and through cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs). As such, CTL is positioned to identify and carry out work directly relevant to its mission and national interest, including the following: building the capabilities to support NASCTN, developing situational awareness measurement and analytics for public safety communications, and metrology2 for next-generation wireless networks. The commitment to metrology for next-generation wireless networks is essential because this will seed the laboratory with expertise in areas such as spectrum sharing, coexistence, and channel propagation and modeling, which are needed to characterize multipoint-to-multipoint wireless communications.

FINDING: CTL has adequate and sufficiently stable financial resources to carry out its mission. The high portion of funding that comes from appropriations provides significant stability to CTL.

Strategy

It is important for a laboratory like CTL to stay engaged with the research and development (R&D) community at large and, in particular, be attuned to the research and technology needs of the private sector. The committee was encouraged by CTL’s development of the 5G Millimeter Wave Channel Model Alliance,3 which may serve as a model for further engagement with relevant R&D communities so that they can truly serve as an informed and engaged resource for the government as spectrum sharing technologies advance. While technical advances in millimeter-wave (mm-wave) radio frequencies are valuable in advanced new wireless communications because of the large amounts of unused mm-wave spectrum, other technologies will be important, including multiple input, multiple output (MIMO)

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2Metrology is the science of measurement, including both theoretical and practical aspects of measurements.

35G refers to emerging fifth-generation wireless communication systems and is considered the next major phase of mobile telecommunications standards. Millimeter wave is the extremely-high-frequency spectrum from 30 to 300 GHz.

Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×

techniques to increase spectrum capacity; spectrum sharing and management techniques; interference at boundaries and enforcement; bi-directional transmission on the same channel; and channel bonding techniques, including bonding between licensed and unlicensed services. Several of these are noted in CTL’s technical plan.4 However, CTL’s technical plan is a list of broad potential research areas and lacks sufficient specific tasks and research goals. CTL will need to quickly develop a more specific and deeper research plan.

CTL identified a handful of challenges, including staffing and equipment, most of which stemmed from the newness of the organization. The committee anticipates that an increase in technical staff would further CTL’s research agenda in positive ways. Furthermore, CTL will need to replace or update aging equipment at the Boulder laboratories.

Another way in which NIST can ensure that CTL understands the needs of the private sector is to utilize outside review. Outside technical reviews ensure that technical work aligns with national priorities and industry needs. As a new organization building its technical plans and capacity, frequent, perhaps even annual, review may be warranted.

FINDING: Channel models play a key role in the design and deployment of wireless systems and in the adoption of standards. Mm-wave radio frequency technology is a promising tool for meeting future demands for wireless system capacity. Participation in the 5G Millimeter Wave Channel Model Alliance contributes to the quality and visibility of CTL’s mm-wave model research.

RECOMMENDATION: CTL should maintain a position of leadership in the 5G Millimeter Wave Channel Model Alliance, seek to expand the membership of the alliance, and engage in mm-wave work with other standard and industry bodies.

FINDING: CTL staff has identified an appropriate set of communication technology priorities and has begun building the appropriate research activities to support future communication needs. This work is centered on solving fundamental problems (with an eye toward application) and verification, measurement, and testing. However, this research agenda does not outline specific tasks to advance these problems.

RECOMMENDATION: CTL should develop a more defined research agenda that outlines in detail its research goals and future plans.

RECOMMENDATION: CTL should quickly hire and train personnel to establish a leading-edge skill set in areas associated with their research goals and upgrade aging facilities and instrumentation.

FINDING: CTL has put in place opportunities to engage with stakeholders and receive outside technical reviews.

RECOMMENDATION: CTL should further develop opportunities to quickly and frequently engage outside stakeholders and obtain frequent outside technical reviews as it moves its research plan forward.

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4 Laboratory Planning Communications Technology Laboratory FY2015, Program Coordination Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce, 2014 v1.

Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×

COLLABORATION AT THE BOULDER TELECOMMUNICATIONS LABORATORIES

Given that ITS and CTL are both operated by the DOC, are collocated in Boulder, Colorado, and have related missions, it is only natural that they collaborate on key areas of research.5 Current collaborations include PSCR, a long-standing and highly successful collaboration between ITS and NIST, and two newly created collaboration mechanisms, CAC and NASCTN.

For many years, ITS and NIST have provided unique technical testing services and support in the arena of public safety communications and other technical services. Establishment of PSCR has further facilitated the cooperative use of ITS and CTL capabilities to serve the needs of public safety. PSCR is the only provider of objective, non-vendor–driven testing and evaluation services to the public safety community.

CAC, established in 2013 to coordinate research programs between ITS and CTL, is a virtual organization with no staff, funding, or resources of its own. Better coordination of ITS and CTL can leverage telecommunications-related research and engineering capabilities, ensure non-duplication of work, and, at the same time, propel each laboratory to develop and take ownership of its own areas of expertise and capability. The committee notes that it is important to ensure that both laboratories focus on work that reflects their strengths, although the committee is unsure if a formal organization is needed (versus a process to manage coordination across the Boulder telecommunications laboratories). However, CAC could facilitate this collaboration by serving in a centralized program management role to further national priorities in communications and spectrum use and coordinate research programs outlined by ITS and CTL.

The committee understands the desire to ensure that each laboratory is adequately represented within the new CAC. However, there is significant concern that the current structure of CAC—in which the directors of CTL and ITS are co-leaders of CAC, with no one individual in charge—may make it difficult to set and implement priorities. (PSCR is operated by a program manager from NIST and a deputy program manager from ITS.) CTL and ITS leaders will need to build a collegial relationship with one another and work to build a similar relationship within each research and technical division. This task, while not necessarily technical in nature, will be important if the collaborative goals of CAC—or any other collaboration—are to be met.

NASCTN was established in 2015 to increase commercial and federal access to spectrum by helping to accelerate the design and deployment of spectrum-sharing technologies through accurate testing and modeling. The intent is to create an environment of trust to support impartial testing and evaluation of new spectrum sharing technologies and, ultimately, promote balanced policy decisions that are driven by scientifically sound tests and evaluations. NASCTN is meant to enable sound policy decisions based on effectively engineered sharing solutions produced by member laboratories. NASCTN processes are still in their formative stages and therefore have not proven themselves to be capable of meeting the desired intake and project allocation role.

FINDING: CAC is in the very early stages of planning and development. The current co-leadership structure may make setting and implementing priorities challenging.

FINDING: PSCR is an example of successful collaboration between ITS and CTL, providing essential public communication services to the federal government and the public safety community.

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5 The committee recognizes that there are potential inefficiencies associated with the Department of Commerce (DOC) operating two separate laboratories with missions related to advanced telecommunication research and radio spectrum and that merging the laboratories might yield administrative efficiencies and a greater critical mass in resources and talent. Barriers to such a merger include distinct, although overlapping, mission statements, distinct technical and management cultures, and funding that currently comes from different federal appropriation line items. These questions could be addressed by the DOC as part of the recommended research planning activity.

Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×

FINDING: NASCTN, as described, would respond to important national needs, but its processes are still in their formative stages; therefore, it has not yet demonstrated its ability to meet these needs or to effectively coordinate use of federally supported test facilities.

RECOMMENDATION: ITS and CTL leadership should work to build an environment of trust and collaboration across both laboratories.

RECOMMENDATION: The Public Safety Communications Research Program should be considered as a template for collaboration across the laboratories.

RECOMMENDATION: The National Advanced Spectrum and Communications Test Network should be made fully functional as soon as possible to be able to handle the important mission that it has been assigned. This includes the recruitment of customers and additional government, academic, and industrial organizations to utilize the skills in the various affiliated laboratories.

NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH NEEDS AND THE FUTURE ROLE OF THE BOULDER TELECOMMUNICATIONS LABORATORIES

Today, there are more wireless connections to the Internet than wired, and the proportion will continue to increase as the volume of wireless Internet connections continues to grow very rapidly.6 Future demand for wireless communication will come from both conventional wireless networks’ endpoints (cellphones, tablets, laptops, and radio and TV receivers) and an expansion in the number and type of new connected devices, including vehicles, sensors of many types, appliances, thermostats, and other familiar objects, even light bulbs (the IoT). Meeting these demands will depend on better understanding of technical challenges in three principal areas: (1) spectrum use, management, and enforcement; (2) system-level optimization and related issues; and (3) public safety and, more generally, mission critical communications research (these are explored in-depth in Chapter 4).

Spectrum management—and associated technologies and standards—are major features of today’s communication landscape. With an ever-increasing demand for spectrum, an increase in the desire to share, disagreements about use, and interference between devices are inevitable. The ramifications of spectrum management on economic activity and national security are immense because spectrum resources are fundamental to wireless network capacity. The government plays a key role in managing spectrum through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates commercially used spectrum, and NTIA, which manages federal agency use. ITS has, and with the addition of CTL, should continue to have, a significant impact on analyzing and measuring proposed approaches to more efficient spectrum management (Box 4.1 provides examples of challenges that arise when technical analysis is not provided). In the process, the laboratories have an opportunity to develop novel approaches to spectrum management, which can become a fundamental asset to the country.

The Boulder telecommunications laboratories are in an excellent position—provided they are sufficiently funded and staffed—to provide independent and objective evaluations of proposed sharing standards and to test equipment and systems for compliance with emerging standards-based sharing protocols, because few other organizations can provide this capability. This will benefit U.S. regulatory agencies, the FCC and NTIA, in their pursuit to preserve existing services while enabling new services to operate with limited and increasingly valuable spectrum resources. In undertaking research, the Boulder telecommunications laboratories will need to balance the need for cutting-edge research with the need for

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6 Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update 2014-2019 White Paper, February 3, 2015, http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-indexvni/white_paper_c11-520862.html.

Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×

application-based knowledge in spectrum use, ensure that their research portfolio is broad enough to ensure that its researchers are able to anticipate changes in the direction of commercial technology, and position themselves to provide technology for measuring interference and develop new ways to manage interference.

The Boulder telecommunications laboratories have opportunities to take on additional responsibilities and leadership with regards to techniques and standardized approaches to spectrum measurement and, more generally, the technology standards needed for telecommunications. Interoperability standards are of critical importance to both the data-communications and cellular mobile communications industries. They enable a large number of vendors to supply the components necessary to assemble the vast and complex wired and wireless network infrastructure critical to connecting citizens and business in the United States and throughout the world. Interoperability standards are an essential ingredient in today’s dynamic and growing online economy. Both ITS and CTL currently work with network and mobile standard-setting organizations in a limited way, but this engagement will need to be reassessed to ensure that their participation aligns with their missions. There are areas where CTL and ITS involvement is strong and aligns with DOC missions; however, there are other areas where they are participating in efforts not aligned with national needs.

FINDING: Advances in communications and networking technologies will have significant positive social and economic impact provided that the associated increasing demand for wireless communications can be met. New spectrum (both licensed and unlicensed) to support increased use of mobile and the Internet of Things devices has been slow in emerging. There is a need for neutral, technical expertise to determine when spectrum is underutilized, review technology for shared use, and evaluate interference and enforcement.

RECOMMENDATION: The Department of Commerce (DOC) should develop short- and long-term application and basic research plans that would provide the country with the necessary knowledge base in spectrum areas and enhance the capability for spectrum sharing and repurposing analysis. The DOC plans should include opportunities for various users of spectrum to identify their needs and long-term objectives. A research agenda should consider the most efficient use of DOC’s—and the relevant laboratories’—resources and develop an effective organizational structure and funding strategies to ensure that research goals are met and resources are effectively used.

RECOMMENDATION: The Boulder telecommunications laboratories should expand their visible leadership roles by providing technical expertise for agencies and policy makers and providing objective scientific expertise.

RECOMMENDATION: The Boulder telecommunications laboratories should fully engage in the current and emerging work in IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, and the Internet Engineering Task Force. This must be a long-term commitment, because the time constant for standards evolution is on the order of 3 to 10 years.

Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×
Page 1
Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×
Page 2
Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×
Page 3
Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×
Page 4
Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×
Page 5
Suggested Citation:"Summary." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015. Telecommunications Research and Engineering at the Communications Technology Laboratory of the Department of Commerce: Meeting the Nation's Telecommunications Needs. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/21828.
×
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The Department of Commerce operates two telecommunications research laboratories located at the Department of Commerce's Boulder, Colorado, campus: the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA's) Institute for Telecommunications Sciences (ITS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST's) Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL). CTL develops appropriate measurements and standards to enable interoperable public safety communications, effective and efficient spectrum use and sharing, and advanced communication technologies.

CTL is a newly organized laboratory within NIST, formed mid-2014. As it is new and its planned work represents a departure from that carried out by the elements of which it was composed, this study focuses on its available resources and future plans rather than past work.

The Boulder telecommunications laboratories currently play an important role in the economic vitality of the country and can play an even greater role given the importance of access to spectrum and spectrum sharing to the wireless networking and mobile cellular industries. Research advances are needed to ensure the continued evolution and enhancement of the connected world the public has come to expect.

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