NATIONAL AND HOMELAND SECURITY

The Energy of Innovation

Continued next page

Our nation’s reliance 

on wireless and 

Internet technology is 

rapidly evolving as more corporations are making wireless 

integration and convergence a 

top business priority. Similarly, military systems worldwide are rapidly embracing 

next-generation commercial 

technologies to accelerate 

network-centric capabilities 

and provide enhanced situational awareness.

While handheld devices such 

as laptops, Blackberrys, and 

cell phones once had limited 

mobility and range, they are 

rapidly incorporating new 

and multiple protocols such 

as Wi-Fi, broadband cellular 

(3G), and Bluetooth on a 

single platform to increase 

their effectiveness and agility. 

Worldwide there is exponential growth in public Wi-Fi access points, and new wireless 

protocols such as WiMAX 

and 3G cellular continue to 

evolve and expand the range 

and speed of these devices. 

Additionally, critical infrastructure networks, previously 

isolated or connected with 

dedicated wireline circuits, 

are incorporating Zigbee for 

wireless sensor networks, 

wireless LANs for maintenance functions, and cellular 

or Internet based backhaul to 

manage control centers.

Yet with all the buildup 

surrounding wireless technology, few understand the 

complexities surrounding 

wireless protocols and security, the risks of converged 

network infrastructures, the

need for interoperability of 

communication systems, or 

mitigation measures to safely 

use and improve new technologies in both commercial 

and military environments.

Located on 890 square miles 

of federally owned and managed landscape, INL’s communications test bed provides 

much cleaner frequency 

spectrum with little radiofrequency or background 

interference from urban 

congestion or military test 

sites. Over the last 50 years 

hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure has been 

placed at INL, allowing the 

laboratory to function like 

its own small city, or series 

of telecommunications and 

Internet service providers. 

Idaho’s Communication Test Bed

INL provides large-scale, independent, 

end-to-end testing of next-generation 

communications infrastructure.
NATIONAL AND HOMELAND SECURITY

08-GA50011-04

A U.S. Department of Energy

National Laboratory

For more information

Continued from previous page

Securing Communications 

Systems

Building on INL’s technical 

capabilities and critical infrastructure protection mission, 

INL engineers and researchers 

have the ability to perform 

vulnerability and risk assessments, tool development, and 

interdependency modeling 

and simulation for improving 

security while restricting access to proprietary data.

As a federal funded national 

laboratory, INL also works 

closely with customers from 

the departments of Defense, 

Energy and Homeland Security to define their testing 

needs for interoperability, 

standards verification, priority access signaling, and 

other critical infrastructure 

concerns. This cooperative effort provides wireless carriers, vendors and 

government agencies with 

“one-stop shopping” for an 

integrated test environment. 

Capabilities also exist to 

examine the interdependencies that exist between communications equipment and 

other critical infrastructure 

sectors such as electrical, 

Internet and computing, and 

manufacturing and industrial 

control systems.

INL is authorized by the 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration to operate as an 

experimental radio station. 

Combined with its geographic isolation, INL can test a 

wide variety of existing and 

emerging wireless systems 

with a view toward science 

or technology development. 

Our test beds are enhanced 

by our technically experienced research and development, engineering, and 

critical infrastructure protection staff whose capabilities 

include telecommunications 

design, systems deployment 

and integration, simulation 

research, high-performance 

computing, cyber security 

and process control systems. 

The combined assets and 

expertise provide an ideal 

location for independent, 

real-world performance and 

vulnerability testing. 

As the use of wireless and 

communications technology 

increases, new security protocols, independent verification and validation, interoperability testing, and tool 

development will be essential 

for supporting the long-term 

survivability of critical infrastructures, personal communications devices, and nationwide control networks.

Assets:

•	 Both lab and full-scale

networks

•	 Two independent fiber

loops (170 and 65 mile)

•	 Mountaintop RF facilities

•	 Ground-based towers and

facilities

•	 Mobile trailers and towers

•	 Anechoic chamber and RF

test labs

•	 RF propagation and network simulation

Services:

•	 Lab evaluation and testing

•	 Full-scale range testing

•	 Independent Validation &

Verification

•	 Test plan/procedure

development

•	 Range scenario/exercise

development

•	 Vulnerability Assessments/

Testing

•	 Performance, robustness,

interoperability testing 

•	 System integration

•	 Application/device testing

Technologies:

•	 Cellular test bed (multiple

systems)

•	 Wireless Personal Area Networks (Bluetooth, Zigbee, 

etc.)

•	 Wireless Local Area Networks (Wi-Fi, 802.11)

•	 Wireless Metropolitan Area

Networks (WiMAX )

•	 Voice over IP

•	 PSTN Simulators and SS7

Switches

•	 Wireless Local Loop

•	 Fiber Optic, SONET, ATM,

DWDM

•	 Antenna Test Range

•	 Smart Antennas (software

adaptable)

•	 Land Mobile Radio (Push

to Talk)

•	 Radio Paging Networks

•	 Emergency responder operations/priority services

•	 Software-defined radios

•	 Variety of HF, VHF, UHF

communications systems

•	 Point-to-Point and Point-toMultipoint systems

•	 Analog and Digital Microwave

•	 Ad Hoc, Mesh, and Self

Forming Networks

•	 Aerial Communications

Links

•	 Satellite Systems

•	 NARDA RF safety certifications and measurements

Derek Hesse

(208) 526-9405

Derek.Hesse@inl.gov

Lynda Brighton

(208) 526-3908

Lynda.Brighton@inl.gov