Communications Technology Laboratory

Dereck Orr

Acting Director, Communications Technology Laboratory

VCAT Meeting

October 18, 2016
Communications Technology Laboratory

• CTL Overview• Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR• National Advanced Spectrum and Communicatio

Network (NASCTN)

• Spectrum Sharing• 5G• Microwave Metrology

Overv
Communications Technology Laboratory 

CTL Overview

Mission: The Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL) promotes the d

and deployment of advanced communications technologies, through the co

leading edge R&D on both the metrology and understanding of physical ph

materials capabilities, and complex systems relevant to advanced communi

Wireless 

Networks

Tec
Communications Technology Laboratory 

Public Safety Communications Rese

Innovation Accelerator Pulling the Future ForwardSection 6303 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (the “Act”) provides for $300M in auction funding to NIST to perform R&D critical to the success of a dedicated, nationwide LTE broadband network. The five focus areas are depicted to the right. Tools for Innovation

Federal Fundin Research grant 

 Mission C Location- Analytics

Prize Challenges Partnered with NASA’s Center of 

Excellence for Collaborative Innovation

Internal NIST research Utilize internal expertise by 

partnering with various NIST programs 

Convening sta Collaborate w

industry, and gthroughout pro
Communications Technology Laboratory 

Public Safety Communications Rese

PSCR‐sponsored NIST Research Efforts

Location-based Services

 Roadmap published – May 2015 Summit – October 2015 Indoor localization & tracking – partnered with NIST ITL  Indoor mapping & navigation – partnered with NIST ITL

 Enhanced 3D geolocation – partnered with NIST PML

Analytics Roadmap published – March 2016 Summit – August 2016Enhanced User Interface Roadmap published – March 2017 Summit – Summer/Fall 2017 User Interface and Usability project – partnered with NIST ITL Mission Critical Voice Mission Critical Voice over LTE Roundtable – March 2016 ProSe Direct Mode Communications project – NIST Wireless Network  Voice over LTE on public safety broadband project – PSCR Division Network Security Mobile Application & Data Isolation project – partnered with NIST ITL

 Identity Management project – partnered with NIST ITL
Communications Technology Laboratory 

NASCTN

The National Advanced Spectrum and Communications Test (NASCTN), established by NIST, DoD and NTIA in 2015, provtesting, modeling and analysis necessary to develop and depspectrum-sharing technologies and to inform future spectrum In 2016, NASCTN initiated three significant spectrum-sharing proposed by industry and Federal agencies:

• Waveform Measurements of Radars Operating 

in the 3.5 GHz Band (proposed by Federated Wireless)

• Out-of-Band Emissions Measurements of LTE 

Devices Operating in the AWS-3 Band (proposed by Edwards Air Force Base)

• Impact of LTE Signals on GPS 

Receivers (proposed by Ligado Networks)
Communications Technology Laboratory 

NASCTN’s Impact of LTE Signals on GPS Receive

• Ligado Networks (formerly LightSquared) proposed 

that NASCTN develop the test methodology and perform measurements to investigate the impact of LTE signals in frequencies bands adjacent to the GPS L1 frequency band. 

• Highly controversial project of interest to Federal 

agencies, GPS manufacturers, spectrum regulators, legislators and (even) bloggers as GPS devices are ubiquitous and potential interference from a proposed wireless communication system in an adjacent frequency band must be well understood.

• NASCTN was established to address this specific topic because a neutral, 

organization was needed to provide trusted data to help inform future spec

• NASCTN has leveraged its network of engineering expertise, equipment a

from NIST, DoD and NTIA to support this project and has already presente

data to spectrum regulators within six months of the project’s initiation.

Proposed LTE uplinks and 

GPS L1 frequ
Communications Technology Laboratory 

Spectrum-Sharing Research

Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)Develop requirements, test methods and reference data to support the standardization and testing of commercial CBRS systems that will share the frequency band with DoD in the 3.5 GHz band.Wireless CoexistenceConstruction of NIST Broadband Interoperability Test (NBIT) facility to develop the next generation of nextgeneration of radiated field measurements and standards related to spectrum sharing.Wireless ForensicsDevelop the necessary metrology to identify and locate signals in a shared-spectrum environment with enough fidelity to determine if communications systems are adhering to spectrum-sharing policies.

NBIT Ane
Communications Technology Laboratory 

5G & Beyond

• Channel sounders for 83.5, 28, and 60 GHz 

• Unique capabilities for measuring mobile channel• Channel propagation models and contributions to pre-SDO stand• Over-the-air test of calibrations

• Traceability for modulated mm-wave signals

• Developing IEEE Best Practices: Uncertainty in EVM

• 5G mmWave Channel Model Alliance

• Over 125 participants representing 75 organizations worldwide• Sponsoring workshops at major communications conferences: IE

IEEE GLOBECOM 2016.

• Data measurement & modeling repository live in Q1FY17

• Next generation communication key gaps and R&D 

• Launched multidisciplinary working group including over 45 m

representing industry, government and academia in August 2

complete report in early FY17. 

• More info is available here: https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects

support-wireless-innovation

0 5 

0

0.020.040.060.08

0.1

0.12
Communications Technology Laboratory 

Microwave Metrology

• Quantum e-field probe (400 MHz – 1 THz)

• Self-calibrated, high sensitivity, non-perturbing

• Metrology to enable engineered functional materials

• Resolved sub-nanosecond response time of nonlinear dielectrics and fil

• Established traceability for microwave remote sensing

• Operational weather forecasting, long-term climate monitoring

• Major step toward “first-pass design success”

for mm-wave transistors

• Separated measurement errors from manufacturing

variability

• CTIA standard for testing large form-factor

devices

• Machine-to-machine cellular devices

Next ...

• Rigorous uncertainty analysis for wireless coexistence e• State-of-the-art facility for MIMO antenna metrology• Intermodulation distortion metrology• “Best Practices” for verification of channel sounders/me

5G 

Fre

Power

mW

W

micro mm 

Commercial Sma

Commercial

LSNA

NIS

LSN

smallsignal
Communications Technology Laboratory

Questions?