Wireless Spectrum Research and Development

The Wireless Spectrum Interagency Working Group (WSRD IWG) was formed in 2011 to coordinate Federal R&D across 18 participating agencies and to inventory, coordinate, and make recommendations that promote efficient use of wireless spectrum through advanced technologies and systems. In addition, WSRD works with academic and the private sectors to help develop priorities, encourage private investment, and develop public/private partnerships when appropriate.

Strategic Priorities

• Improve capability of spectrum-dependent federal and private sector systems to operate in shared, congested, and new/higher frequency spectrum bands.
• Improve capability of future generation federal and private sector wireless systems to simultaneously meet competing requirements (e.g., security, privacy, capacity, latency, energy consumption, spectrum coexistence, and efficiency).
• Promote unprecedented spectrum access through better spectrum management processes, systems, tools, and data. Contribute to the National Spectrum R&D Roadmap.
• Promote development of trustworthy measurement. evidence-based data-driven algorithms, analytics, and models to inform system design, spectrum policy, and management.
• Accelerate assessment of spectrum innovations and their translation into practice through better capabilities and facilities for modeling, simulation, and testing.
• Grow the spectrum workforce, increase policymaker and public understanding of spectrum considerations, and raise awareness of spectrum’s importance to the country through enhancing education, workforce development, and public outreach on spectrum-related topics. Contribute to the National Spectrum Workforce Plan.