NIST researchers work to overcome 5G's tree problem

It's been long known that trees can slow down some 5G signals. 5G has the potential to supercharge wireless networks, but its rollout has revealed a range of complex challenges. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology measured the strength of signals that rely on the high-frequency millimeter wave spectrum through different types of trees during different seasons of the year. The leafier the tree, the more strength the signal lost, said chief of NIST’s Wireless Networks Division in the Communications Technology Laboratory Nada Golmie. The research, which is part of an ongoing project, aims to provide more precise measurements of that signal loss, which Golmie says NIST is sharing to help make modeling more accurate. "By providing measurements, and methods to measure, we're enabling others to more accurately, precisely assess the loss so that it can be overcome," Golmie said. "We believe it can be overcome." With more services crowding airwaves, Golmie says using millimeter wave spectrum — and overcoming its limitations — will be necessary.