Peaceful Coexistence within the Radio Spectrum

In an increasingly congested wireless spectrum, conflict is both inevitable but often resolvable. Between commercial applications (e.g., terrestrial and non-terrestrial wireless communications, navigation, and telemetry), scientific activities (e.g., radio astronomy, polar research, earth observation), and other vital spectrum-dependent uses (e.g., air traffic control), competition for spectrum access will only increase with new and emerging applications and technologies. Finding ways to create additional access to this limited and valuable resource thus comes with many potential benefits, including faster, higher capacity and lower latency communications; new astronomical and scientific discoveries; more energy-efficient cities; increased highway capacity and safety; and more accurate weather predictions. One important way to achieve these benefits is to integrate coexistence measures into spectrum-using applications at an early stage. This includes greater use of dynamic spectrum sharing systems, which enable spectrum users to operate safely in close proximity—whether geographically or in frequency—without causing harmful interference.  Additionally, it involves enabling spectrum users to share spectrum access more rapidly than is currently possible with traditional and largely manual spectrum management approaches. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's research laboratory, the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS), is at the forefront in assessing scientifically advanced technological spectrum coexistence solutions, in collaboration with the Spectrum Innovation Initiative (SII) of the National Science Foundation (NSF).  Here’s a closer look at some of our work on peaceful coexistence.