The National Science Foundation’s Establishment of SpectrumX

In this vignette from a recent episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, part of The 5G Factor series, analysts Shelly Kramer and Ron Westfall discuss The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) establishment of SpectrumX, a new center for wireless spectrum research in the U.S. The NSF has earmarked $25 million over the course of the next 5 years for research. They’re focused on developing new ways of sharing and managing radio airwaves, which of course is a finite resource. This is crucial research because, as Ron pointed out, 5G technology supports Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), which allows for operators to share both LTE and 5G within the same frequency band. This is an area covered very closely by Ron and Shelly, and in this short conversation, they shared insights on the exciting benefits they see coming from SpectrumX. These include: Increased collaboration with stakeholders, researchers, industry partners, and government agencies Ensuring the U.S. is positioning itself to lead the future of wireless technologies and systems How this research will support future network iterations including 6G. All of the above have huge implications for the future of 5G. Ron and Shelly believe the research and collaboration possibilities with SpectrumX will open new doors and drive the field forward.