6 Ways Federal Investments Helped Usher In Our Wireless World
![](https://wireless.engineering.nyu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/open-source.jpg)
1. New spectrum frontiers
Millimeter-length waves (mmWave) operate in the band of radio frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum from 30 to 300 gigahertz (GHz). In the past, they have commonly been used in space communications, radio astronomy and remote sensing — but not in telecommunications because they are prone to deterioration in crowded settings.
Recent NSF-supported research by Theodore (Ted) S. Rappaport, founding director of NYU WIRELESS, showed that mmWave can be made to travel long distances and can also transmit effectively in cities and other crowded locations.
Rappaport and his colleagues have made all of their mmWave data measurement and channel simulator software open source, accelerating developments in this promising area of wireless research.