Communications Technology Laboratory

CTL promotes the development and deployment of advanced communications technologies through the dissemination of high-quality measurements, data, and research supporting U.S. innovation, industrial competitiveness, and public safety.

5G Coexistence Testbed for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Opportunities

The resiliency of the American workforce depends on trusted communications systems now, more than ever...

CTL Demo Adds Key Capability to Atom-Based Radio Communications

This gets us one step closer to a true atom-based communication system to benefit 5G and Beyond...

NIST Method Uses Radio Signals to Image Hidden and Speeding Objects

NIST has developed a method for using radio signals to create real-time images and videos of hidden and moving objects...

News and Updates

Smart City Holistic Key Performance Indicators Support Community Benefits

NIST International Collaboration Develops New Framework for Smart Cities and Communities

February 28, 2022

Have you ever wondered what it is about a smart city or community that makes it ‘smart?’ In an international collaboration with Dr. Martin Serrano of the

NIST Researchers Propose Method for Modeling Smart Sensor Interoperability in Smart Grids

February 19, 2022

Smart sensors play a critical role in smart grids, supporting bidirectional flows of energy. Such sensors are needed for real-time monitoring of energy flow

NIST Researchers Develop Algorithm for Assuring Quality-of-Service in 5G/6G Networks

February 19, 2022

5G and 6G networks will differ greatly in composition and services, compared to one-size-fits-all 4G networks. 5G and 6G networks must provide varying services

NIST, University Researchers Offer Model for Minimizing Large Networks' Cybersecurity Costs

February 18, 2022

Large networks are often comprised of interdependent subsystems, such as information, communication, and power systems, which may make them vulnerable to

Projects and Programs

5G & Beyond

Ongoing

“5G and beyond” refers to future generations of mobile wireless communication systems. The vision for these next-generation systems are to enable groundbreaking

700 MHz In-Building Coverage App & Measurement System Development

Ongoing

The Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program is researching the development of in-building apps for RF coverage evaluation, which is critical for

A measurement-based approach to 5G supply chain security

Ongoing

Revolutionizing the American economy comes from advancements in communication networks that enable a fully connected world through millions of devices providing

Advanced High Frequency Devices

Ongoing

The Advanced High Frequency Devices Program develops measurement methods to determine the characteristics of advanced electronics and devices at high

Industry Impacts

Propagation-Channel Measurements and Hardware Verification

Alliance for 5G Networks

The next generation of wireless communications technology will allow many more devices to send information much faster, making possible everything from virtual

Photo of NIST scientists with the PSCR Deployable LTE Cell-on-Wheels

First Responder Communications

First responders must be able to communicate during an emergency. Too often in critical situations, communications among public safety agencies are hampered by

Tools and Instruments

This is a photo of a man in an augmented reality headset looking at the hologram of an IED.

Public Safety Communication Innovation Laboratory

Built in 2018, the PSCR Innovation Laboratory is focused on next-generation communication capabilities for first responders. The PSCR lab maintains a modernized

LTE Coverage Tool

This experimental application was developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research Division (PSCR)

Awards

2021 - Bronze Medal Award---Robert Commarota, Cerasela Constantin, Sushama Singh , Simon Frechette , Eric Shirley, Andrea Medina-Smith, Elisabeth Mansfield, Douglas Montgomery, Peter Gehring, Fernando J. Cintron

For development of an IT system to modernize and simplify NIST's publication processes

2021 - Bronze Medal Award---Keith Stouffer, Timothy Zimmerman, CheeYee Tang, Michael Pease, Jeffrey Cichonski

For development and dissemination of the first detailed cybersecurity guidelines specifically for protecting small and medium-sized manufacturers.

2021 - George A. Uriano Award---Ellen Ryan, Terese Manley, Craig Connelly, Gary Howarth, II, Joanne Krumel, Jeremy Glenn, Sarah Hughes

For establishing a program to facilitate competitiveness and innovation in the public safety communications research field.

2021 - Gold Medal Award---Oliver Borchert, Douglas Montgomery, Kotikalapudi Sriram, Patrick Gleichmann

For developing innovative technologies that resolved critical internet vulnerabilities and dramatically improved internet robustness.

Taking Measure Blog

Piecing Together the Profiles of Two NIST Chemists Taken Too Soon

February 16, 2022

On April 13, 1975, in the community of Wheaton, Maryland, a lone shooter allegedly targeting Black people wounded five and took the lives of two others over the

A couch is in flames in a mocked-up room inside a large fire testing facility.

Saving Lives by Making Upholstered Furniture More Resistant to Fire

February 9, 2022

Fires that begin on upholstered furniture such as sofas are the leading cause of home fire fatalities in the United States, accounting for about 600 deaths per

$Micrograph shows fractures appearing at junction of enamel and dentin.$

Teeth: From Materials Science to Dentistry and Evolutionary Biology

February 2, 2022

As a happily retired materials scientist from NIST, I have continued a long-standing interest in how materials deform and fracture under high stress. My

A man wearing a face mask touches a computer screen in a lab with robotic arms in the foreground.

Solving a Robotics Puzzle During a Summer Internship at NIST

January 26, 2022

For nine years, I have been obsessed with the Rubik’s Cube. It is a puzzle that has simultaneously stumped and interested the whole world since it was first

Communications Technology Laboratory

CTL promotes the development and deployment of advanced communications technologies through the dissemination of high-quality measurements, data, and research supporting U.S. innovation, industrial competitiveness, and public safety.

5G Coexistence Testbed for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Opportunities

CTL Demo Adds Key Capability to Atom-Based Radio Communications

NIST Method Uses Radio Signals to Image Hidden and Speeding Objects

Our Focus Areas

News and Updates

NIST International Collaboration Develops New Framework for Smart Cities and Communities

NIST Researchers Propose Method for Modeling Smart Sensor Interoperability in Smart Grids

NIST Researchers Develop Algorithm for Assuring Quality-of-Service in 5G/6G Networks

NIST, University Researchers Offer Model for Minimizing Large Networks' Cybersecurity Costs

Projects and Programs

5G & Beyond

700 MHz In-Building Coverage App & Measurement System Development

A measurement-based approach to 5G supply chain security

Advanced High Frequency Devices

Industry Impacts

Alliance for 5G Networks

First Responder Communications

Tools and Instruments

Public Safety Communication Innovation Laboratory

LTE Coverage Tool

Awards

2021 - Bronze Medal Award---Robert Commarota, Cerasela Constantin, Sushama Singh , Simon Frechette , Eric Shirley, Andrea Medina-Smith, Elisabeth Mansfield, Douglas Montgomery, Peter Gehring, Fernando J. Cintron

2021 - Bronze Medal Award---Keith Stouffer, Timothy Zimmerman, CheeYee Tang, Michael Pease, Jeffrey Cichonski

2021 - George A. Uriano Award---Ellen Ryan, Terese Manley, Craig Connelly, Gary Howarth, II, Joanne Krumel, Jeremy Glenn, Sarah Hughes

2021 - Gold Medal Award---Oliver Borchert, Douglas Montgomery, Kotikalapudi Sriram, Patrick Gleichmann

Taking Measure Blog

Piecing Together the Profiles of Two NIST Chemists Taken Too Soon

Saving Lives by Making Upholstered Furniture More Resistant to Fire

Teeth: From Materials Science to Dentistry and Evolutionary Biology

Solving a Robotics Puzzle During a Summer Internship at NIST

Contacts

Director, Communications Technology Lab and Director, NIST Boulder Laboratory