NSF Wireless Networking Workshop: Final Report

Preface Wireless networking today is the challenging problem of networked systems. The issues of tenuous connectivity, limited processing capacity, batteries, and on-the-move operation increases the complexity of achieving robust communications. At the same time, there is great demand for this technology. Personal schedules change on a day-today and hour-to-hour basis and people increasingly need to communicate on the move. Businesses recognize this need to utilize ubiquitous communications and they also seek to provide solutions. However, new wireless networking services generally require new radio spectrum allocations, which are limited. While the demand for mobile, wireless services is increasing, scientists and engineers are developing new techniques to better utilize the radio frequency spectrum through advanced circuit technology, digital processing, and network coordination. These technology advances provide the foundation for agile radios that coordinate their actions and adapt to the surrounding communications environment. These advanced radio technologies combined with advanced networking technologies promise a rich, mobile, robust communications infrastructure. The National Science Foundation has recognized these advances and developments and has organized a series of workshops addressing the issues of innovative radio technologies, mobile networking, and policy. This report on the NSF Wireless Networking Workshop represents the concepts, ideas, and issues in wireless networking and elicits the important research steps to be taken. The workshop participants have volunteered their time and effort towards this endeavor, and for that we offer our thanks. collected comments and edited the report. James Sterbenz provided substantial comments and advice. Without these contributions, this report would not have been possible. The future is bright for innovative wireless networking services. There are numerous opportunities to move beyond traditional point-to-point, broadcast, and cellular services to a rich and dynamic radio-based communications infrastructure. This workshop collects the thoughts and visions of how the wireless networking community may reach that future.