What We Do
The Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) is the research and engineering laboratory of NTIA. We perform advanced communications research to inform spectrum policy and develop capabilities to solve emerging telecommunications issues. We serve as a principal Federal resource for solving the telecommunications concerns of other Federal agencies, state and local Governments, industry, and international organizations. We work to continually advance the state of the art in radio frequency (RF) propagation measurement, RF propagation modeling, spectrum monitoring and enforcement, electromagnetic compatibility analysis, interference mitigation strategies, evaluation of end-user experience, and engineering analysis of evolving technologies to manage and share spectrum efficiently. Learn more about ITS on our YouTube Channel or read about our research programs in the Technical Progress Report.
The Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary (OPEN) Government
Data Act, signed into law on January 14, 2019, requires federal
agencies to publish their information online as open data, using
standardized, machine-readable data formats. In addition,...
The 18th International Symposium on Advanced Radio Technologies
(ISART 2020)
will explore “5G Spectrum and a Zero-Trust Network.” Visit...
May 9, 2019
ITS has a long history of leadership in air-to-ground
propagation model development within the International
Telecommunications Union – Radiocommunication Sector’s (ITU-R)
Study Group 3 – Radiowave Propagation (and its...
March 10, 2019
How can we get more use out of the radio spectrum? One way is by
sharing radio bands between users who have never shared before.
Consider radio frequencies near 3.5 GHz. Until recently, that part
of the spectrum was...
November 26, 2018
Behind every initiative to share spectrum are models of
how radio waves in a particular band propagate through different
environments. How far will a signal travel before it becomes too
faint to be useful or...
New Publications
This Month in ITS History
June 1961: First Topside Sounder Rocket Launched
At 11:17 PM on June 24, 1961, NASA launched a Javelin missile from Wallops Island, VA. The Javelin contained an ionospheric sounder created by the Central Radio Propagation Laboratory (CRPL). The sounder used radio waves to examine the atmosphere it was passing through. The sounder acted like a radar, measuring the width and density of the ionosphere, the plasma rich outer layer of the atmosphere. By measuring the ionosphere CRPL hoped to better understand it, and specifically its impact on radio transmission. At certain frequencies, radio waves bounce off the ionosphere and travel further than they would in a straight line. Short wave radio waves can travel around the world in this fashion. The Javelin launch was CRPL’s first foray into space flight. The project was successful, and it spawned many more. By 1964, CRPL had helped launch a sounding satellite known as TOPSI and assisted in the launch of the Canadian satellite Allouette. These satellites acted much like the Javelin rocket had, but they could sound the ionosphere from above. Today ITS continues the work of CRPL in investigating radio propagation. ITS also continues to work with NASA and other agencies to improve the outcomes of space flight.