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The FCC recently announced new spectrum for millimeter wave. The new rules open nearly 11 gigahertz of high-frequency spectrum for mobile and fixed wireless broadband, which include 3.85 GHz of currently licensed spectrum and 7 GHz of unlicensed spectrum. This decision could prove critical for the U.S. to retain its leadership in the field of wireless communications.

As mobile wireless communications progress, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is exploring technologies that could lead to the emergence of a new generation of millimeter wave (mmWave) wireless spectrum by the year 2020. Before mmWave carrier frequencies can be applied to cellular networks, spectrum allocations and regulatory frameworks must be determined. 

UT ECE Professor Andreas Gerstlauer has been awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research on "Network-Level Design of Cyber-Physical Systems." Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are computer systems that are deeply embedded into their environment to continuously sense, act and interact with the physical world. A large part of the CPS promise in application areas such as healthcare, transportation or energy comes from networking of such deeply embedded, physically distributed devices. However, this also comes with fundamentally new design challenges.

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) promise great advances to society in fields such as transportation and healthcare. CPS are computer systems that interact directly with the physical world, such as in robotics or self-driving cars. The challenge, according to WNCG Prof. Andreas Gerstlauer, is these systems must operate within tight constraints imposed by their physical environment. They must be able to complete tasks on time and with minimal overhead in a real-world environment.