Report | Strategic Engineering for Next-Generation Wireless Competitiveness

Strengthening research efforts in next-generation wireless networks is crucial for the United States to maintain its competitive edge in the global technology landscape. As the world becomes increasingly connected, the demand for faster, smarter, more reliable, more secure, and higher-capacity networks continues to grow.

To identify U.S. engineering research opportunities in next-generation wireless competitiveness, 51 researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders met on June 13-14, 2024, at a visioning event convened by the Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA). During the two-day event, participants generated and refined 10 essential engineering research priorities for U.S. wireless competitiveness for the next decade.

This report offers a strategic research roadmap that acknowledges the current global landscape and important research investments already in place. Because other nations are already making significant progress and heavily funding some research areas, this report describes important areas of research needed and prioritizes five areas that are underfunded or where U.S. researchers can establish leadership and have a greater impact on the global effort to develop future network technologies. Each of these 10 global engineering research priorities is critical to achieving next-generation wireless technology goals; all are discussed in detail in the full report.