[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 67677]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18708]



[[Page 67677]]

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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of NITRD Workshop: Towards a Robust and Sustainable Open-
Source Software Ecosystem for Future Wireless Research and Development

AGENCY: Networking and Information Technology Research and Development 
(NITRD) National Coordination Office (NCO), National Science Foundation 
(NSF).

ACTION: Notice of NITRD Workshop.

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SUMMARY: The workshop, Towards a Robust and Sustainable Open-Source 
Software Ecosystem for Future Wireless Research and Development, will 
examine the open-source software ecosystem that supports future 
wireless & spectrum R&D, explore the objectives and constraints of the 
diverse communities that shape the direction of key OSS projects, and 
identify opportunities to increase collaboration between Federal R&D 
and OSS communities required to foster and sustain the robust open-
source platforms necessary to drive future wireless innovation.

DATES: September 25, 2024.

ADDRESSES: The workshop, Towards a Robust and Sustainable Open-Source 
Software Ecosystem for Future Wireless Research and Development, will 
take place on September 25, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (ET), at 
the NCO Office in Washington, DC.
    Instructions: Due to space limitations, in-person attendance is by 
invitation only; remote participation will be available via Zoom. 
Registration is required. The agenda and registration link are 
available at: https://www.nitrd.gov/opensource-wireless/
    Registration will close on September 24, 2024, at 5 p.m. (ET).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mallory Hinks at (202) 459-9674 or 
email [email protected]. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Overview. This notice is issued on behalf of the NITRD Large Scale 
Networking (LSN) and Wireless Spectrum Research and Development (WSRD) 
Interagency Working Groups (IWGs). Agencies of the LSN and WSRD IWGs 
are conducting a workshop focused on the topic of open-source software 
for wireless R&D.
    Background: Future wireless network architectures will transform 
into multi-vendor, highly disaggregated distributed systems with open 
interfaces operating on virtualized computing and networking 
environments. Emerging 5G and Open RAN architectures are the first 
generation of standards to embrace this transformation fully. Growing 
demands and emerging use cases for future wireless networks will 
require higher spectral efficiency, exploration of new frequency bands, 
increased energy efficiency, and support for new spectrum-sharing 
approaches. The availability of robust open-source software (OSS) will 
catalyze the evolution toward disaggregated and virtualized network 
architectures. It will fuel innovation and competition in future 
wireless technology and spectrum utilization. While many disjoint 
efforts are developing OSS for future wireless systems and supporting 
virtualization platforms, there is often significant diversity in the 
maturity of such implementations regarding alignment to standards, 
feature support, interoperability of distinct components, security and 
resilience mechanisms, and system scalability and performance. 
Moreover, the lack of transparency about these issues poses significant 
challenges to researchers and network operators in adopting current OSS 
implementations as the basis for future development.
    Workshop Objectives. Examine the open-source software ecosystem 
that supports future wireless & spectrum R&D, explore the objectives 
and constraints of the diverse communities that shape the direction of 
key OSS projects, and identify opportunities to increase collaboration 
between Federal R&D and OSS communities required to foster and sustain 
the robust open-source platforms necessary to drive future wireless 
innovation.
    Workshop sessions with invited speakers & panelists will focus on:
     Customer and sponsor perspectives on OSS requirements for 
future wireless & spectrum R&D Constraints and policy issues.
     The current state of the wireless OSS ecosystem.
     Emerging security and resilience requirements.
     Researcher and experimenter perspectives on leveraging OSS 
to support wireless & spectrum R&D.
     Increasing transparency and confidence in OSS supply 
chains.
    Submitted by the National Science Foundation in support of the 
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) 
National Coordination Office (NCO) on August 15, 2024.

Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024-18708 Filed 8-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P