As we stand on the cusp of 2025, it’s time to take stock of where we are with our ever-evolving world of wireless communication technology. The foundational technologies—those concerned with actual radios themselves—are well in hand. We have long since conquered the airwaves. We’re surrounded day and night with signals that span the electromagnetic spectrum from HF to well into the mmWave range.
But even as we fill the spectrum with signals, we create other issues that cloud the future of the wireless communications industry. For one, we need to get smarter about how we use that physically limited, yet densely packed EM spectrum. Building out the infrastructure for cellular communications is incredibly expensive and difficult to manage. And we’re transmitting enormous amounts of data with our radios that we need to keep secure.
When we consider the emerging technological trends to help us navigate the future of the wireless industry, it’s not so much the foundational technologies that stand out. Rather, it’s how we might augment them with new companion technologies that leverage today’s powerful computation capabilities.
In this digital issue of Microwaves & RF, long-time industry observer and contributing editor Jack Browne takes a dive into four trends that we see shaping the industry in 2025 and in years to come. To start, when it comes to making sense of the sheer volume of signals and data they carry, artificial intelligence and machine learning will come to the fore. Algorithms can sort through multiple received signals to correct multipath effects. Machine learning will help with counter-jamming protection in electronic-warfare use cases, perhaps saving lives.
In a way, the obverse problem that comes with a dense spectrum is determining how to best utilize what’s available. This is where cognitive radio comes in, enabling transceivers to be spectrum-aware and shift their output to unoccupied frequencies. It’s accomplished by combining spread-spectrum and frequency-hopping radios that are guided by AI to efficiently use the airwaves.
Cybersecurity for the IoT/IIoT is a growing problem as more wireless-enabled sensors come online. This issue certainly affects civilians in smart homes, offices, and factories, but it’s a huge concern for the defense establishment. The Pentagon is keenly aware of ensuring the security of the massive amounts of data involved in efforts to maintain readiness.
Lastly, there’s the issue of the cost, complexity, and effort that goes into building communications infrastructure. One promising avenue to address these issues comes in the form of open radio-access networks (O-RAN). Under the auspices of the O-RAN Alliance, the telecom industry is making its way toward a redefinition of RAN methodologies. O-RAN seeks to improve interoperability between hardware and software from multiple vendors in hopes of lower network latencies, lower costs, and improved overall performance.
Of course, many other important tech trends are building momentum of late (the move to non-terrestrial networks in support of 6G comes to mind). But I hope that these snapshots of four key technologies will help point you toward the new year and the challenges they will bring.
