Shaping the Future of Connectivity: NIST CTL Builds on IEEE 3388

The National Institute of Standards and Technology Communications Technology Laboratory (NIST CTL) Industrial Wireless Systems (IWS) Team is advancing the next generation of wireless performance standards and tools for industrial environments, following the recent publication of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 3388-2025 standard. This standard, co-led by NIST CTL, provides a protocol-agnostic framework for assessing the performance of industrial wireless networks. Building on this foundation, the IWS Team is now focused on expanding research, strengthening industry engagement, and developing practical implementations tailored to varying operational demands.

In May, IWS convened a cross-sector meeting of the NIST Industrial Wireless Systems Technical Interest Group (IWSTIG), bringing together experts in Wi-Fi, 5G, time-slotted channel hopping (TSCH), and wireless time-sensitive networking (TSN). The discussion highlighted key technical gaps and priorities, including:

• Latency and reliability in demanding operational environments
• Flexible network management tools embedded in software layers
• Application co-design to ensure robust wireless performance under stress
• Spectrum management strategies for denser deployments
• Interoperability across diverse protocols and platforms

To deepen these insights, NIST CTL launched a round of stakeholder interviews focused on translating those needs into practical, standards-based solutions. This engagement supports the development of targeted follow-on efforts, including performance profiles for specific industrial sectors and radio frequency (RF) impairment models to simulate interference and stress-test system designs.

Complementing this work, the IWS Team continues to drive cutting-edge research. At the IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE 2025), NIST CTL researcher Mohamed Hany presented new advances in artificial intelligence-assisted reverberation chamber configuration for over-the-air (OTA) wireless testing. His participation in an expert panel also spotlighted the urgent need for performance assessments grounded in real-world industrial conditions.

Together, these initiatives reflect a forward-leaning strategy: combining foundational standards like IEEE 3388 with experimental tools and expert collaboration to shape the future of wireless reliability in manufacturing, automation, and smart connected systems.

The ongoing work of the IWS Team reinforces NIST CTL as a national leader in advancing robust, interoperable, and standards-based wireless communications for industrial applications.

Visit the Industrial Wireless Systems project webpage for more information.