EE - Measuring Adjacent-Channel Interference Between 5G CBRS and C-Band Networks
5G C-band and CBRS operate next to each other in the 3.5 - 4 GHz spectrum. Because both use time-division duplexing (TDD), differences in their uplink and downlink transmission patterns can create adjacent-channel interference and affect network performance.
This project will study this problem using two live outdoor networks deployed on the Notre Dame campus: a 5G CBRS network operating in band n48 and a commercial Verizon 5G C-band network operating in band n77. The goal is to experimentally measure when interference occurs, quantify its effect on network performance, and determine which radio conditions and transmission scenarios produce the largest effects.
Students will participate in both experimentation and analysis. They will use QualiPoc-equipped smartphones to collect detailed cellular measurements while generating controlled uplink and downlink traffic on both networks. Experiments will vary factors such as device location, distance between devices, traffic direction, and CBRS operating conditions.
Collected measurements will then be analyzed using Python and Jupyter notebooks. Students will examine throughput together with radio measurements such as SINR, RSRP, RSRQ, MCS, resource-block allocation, and BLER to determine whether observed performance changes can be linked to adjacent-channel interference. Students will help design experiments, collect and organize measurements, develop analysis scripts, interpret results, and prepare figures, presentations and technical writing. Strong results from the project are expected to contribute to a conference or journal publication.
This project gives students hands-on experience with wireless research using live 5G networks rather than simulations or laboratory-only setups. Students will gain experience with the full research process: designing controlled wireless experiments, collecting field measurements, processing large datasets, and using those measurements to test a research question. This project is expected to contribute to a research publication, giving students exposure to technical writing and the publication process.
The project also connects wireless research with spectrum policy and regulation. Students will see how FCC spectrum allocations and coexistence rules shape real deployments, and how issues such as adjacent-channel interference, guard bands, and TDD configuration affect the practical use of shared and neighboring spectrum.