Summary: Aerospace and defense engineering relies on IEEE Standards to ensure mission‑critical systems achieve safety, reliability, and flawless performance under extreme conditions. Standardized practices drive innovation in space exploration, military defense, and complex system integration worldwide.

The aerospace and defense industries represent the pinnacle of engineering complexity, where mission-critical systems must perform flawlessly under extreme conditions. From the Mars Perseverance rover’s autonomous navigation systems to the F-35 Lightning II’s integrated avionics, these achievements rely on rigorous engineering standards that ensure every component works seamlessly together to achieve extraordinary outcomes.

Consider NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon. This ambitious initiative requires coordination between multiple spacecraft, ground systems, international partners, and countless subsystems, all governed by strict IEEE software and systems engineering standards that ensure safety, reliability, and mission success.

Similarly, modern defense systems like the Aegis Combat System, which protects naval vessels worldwide, depend on standardized engineering processes to integrate radar, weapons, and command systems into a unified defense platform capable of tracking and engaging multiple threats simultaneously.

These high-profile successes demonstrate how standardized engineering practices transform complex technical challenges into reliable, deployable solutions..

Standards in Critical Applications

In aerospace and defense development, systems engineers apply IEEE Standards to oversee complex integrations by understanding system requirements, managing stakeholder needs, and ensuring all components work together while balancing performance, cost, and risk considerations. Whether designing next-generation fighter aircraft or satellite constellations, engineers rely on established standards to guide development from initial concept through operational deployment.

On the operational side, aerospace and defense organizations use these standards to maintain mission readiness by identifying optimal system configurations, managing upgrades and modifications, overseeing cybersecurity measures, and documenting changes for compliance and audit purposes. Standards-based approaches are particularly crucial in environments where system failures can have catastrophic consequences.

The field of space exploration—which demands flawless integration between propulsion, guidance, communication, and scientific instruments, relies heavily on IEEE Standards to meet stringent performance, reliability, and safety requirements. Standards are also essential in military systems development, satellite communications, and critical infrastructure protection.
Across these domains, IEEE Standards significantly enhance system reliability, development efficiency, and regulatory compliance. In the defense sector, for example, Lockheed Martin has implemented various standardized engineering practices, such as DevSecOps and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), that have been credited with speeding up development cycles.

Growing Demand for Standards Expertise

Based on the demonstrated value of standardized engineering practices, demand for professionals with IEEE Standards expertise is surging. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6% growth of approximately 4,400 new aerospace engineering jobs through 2032, with particular emphasis on professionals who understand both technical systems and regulatory compliance requirements. 

Meanwhile, the commercial global space industry is projected to reach US $1.8 trillion by 2035,  creating unprecedented demand for engineers skilled in standards-based development practices.

To accomplish mission-critical objectives, aerospace and defense engineers take a systematic approach, evaluating all aspects of integrated systems to ensure each component contributes to overall mission success. Because they must understand diverse technologies, regulatory requirements, and how complex systems interact, these professionals play a role similar to master architects—orchestrating technical excellence across multiple disciplines.

Among their major responsibilities, standards-focused engineers typically handle requirements definition and traceability, design verification and validation, configuration management, risk assessment and mitigation, regulatory compliance, and coordination between engineering teams, program managers, suppliers, and government stakeholders. Their expertise directly impacts program success, safety outcomes, and regulatory approval timelines.

Master Critical Standards with IEEE

IEEE Software and Systems Engineering Standards Used in Aerospace and Defense is a comprehensive course program that explores systems and software engineering concepts specifically tailored for aerospace and defense industries. Topics covered include:

• Life cycle and engineering process fundamentals
• Selection and application of appropriate IEEE Standards for critical systems
• Identification of special considerations for defense and aerospace programs
• Methods for addressing complex issues through interrelated life cycle processes, and
• Agile techniques that enable rapid delivery without compromising quality or regulatory compliance.

This five-course online program is ideal for aerospace engineers, project managers, software engineers, government and defense professionals, and standards developers who need to master the intersection of technical excellence and regulatory compliance in mission-critical environments.

Explore this course program today on the IEEE Learning Network (ILN), or contact an IEEE Content Specialist for institutional access!

Thanks to the development and application of standards, people worldwide can trust that the products, processes, and services they use are safer, more reliable, higher quality, and – in some cases – more ethical or sustainable.

How Standards Shape Our World

In everyday life, standards help ensure the safety of everything from the food we eat to the appliances, devices, and medical equipment we operate. Standards also guide energy management for improved efficiency and govern IT security practices to protect sensitive information.

The concept of standardization dates back to ancient civilizations, many of which created universal systems of weights, measures, and guidelines to support their trading activities. The world’s first formal standards organization, the National Standards Body, was established in London in 1901. Following the launch of the World Bank in 1944 and the founding of the United Nations in 1945, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was officially created in 1947 to “establish international standards for goods and services, promote global cooperation, and enhance quality, safety, and efficiency” in the post-WWII era.

Streamlining Society and Business

Since then, standards have had an indelible impact on our lives – enhancing safety, promoting technological innovation, and streamlining global trade. Below are some interesting facts about global standards:

• The acronym “ISO” (associated with the International Organization for Standardization) comes from the Greek word “isos,” meaning “equal.”
• More than 100,000 standards are recognized in the U.S. alone, and over 30,000 international standards are acknowledged globally.
• Standards are foundational for a wide range of industries. Examples include:
  • Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) used in financial reporting
  • Common Core Standards in education
  • The National Electric Code (NEC) governing safe electrical installations in the U.S.
  • The International Energy Conservation Code regulating global energy usage
  • Bluetooth standards defining how wireless devices connect and communicate
  • HTML and CSS language standards regulating the architecture, look, and feel of web content
  • Even credit card sizes are standardized to ensure their compatibility worldwide!
• 14 October marks World Standards Day (founded by ISO in 1970), celebrating the importance of standards and those who develop them.

The Role of IEEE in the Standards Process

For over a century, the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) has helped shape global technology. As one of the most respected standards organizations, IEEE collaborates with thought leaders in more than 160 countries to advance innovation, safety, and interoperability. Its portfolio includes more than 1,200 active standards, with another 1,000+ currently in development.

IEEE standards span a wide range of disciplines—telecommunications, IT, electric vehicles, smart grids, blockchain, electromagnetic compatibility, and more. By providing a framework for compliance and innovation, these standards empower professionals to develop reliable, forward-thinking technologies. 

IEEE: Your Expert Source on Standards

IEEE offers many informative standards-related courses across a diverse range of fields.

• IEEE 802.11ax: An Overview of High-Efficiency Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6) 
  This 6-hour course program examines the underlying technology behind the latest Wi-Fi 6 products and the 802.11ax standard, which is focused on achieving higher efficiency and improving the user experience.
• Introduction to IEEE Std 1547-2018: Connecting Distributed Energy Resources 
  This 6-hour course program reviews the interconnection testing and verification requirements included in the IEEE 1547 standard, requirements for interoperability and open access at the DER, and power quality issues associated with DER systems.
• AI Standards: Roadmap for Ethical and Responsible Digital Environments 
  This 5-hour course program offers a comprehensive approach to creating ethical and responsible digital ecosystems based on the principles of Honesty & Impartiality, Protection & Security, and Safe Disclosure & Privacy.
• IEEE Software and Systems Engineering Standards Used in Aerospace and Defense
  This 5-hour course program explores systems and software engineering concepts applicable to the Aerospace and Defense industries and covers such topics as the selection and application of appropriate IEEE standards for life cycle processes, solving complex issues through interrelated life cycle processes, and techniques for rapid but high quality delivery.
• NESC® 2023: National Electrical Safety Code
  This 7-hour course program educates power utility professionals on the rules, regulations, and changes in the 2023 edition of the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) and reviews such specific topics as supply station safety, grounding, and overhead and underground requirements.
• Software & Hardware Configuration Management in Systems Engineering
  This 5-hour course program reviews essential configuration management core concepts for both hardware and software, from the requirements specified in the IEEE 828 standard to best CM practices, modern CM approaches such as “Agile SCM,” and methods to assess and improve existing organizational CM practices.

Explore and enroll in IEEE standards courses today on the IEEE Learning Network. For institutional access, contact a specialist today!

In today’s highly connected business landscape, delays in the transmission of critical data can cost time, money, jobs, and even lives. As you can imagine, there’s an extensive and diverse range of data-driven applications where time is of the essence.

The seamless exchange of data between sensors and processors allows autonomous cars to make split-second decisions that ensure their safe and accurate navigation of roads. Robust IoT connections and timely data flow minimize waste and reduce downtime while promoting efficiency and overall performance in manufacturing. And timely data delivery enables the precise synchronization of audio and visual systems that deliver professional, best-in-class entertainment experiences for audiences worldwide.

Above are just a few of the mission-critical activities that rely on time-sensitive networking (TSN), a group of standards and protocols within the IEEE 802.1 umbrella that were designed to ensure “deterministic communication”. This means that data 1) gets to its final destination, and 2) does so within a specified timeframe over Ethernet networks. Thanks to TSN, industries that previously required specialized networking hardware to achieve their time-sensitive objectives can now use standard Ethernet connections to meet their needs.

The Fundamentals of Time-Sensitive Networking

First introduced in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Ethernet is a communications technology that connects devices in a local area network (LAN). Using a system of “wired” cables (unlike Wi-Fi’s wireless approach), the Ethernet still remains a highly desirable approach for organizations that require speed, reliability, security, and the ability to maximize their internet connection when transmitting data.

However, while standard Ethernet typically transmits data only when network resources are available, the process of time-sensitive networking introduces a means of scheduling data transmission to ensure that it arrives on time and in a predictable fashion. This is achieved through TSN’s many powerful features, which include:

• Synchronization of clocks within devices on the TSN network via a “Precision Time Protocol” (PTP) capability to ensure on-time transmission
• Precise scheduling of data transmissions to ensure the on-time delivery of high-priority data
• “Traffic shaping,” through which TSN can avoid network congestion and smooth the way for data to flow by controlling the rate at which data is sent
• Back-up redundancy, which delivers an added measure of reliability by ensuring that if data fails to send via one path, it can be received via an alternative path
• Reservation of network resources, which assures that connected devices have the necessary bandwidth to successfully transmit data 

TSN in Industry

These and other features have made TSN an indispensable tool for industries and applications where ultra-low “latency” (defined as the time it takes for a computer, the internet, etc. to respond to an action taken) and “jitter” (signal changes in amplitude, width, or phase timing within a network) are paramount. Those industries include the following:

Automotive

In the automotive sector, TSN is popularly used to support real-time diagnostics for vehicle malfunctions and repairs as well as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, which enables vehicles to share information regarding traffic conditions, weather updates, alternative routes, and safety issues; the use of TSN also helps reduce the cost and complexity of connected infotainment and advanced driver assistance systems. Within autonomous vehicles, TSN enables the quick processing of data from sensors that ultimately control everything from the steering wheel and brakes to anti-slip functions, collision-avoidance systems, and more.

Industrial

Among other applications, TSN enhances efficiency and productivity in automated industrial manufacturing settings by enabling real-time communication and synchronization within robotic systems, conveyor belts, and assembly lines. As a result, industrial leaders such as Siemens and Poland-based company Keller, a provider of state-of-the-art printing technologies, have adopted TSN.

Energy

In the energy/utility industry, the use of TSN enables more efficient grid management and deployment of power to users by ensuring real-time communication between power generation and distribution systems. TSN also supports the efficient integration of renewable energy sources into the grid portfolio.

Ultimately, as industries across the board continue to undergo digital transformation, industry experts confirm that TSN is revolutionizing the face of real-time communication and control systems and opening the door to exciting and dynamic new possibilities in the future.

Take the Time to Master TSN

As time-sensitive networking continues to both evolve and be embraced by a broad range of organizations, there’s no time to waste when it comes to understanding the powerful benefits that TSN can bring to your or your clients’ operations.

Time-Sensitive Networking for New Ethernet Bridging Applications is a comprehensive eLearning course program from IEEE. It covers everything from specific challenges involved in delivering real-time communications on modern networks to the methods that have been developed by various standards groups. It also addresses each of the challenges identified and more.

Upon completion of the five-course program, learners will understand the importance of synchronization, traffic shaping, and queueing within time-sensitive applications as well as the current state of development and standardization of solutions in this dynamic field.

To learn more about accessing these courses for your organization, contact an IEEE Content Specialist today.

Interested in the course for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network.

 

Resources

Python and TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking): An In-Depth Guide. W3 Computing.

Hill, Simon. (20 April 2023). Everything You Need to Know About Ethernet. Wired.

Shukla, Guarav. (5 June 2022). What is Ethernet? How-To Geek.

Howard. (8 December 2023). The Introduction of Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN). FS

Rouwet, Wim. (2022). Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication. Science Direct.

Leung, Jason. (18 December 2023). The Future of Connected Cars: How Time-Sensitive Networking Is Enhancing Automotive Embedded Systems. FiberRoad.

Burke, Tom. (7 July 2023). TSN Technology Endorsed by Industrial Automation Leaders. Automation.com.

Burke, Thomas. (5 February 2024). How to Use TSN to Improve Machine Design Performance, Precision. Control Engineering.

 

If you’ve seen solar panels installed on rooftops or wind power being generated off the shores of coastal locales, use smart thermostats, electric vehicles and EV charging systems, fuel cells, or heat pumps, or participate in a local microgrid, then you’ve witnessed some examples of the use of distributed energy resources, also known as DERs.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), distributed energy resources involve “a variety of technologies that generate electricity at or near where it will be used” as opposed to relying on a more centralized power generation source. DERs support everything from single homes and businesses to huge industrial facilities, college campuses, and entire municipalities. (This is often through a microgrid that ties into a central electric utility’s local distribution lines). Based on their demonstrated ability to reduce electricity costs to ratepayers, improve power quality, reliability, and resiliency, engage in the “intelligent” process of two-way electricity flow, and help meet environmental and sustainability goals through their use of renewable energy sources, they’ve become increasingly popular.

Benefits of Distributed Energy Resources

Thanks to DERs, homes and businesses can reduce their dependence on the aging electric grid— portions of which are over a century old and in need of an upgrade. DERs also help minimize the risk of power outages that have risen in tandem with the growing frequency of severe storms and other natural disasters globally. At the same time, DERs offer greater control to end users by enabling them to generate the energy they need for their own use, sell it to the market, and/or modify their own energy demand.

As such, one doesn’t have to look far to see evidence of the growing market and demand for DERs worldwide. For instance:

• On the solar panel front, Fortune Business Insights predicts that the global solar power market will nearly double from US$254 billion in 2023 to US$437 billion by 2032.
• Statista projects that the market for global battery energy storage will grow from US$5 billion in 2023 to US$18 billion by 2030, an over three-fold increase.
• Electric cars, which represented just 2% of all vehicles globally in 2018, accounted for some 18% of all cars sold in 2023.
• Smart thermostat sales in the U.S. are expected to triple from roughly US$1.3 billion in 2022 to US$3.9 billion by 2029.

Growing Demand

The outlook for DERs continues to look bright, for many reasons. Declining initial price points are bolstering demand for these technologies. Additionally, federal support and funding through such legislation as America’s Inflation Reduction Act (enacted in August 2022) are driving demand for a range of DERs by providing financial rebates and incentives that encourage their adoption. Similarly, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order No. 222 (issued in September 2020) will financially compensate the owners of groups of qualified DERs for the power and services they provide to the electric grid. According to the World Resources Institute, this incentive will “[create] a new long-term value stream for the people and entities using these resources.”

Similar actions have been undertaken around the world to help fuel the proliferation of DERs. In Europe, for instance, the ‘European Green Deal’ and ‘Clean Energy for all Europeans’ legislative initiatives are promoting the integration of renewable energy sources and DERs. The International Energy Agency confirms that DERs will be critical to the ongoing energy transformation in China.

Ultimately, experts confirm that the ongoing transition to DERs will promote a more reliable, energy-efficient, and equitable energy system worldwide.

Challenges Abound

While DERs offer many benefits, including the promise of greater resilience, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability, experts nonetheless confirm that there are also many challenges associated with their use.

Among them, the harmonious operation of these systems and devices will require significant investments in new power generation and storage technology. In addition, with so many small-scale DERs being activated at a decentralized level and on disparate platforms worldwide, experts at the World Resources Institute warn that integration of these devices with central power sources can trigger power quality, compatibility, and reliability issues that will require a greater degree of grid management to control.

For all of these reasons, there’s never been a greater need for IEEE Standard 1547, which is designed to ensure the interconnection, interoperability, and safety of DERs connected to the electric grid.

“Before the adoption of this standard, there were significant challenges in connecting renewable energy sources to the grid, as each technology had its own set of protocols and requirements,” explained Christopher Sanderson, energy storage industry expert and IEEE Senior Member. “The development of IEEE Standard 1547 has made it possible for different types of DERs to work together seamlessly, ensuring that electricity generated from various sources can be reliably, [safely], and efficiently distributed and integrated into the grid without causing disruptions.”

Navigate IEEE Standard 1547 Through a Targeted Course Program

Introduction to IEEE Standard 1547-2018: Connecting Distributed Energy Resources is a six-course program developed by IEEE to help train entire technical teams on how to best implement this important standard. The course program reviews testing, verification, and interoperability requirements. It also covers clauses and annexes of IEEE Standard 1547-2018, and power quality issues that can result from the interconnection of DERs with utility grids.

Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn more about getting access to this program for your organization.

Interested in access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN).

Resources

Hurst, R.W. What is Distributed Generation? Distributed Energy Resources. The Electricity Forum.

Distributed Generation of Electricity and its Environmental Impacts. United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Richmond-Crosset, Kyle and Greene, Zachary. (30 September 2022). How Distributed Energy Resources Can Lower Power Bills, Raise Revenue in US Communities. World Resources Institute.

(May 2022). Unlocking the Potential of Distributed Energy Resources. International Energy Agency.

Ali, Junaid. (16 August 2024). The Future of Energy and Distributed Power. Forbes.

(5 August 2024). Solar Power Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Technology. Fortune Business Insights.

Sanderson, Christopher. (30 June 2024). The Power of Standards: How IEEE-1547 Shapes Our Energy Future. LinkedIn.

Will Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) Change How We Get Our Energy? European Parliament.

Prospects for Distributed Energy Systems in China. International Energy Agency.

Configuration management is a practice that helps identify changes to enterprise IT systems over time to ensure that all systems are working properly, meeting performance expectations, and complying with governance and regulatory policies.

As a result— and in light of all the apps, networks, servers, storage tools, edge devices, cloud options, and security patches currently in play— configuration management is an invaluable maintenance tool that’s critical within a modern enterprise IT system.

Simply put, “configuration management is a systems engineering process used to track and control IT resources and services across an enterprise,” says industry expert Stephen Bigelow of TechTarget. By establishing configuration standards for each asset, business/IT leaders can apply these standards to the setup of other servers or workstations in their network, a measure which will alert leaders of any issues that may require updates, reconfiguration, or patches to help promote consistency across the organization.

The Growing Need for Configuration Management

In the last several years, two major developments have created a greater need for configuration management than ever. These include the rise of cyber attacks and changing workspace dynamics.

According to a recent study by the Ponemon Institute, 54% of organizations surveyed claimed to have experienced a cyber attack in the previous 12 months. Another 52% reported an increase in cyber attack activity relative to the prior year. NETSCOUT’s 2020 Threat Intelligence Report findings confirmed these trends noting that hackers now attack worldwide targets 26,000 times a day. (This is equivalent to once every three seconds.) Cybersecurity Ventures predicts this cyber hacking landscape will amount to over US$10 trillion in annual costs by 2025.

The rise in the number and severity of cyber attacks to organizations and their enterprise systems in recent years has been further exacerbated by the shift to more remote work since the pandemic. A recent article in Forbes confirmed that in 2023, over 40% of the workforce either worked exclusively from home or in a hybrid situation involving some days at home and some days from the office. (This is nearly double the level of that activity in 2019, according to the National Institutes of Health).

As a result of this societal shift in the workplace dynamic, IT departments no longer have ready access to or sole control over all of their company’s computers — many of which employees may have set up themselves with software that’s not up to date with current security patches or antivirus protection. A recent report from Malwarebytes revealed that remote workers exposed companies to cyber threats and caused security breaches in 20% of the organizations they surveyed during the pandemic. To make matters worse, CyberTalk found that it takes organizations with remote workers nearly two months longer to identify and address cyber breaches than organizations with in-office workforces.

All of the above realities have contributed to a workplace landscape that requires greater IT maintenance and configuration management practices than ever for standardization and security.

Incorporating Configuration Management (CM)

Companies establish configuration management systems by considering how their software will evolve and be utilized over time. After creating a CM “baseline” of system settings that will enable the detection of changes, they must then institute a process by which they’ll determine whether those changes comply with policy and will be allowed or not based on testing, monitoring, and auditing.

When instituted proactively, organizations can accrue many benefits from the automated tools that run as part of a CM program. For example, configuration management code can

• automatically update software across an enterprise,
• restore system information quickly in the event of a glitch or system crash,
• and formally document all of these developments.
  

This allows a company’s IT professionals to use their time more productively and to deploy new software and software updates more consistently across their organizations.

In addition, by optimizing IT workflows and potentially helping to prevent an error, crash, or cyber attack, a robust configuration management system can reduce the cost of operating an IT network. As a result, many experts identify configuration management as one of the most important technology trends taking shape in organizations worldwide.

Reduce Your Risk Through Proactive CM

Developed by IEEE Educational Activities in conjunction with the IEEE Computer Society, Configuration Management: Core Concepts for Building Reliable Software is a new course which examines the current version of the IEEE Configuration Management Standard. (This standard, IEEE 828-2012, establishes the minimum requirements for processes for configuration management in systems and software engineering). The course explains what configuration management is and details the traditional CM processes of configuration identification, status accounting, change control, and configuration audit. It also explains the essential CM processes currently used in many organizations to establish and protect the integrity of a product or product component throughout its lifespan.

This course is ideal for managers, practicing IT professionals, academics, undergraduates, and electrical engineers. It is part of the Software & Hardware Configuration Management in Systems Engineering eLearning program, which also includes four other courses:

• Configuration Management: Optimizing Software Development Lifecycles
• Configuration Management: Supporting Agile Methodology Development
  
• Configuration Management: Emerging Practices and Applications
  
• Configuration Management: Organizational Assessment and Improvement

Resources

Law, Marcus.  (20 December 2023).  Top 10: Technology Trends for 2024. Technology.

(22 June 2023). What is Configuration Management? Red Hat.

(4 March 2021). 7 Best Practices for Configuration Management. Tanium.

Garza, Megan. (2 June 2023). 80 Cybersecurity Statistics and Trends [Updated 2023]. Varonis.

Brooks, Chuck. (5 March 2023). Cybersecurity Trends & Statistics For 2023; What You Need to Know. Forbes.

Haan, Katherine. (12 June 2023). Remote Work Statistics and Trends in 2024. Forbes.

Silver, Hilary. (2 March 2023). Working from Home: Before and After the Pandemic. National Institutes of Health.

(29 September 2023). What is Configuration Management and How Does It Work? Indeed.

BasuMallick, Chiradeep. (18 October 2022). What is Configuration Management? Working, Tools, and Importance. Spiceworks.

DDoS Threat Intelligence Report: Issue 11. NETSCOUT.

Most connected users worldwide have at some point experienced the agony and frustration of a slow wireless network. However, speeds are increasing thanks to IEEE Standard 802.11ax and its impact on business and society as we know it.

Officially certified in 2020, IEEE 802.11ax, also known as “Wi-Fi 6,” delivers throughput per user via wireless LAN (WLAN) technology that’s four times faster than the preceding Wi-Fi standard. (IEEE 802.11ac, known as “Wi-Fi 5”, was introduced in 2013.) Offering increased bandwidth, more efficient use of channels and router technology, the ability to conserve power through a proactive “Target Wake Time” feature, and updated data encryption capabilities, IEEE Standard 802.11ax is poised to significantly enhance the speed and reliability of wireless networks.

Over the last several years, wireless connections have especially suffered in high-density environments where large numbers of devices are connected to a network. The increased adoption of internet-connected devices worldwide contributes to the growth of such environments. Furthermore, advances in technology have driven more companies to modernize their wireless networks. Those trends are only expected to continue, with research firm Markets and Market Data projecting the global Wi-Fi market to rise from US$12.3 billion to US$31.3 billion in value by 2027.

High Efficiency, Reliable Wi-Fi is Critical to Industries Across the Board

In our current global Wi-Fi landscape that continues to both expand rapidly and advance technologically, the need for speed and high efficiency is more imperative than ever to industries of all kinds. Check out these examples.

According to a recent study by The International Association of Conference Centres (IACC), nearly 60% of meeting planners surveyed claimed that they wouldn’t prioritize a venue unless they had a guarantee of internet performance.

Thanks to the adoption of Wi-Fi 6, airports will no longer struggle to reconfigure their networks when travelers download content, check emails, and otherwise overload the building’s wireless network just prior to boarding their flight.

In the automotive industry, Wi-Fi 6 will more quickly and comprehensively generate telematic data on engine performance, breaking and steering systems, real-time traffic conditions, and the use of such features as surround-view cameras and roadside assistance. This will allow car manufacturers to enhance safety features and tailor service packages for drivers. Additionally, car repairs can get underway faster. Wi-Fi 6 will enable car dealers and repair shops to connect wirelessly to a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics, identify problems remotely, and prepare a repair estimate even before a customer comes into the shop. Wi-Fi 6 will also be a boon for in-car ‘infotainment,’ as it will support the real-time speed required for streaming content.

In the healthcare arena, the use of telemedicine rose precipitously during the pandemic. Many medical practitioners and patients continue to use it. At the same time, more medical devices (such as x-ray and MRI machines) are going wireless, which will place additional data demands on wireless networks. With Wi-Fi 6, healthcare facilities operating such equipment remotely will be able to transmit data with greater speed and reliability, place mission-critical equipment on a different band, and better optimize their wireless capabilities.

Manufacturing and logistics companies with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities can run diagnostics and maintenance on equipment remotely and reduce costly downtime in the manufacturing, supply chain, quality control, and distribution functions.

Additional uses are areas such as the educational and the defense industries. In both these sectors, training in “real-life” situations is often conducted in simulated settings for safety and/or cost reasons, Wi-Fi 6 can enable greater access to in-depth, real-world simulations for training purposes.

Wi-Fi 6 Expectations

The bottom line?

In an economy where the speed and quality of network connections can drive the user experience and ultimately dictate a company’s success, Wi-Fi 6 holds promise in a variety of fields. Global consultant Deloitte states that W-Fi 6 will be “indispensable to the future of enterprise connectivity” across all connected industries.

Are You Up to Speed on Wi-Fi 6?

The course program, IEEE 802.11ax: An Overview of High-Efficiency Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6), takes learners on the latest step in a journey of continuous innovation in wireless local area networks (LAN) standards. In it, expert instructors discuss IEEE Standard 802.11ax, the underlying technology of the latest Wi-Fi 6 products.

Unlike previous amendments (e.g., IEEE Standard 802.11ac and IEEE Standard 802.11n), which were focused mainly on increasing the peak throughput, 802.11ax focuses on achieving Higher Efficiency (HE) and improving metrics that reflect user experience, such as average throughput per station. This was achieved by better physical layer efficiency and spectrum utilization, flexible multi-access and scheduled transmission schemes, increasing the spatial reuse, and improving interference management between neighboring networks, particularly in dense environments.

This training provides an overview of the features and optimizations introduced by IEEE 802.11ax to the Physical (PHY) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers. The first part of the program focuses on the PHY layer, and the second part focuses on the MAC layer.

Resources:

What Is 802.11ac? Cisco.

Badman, Lee. What’s the difference between 802.11ac vs. 802.11ax? Tech Target.

Serrano, Jesus. (4 January 2023). 6 WiFi Trends to Watch Out For in 2023. Galgus.

Kerravala, Zeus. (11 October 2021). Why Businesses Need to Upgrade And Modernize Their Wi-Fi Networks. Forbes.

Wi-Fi 6 Industry Impact Report. Qualcomm.

Tang, Kevin. (16 February 2022). Wi-Fi is Essential for Driving Automotive Transformation. Wi-Fi Alliance.

(29 September 2022.) Telehealth in the Pandemic—How Has It Changed Health Care Delivery in Medicaid and Medicare? U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Dohnalek, Mark. (18 June 2021). Wi-Fi 6: What it Means and Why it Matters for New Product Development. Supply Chain Management Review.

Hupfer, Susanne. Bucaille, Ariane. Mazumder, Sayantani. Westcott, Kevin. (1 December 2021). Wi-Fi 6: Unsung, Underexposed—and Indispensable to the Future of Enterprise Connectivity. Deloitte Insights.

Wi-Fi has been around for over 20 years. With each new generation, the world has seen remarkable gains in wireless performance, connectivity, and user experience. Wi-Fi 6E is a game-changing version of Wi-Fi that brings the technology to the 6 GHz frequency band. Past articles have outlined the technical differences between the IEEE standards known widely as Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11ac) and Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax), as well as the improvements made for Wi-Fi 6E.  While Wi-Fi 6E is faster than previous versions (9.6 Gbps versus 3.5 Gbps on Wi-Fi 5), it isn’t all about speed. The real value of Wi-Fi 6 will be its ability to improve the network when many devices are connected.

When Wi-Fi 5 came out, the average U.S. household had an average of five Wi-Fi devices. Today, homes have nine Wi-Fi devices on average. Experts predict this number to jump to nearly 50 Wi-Fi devices within several years, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Wi-Fi 6 will alleviate the issues of connecting dozens of Wi-Fi devices on a single network. An essential feature of Wi-Fi 6E is that it lets routers communicate with more devices at once, send data to multiple devices in the same broadcast, and allows Wi-Fi devices to schedule check-ins with the router. In addition to being faster with more device capacity, Wi-Fi 6 can improve the battery life of devices while also having a better security protocol.

IoT is Fueling Wireless Growth

By 2025, it is predicted there will be 55.7 billion connected devices worldwide, 75% of which will be connected to an Internet of Things (IoT) platform. The wireless connectivity market is poised to reach US$157 billion by 2027, driven by wearable devices, smart home technology, and cloud service models, all working with IoT devices. While it has been challenging to meet the connectivity demands of IoT in the past, Wi-Fi 6 offers a potential solution. By extending Wi-Fi operation into the 6 GHz band, Wi-Fi 6 can support industrial IoT devices around the globe with high bandwidth, low power, and low latency capabilities.

Wi-Fi 6 and 5G Are Not the Same, But Work Together

It is important to note that some of the featured improvements of Wi-Fi 6 are similar to the emerging 5G cellular standard improvements. Though both standards employ some of the same features, they are different technologies (wireless LAN versus cellular) built for different uses. According to Network World, Wi-Fi is best suited for indoor applications in dense, high-volume environments. While Wi-Fi can work outdoors, 5G is designed to seamlessly offer cell phone coverage as you use your phone’s GPS while driving or check your email while on public transportation. As most smartphones will have both Wi-Fi 6 and 5G built-in, the two technologies will work together to support different use cases across industries.

Wi-Fi 6 Impact on Industry

Wi-Fi 6E extends the capacity, efficiency, coverage, and performance benefits of Wi-Fi 6 and offers incredible value to companies. With Wi-Fi expected to contribute nearly US$5 trillion to the global economy by 2025, more than 2.3 billion Wi-Fi 6 products and 350 million Wi-Fi 6E products entered the market in 2022. According to independent market research firms TechKnowledge Strategies and FeibusTech, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E will offer more bandwidth, greater performance, and compelling user experiences:

• Public Wi-Fi: Venues and providers recognize the potential of Wi-Fi 6 and are working on next-generation applications. Demand is high for Wi-Fi 6 in public venues like airports, stadiums, university campuses, and high-density apartment complexes. Several pilot deployments of Wi-Fi 6 are addressing financial transactions at stadium settings, resolving incidents with minimum disruption at airports via Wi-Fi 6 security cameras, and making video calling smooth without buffering in public settings.
• Home: Wi-Fi 6 routers will improve wireless performance for many situations, including homes with smart home devices (like thermostats and security cameras) or older devices slowing the network, as well as households with streaming difficulties or many neighbors nearby, all of which will have their own routers and collections of devices. FeibusTech forecasts that Wi-Fi 6 will also spark a revolution in the smart home. Virtual assistants, like Amazon Alexa and Google Voice, could have far more processing power and storage available on Wi-Fi 6.
• Enterprise: Overall, the transition to Wi-Fi 6 in enterprise deployments is expected to be more of an evolutionary story. However, CIOs and other IT decision-makers who opt for full-spec Wi-Fi 6 solutions, such as Qualcomm’s Pro platform, can plan for up to 1,500 devices connecting effortlessly on a single access point. Several companies are getting into the arena early. For example, cloud-based applications like Skype and WebEx running on laptop and smartphone apps might have us saying goodbye to traditional desktop phones. Ruckus and Lenovo are making educational applications for students using VR goggles, where Wi-Fi 6 will be critical.
• Automotive: Wi-Fi 6 could be used to revolutionize the automotive market. For autonomous cars, vehicle-to-vehicle communication could be used to prevent accidents and speed up stop-and-go traffic. Likewise, vehicle-to-infrastructure can improve traffic flow at stop lights. In-car entertainment will get a boost from both Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. This combination will offer real-time responsiveness for streaming. Additionally, automobile dealers will be able to connect wirelessly to vehicles’ onboard diagnostics as customers enter the service area. This would help cut wait times and increase the capacity of the service department.

Preparing for Wi-Fi 6— Are You Ready?

Wi-Fi 6 will bring immediate benefits in network speed, capacity, and responsiveness to the global market. Such benefits will allow for new applications in virtually every segment.

Learn more in IEEE 802.11ax: An Overview of High Efficiency Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6) Part One and Part Two. Join us for this live virtual course program on 21 and 22 February from 12-3pm ET. It will provide an overview of the features and optimizations introduced by IEEE 802.11ax to the physical and medium access control layers. Purchase this course program by 17 February for the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the instructors.

Can’t make the live sessions? Purchasers will have access to the on-demand version of the course program. See more details>>

 

Resources

Cisco. (2022). 5 things to know about Wi-Fi 6/6E and Private 5G. Cisco.

Kastrenakes, Jacob. (21 February 2019). Wi-Fi 6: is it really that much faster? The Verge.

Research and Markets. (28 November 2022). Wireless and Fixed Connectivity Market Report 2022. BusinessWire. 

Robinson, Kevin. (21 March 2022). Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E: The key to IoT. Wi-Fi Alliance. 

TechKnowledge Strategies. (2019). Wi-Fi 6 Industry Impact Report. Qualcomm.

Telecom. (10 November 2022). Value of Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi Alliance.

Weinberg, Neal. (24 May 2022). What is Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), and why do we need it? Network World.

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are evolving fast. However, ethical standards that ensure these systems don’t harm the public, such those that aim to prevent unintentional biases based on the data these systems are trained on, have been less quick to evolve. According to a global survey conducted by MIT Sloan Management Review, which polled over 1,000 executives, 82% of managers in organizations with at least USD $100 million in annual revenues agreed or strongly agreed that responsible AI (RAI) should be included in their top management agenda. At the same time, only 50% reported that RAI is a part of their top management’s agenda. 

How can organizations that develop or use artificial intelligence ensure RAI is not just an afterthought? A recent panel of global AI experts, organized by MIT Sloan Management Review and global consulting firm BCG, concluded with the following takeaways:

• Leadership needs to understand why RAI is important to the organization’s strategy. Otherwise, RAI may never make it into the agendas of the organization’s major decision makers.
• Determine whether RAI is part of your AI strategy or a part of your wider organizational goals, such as corporate responsibility. Without an understanding of this, leadership may not fully grasp that it should be integrated into their larger agenda.
• Look at RAI as an urgent need that must be integrated now. Otherwise, you may miss valuable opportunities to prevent risk and harm down the line.

What are the Fundamental Principles of AI Ethics?

Understanding the core principles of AI is the first step to developing an effective AI standards framework. Such a framework should also align with an organization’s mission, as well as any regulations the organization may be affected by through its implementation of the AI system. According to TechTarget, the basic principles of ethical AI include:

1. Fairness: The AI system does not contain biases and functions equally well for all groups 
2. Accountability: The AI system has ways to identify who is responsible across different stages of the AI life cycle if something goes wrong and provides ways for humans to supervise and control the system
3. Transparency: When the AI system makes a decision, it allows humans to understand why it came to that conclusion, which is essential for building trust
4. Safety: The AI system is equipped with effective security controls

What does incorporating these principles into an AI system look like in practice? During an interview with Analytics India Magazine, Layak Singh, CEO of Artivatic AI, an insurance platform, said the company reduces biases in AI by defining the business problems it wants to solve while considering end users, then configuring data collection methods to be able to incorporate diverse perspectives.

“We also ensure that we clearly understand our training data, as this is where most biases are introduced and can be avoided,” Singh said. “With that aim, we also ensure an ML [machine learning] team that’s assorted as they ask dissimilar queries and thus interact with the AI models in various ways. This leads to identifying errors before the model is underway in production and is the best manner to reduce bias both at the beginning and while retraining models.”

Additionally, there is a major focus on feedback as his company keeps feedback channels, such as forum discussions, open in order to run continual audits and upgrades.

Ensuring AI systems are ethical is becoming essential to building trust with clients and customers. Don’t wait until that trust is already broken— start developing an ethical AI standards framework today.

Incorporating AI Standards at Your Organization

An online five-course program, AI Standards: Roadmap for Ethical and Responsible Digital Environments, provides instructions for a comprehensive approach to creating ethical and responsible digital ecosystems. Contact an IEEE Content Specialist to learn more about how this program can benefit your organization.

Interested in getting access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) today!

Resources

Krishna, Sri. (20 April 2022). Talking Ethical AI with Artivatic’s Layak Singh. India Analytics Magazine. 

Kiron, David, Renieris, Elizabeth, and Mills, Steven. (19 April 2022). Why Top Management Should Focus on Responsible AI. MIT Sloan Management Review.

Kompella, Kashyap. (1 April 2022). How AI ethics is the cornerstone of governance. TechTarget.

A 2019 survey from Gartner found that 37% of businesses and organizations employ artificial intelligence (AI), DataProt reported. However, few organizations are taking steps to mitigate the risk associated with AI systems, such as their propensity for bias and privacy infringements. A 2021 PwC research report found that just 20% of enterprises had instituted an AI ethics framework, while only 35% intended to enhance their AI governance and processes. With governments increasingly moving towards passing AI regulations, the timeframe for organizations to develop ethical AI standards is getting shorter. 

During an interview with Analytics India Magazine, Satyakam Mohanty, Chief Product Officer at Fosfor by L&T Infotech, a global technology consulting and digital solutions company, said responsible AI is the only way for organizations to reduce potential risks associated with the technology.

“The great AI debate opens various facets of ethics, but without a common agreement and agreed standard, its impact and repercussions on the way organizations operate is not quantifiable,” Mohanty told the magazine. “Fairness and explainability can be managed and scaled by introducing data bias mitigation practices and algorithmic bias mitigation processes and ensuring higher standard explainability frameworks into the implementations and decision-making process. By utilizing ethics as a key decision-making tool, AI-driven companies save time and money in the long run by building robust and innovative solutions from the start.”

How to Develop an AI Standards Framework

How can your organization begin building a successful AI standards framework? Writing in Harvard Business Review, AI ethics experts Reid Blackman and Beena Ammanath recommend that organizations start by putting together a team of senior-level experts that encompasses, at minimum, technologists, legal/compliance experts, ethicists, and business leaders who understand what the organization needs to achieve in terms of ethical AI.

Once you have a team in place, they recommend taking these steps:

1. First, identify your organization’s AI ethical standard:
   What is the minimum ethical standard your organization is willing to meet in terms of AI? If your AI system is discriminatory towards a certain group but is still far less discriminatory towards them than traditional human-run systems, will your organizations consider that an acceptable benchmark? This is a similar dilemma to what autonomous vehicle manufacturers must consider. For example, if autonomous vehicles occasionally kill passengers and pedestrians but at a lower rate than traditional vehicles, should those vehicles be considered safe? Although these are difficult questions to grapple with, asking them will help your organization set the right frameworks and guidelines to ensure ethical product development.
2. Determine “gaps” between where your organization is currently and what your standards need:
   While there may be plenty of technical solutions to your AI ethics dilemma, none are likely to be enough to reduce the risks substantially enough to safeguard your organization. As such, your AI ethics team will need to ask: what are its skills and knowledge limitations, what are the risks it is trying to reduce, in what ways can software/quantitative analysis help and not be able to help, what needs to be done in terms of qualitative assessments, and how mature does the technology need to be to meet ethics expectations?
3. Gain insight into what’s behind the bias in your AI and then strategize solutions:
   While it’s generally true that biased AI systems are reflections of biased training data and/or societal bias, the real problem is more complex. For example, you need to understand sources of discriminatory outputs, as well as potential biases, as knowing this will help you understand how to decide the best strategy for reducing bias. 

Implementing artificial intelligence standards at your organization will take time, but the risk reduction they provide will be well worth the effort. Does your organization have the right knowledge and skills necessary to build an effective AI standards roadmap? 

Establishing AI Standards for Your Organization

Artificial intelligence continues to spread across various industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and finance among others. It’s vital to keep in mind rigorous ethical standards designed to protect the end-user when leveraging these new digital environments. AI Standards: Roadmap for Ethical and Responsible Digital Environments, is a new five-course program from IEEE that provides instructions for a comprehensive approach to creating ethical and responsible digital ecosystems.

Contact an IEEE Content Specialist to learn more about how this program can benefit your organization.

Interested in getting access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) today!

Resources

Krishna, Sri. (29 March 2022). Talking Ethical AI with Fosfor’s Satyakam Mohanty. Analytics India Magazine. 

Blackman, Reid and Ammanath, Beena (21 March 2022). Ethics and AI: 3 Conversations Companies Need to Have. Harvard Business Review. 

Jovanovic, Bojan. (8 March 2022). 55 Fascinating AI Statistics and Trends for 2022. DataProt.

Likens, Scott; Shehab, Michael; Rao, Anand. AI Predictions 2021. PwC Research.

The new wireless networking standard 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) delivers enhanced wireless technology in dense environments where it can more effectively overcome interference from cells on the same channel. An even newer version of Wi-Fi 6, dubbed “Wi-Fi 6 Extended” (Wi-Fi 6E), could deliver even better service.

As Jerry Jackson in PC Mag reports, Wi-Fi 6E provides faster speeds and lower latencies than Wi-Fi 6 and earlier versions. At the time of announcement, the IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) standard “was limited by law to a wireless spectrum that only covered the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands”. These 2.4GHz bands have just three non-overlapping channels— meaning you, your household, and your neighbors, all share bandwidth.

Since multiple devices are competing for bandwidth, signals are often lost. However, after the Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted to make the 6GHz band available for unlicensed use in April 2020, significantly more airwaves opened, which routers can use to broadcast Wi-Fi signals.

Hence, Wi-Fi 6E expands on Wi-Fi 6 to cover 6GHz frequency.

“The opening of the 6GHz band is the biggest spectrum addition to Wi-Fi since 1989,” writes Jackson. “The jump from 5GHz to 6GHz might not sound like much, but it essentially quadruples the amount of airwaves (14 additional 80MHz channels, and seven additional 160MHz channels) available for routers and smart devices. That means less signal interference.”

What Are the Technical Benefits of Wi-Fi 6?

Wi-Fi 6 is expected to bring a number of technical benefits that will “enable use cases beyond what is possible today,” states Tim Pohlmann, CEO of IP Analytics, an IP intelligence tool. According to Pohlmann, these benefits will include: 

• Connected venues and cities: Wi-Fi 6 BSS Colouring technology will guarantee resistance to interference— even in public places with a high density of devices such as event venues and universities. With its larger bandwidth, Wi-Fi 6 can deliver consistent real-time data exchange while allowing thousands of people to connect.
• Connected cars: Wi-Fi 6 enables larger bandwidth that will let vehicles exchange real-time information. Furthermore, Wi-Fi 6’s target wake time (TWT) feature allows for lower battery consumption. This means Wi-Fi sensors in traffic lights or buildings will only “wake up” when needed.
• Connected factories: Wi-Fi 6 technologies OFDMA and MU-MIMO will support “more IoT devices to operate unimpeded on the network, and thus means that millions of machine components can be connected and real-time data points operated at low-power consumption.”
• Connected homes: Wi-Fi 6 enables 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz to operate at the same time, delivering high bandwidth and low latency for high-definition video systems, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) devices, high-quality streaming platforms used for, conference video calls and gaming.

“Wi-Fi 6 will likely become the dominant access choice for indoor networks on account of improvements in speed, latency and higher density of connected devices,” states Pohlmann. “It is also the ideal system in spaces where access points will serve more users.”

However, he notes that Wi-Fi 6 must exist alongside 5G to support “use cases at home, while driving, at the office, outside or when working remotely.” While many argue that Wi-Fi 6 and 5G will be competitors, Pohlmann believes that they will work in tandem and complement each other in many applications. Furthermore, it is unlikely that a sole technology would support all connectivity.

Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6 Extended are still developing. However, the ability to overcome service issues in high-density environments will undoubtedly spur advancement. 

Improving Quality of Experience with IEEE Std 802.11ax™

The work on High Efficiency Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) in IEEE Std 802.11ax™ started in 2013 as a new amendment to the IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard. A goal of the new amendment is to address dense deployments characterized by a large number of access points and stations placed in close proximity in a limited geographical area. Such usage scenarios impact the quality of experience (QoE) for latency-sensitive applications such as voice-over-Wi-Fi™ and video conferencing.

Learn More About Wi-Fi 6

Enroll in our upcoming live two-course program, IEEE 802.11ax: An Overview of High Efficiency Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6), which will provide an overview of the features and optimizations introduced by IEEE 802.11ax to the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers, which lead to the improvements in Wi-Fi. Purchase this course program by 17 February for the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the instructors. Part One will take place on 21 Feb from 12-3pm ET, and Part Two will take place at the same time on the following day.

Plus, check out this on-demand virtual event from IEEE Educational Activities and IEEE Standards Association that describes new IEEE 802.11ax features such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access and Uplink multi-user transmissions together with Physical (PHY) and Medium Access Control (MAC) enhancements specific to IEEE 802.11ax to improve QoE.  Watch now!

Resources

Jackson, Jerry. (7 October 2021). What Is Wi-Fi 6E? PC Mag. 

Pohlmann, Tim. (2021). Who’s ahead in the WiFi 6 patent race. I am.