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Spectrum monitoring and interferenceSpectrum, watched for what should not be there.
Every radio service depends on clean spectrum. Monitoring receivers with GNSS timing measure occupancy, detect interference and locate its source, reporting to one record that regulators and operators use to plan bands, resolve complaints and protect safety services.
Plan a deploymentHow it worksStation Builder- Industry
- Telecom
- Measurements
- 5
- Sources cited
- 3
Telecom · Spectrum monitoring and interference
Clean spectrum is invisible until it is not
Mobile networks, aviation radios and satellite links all assume clean spectrum. A faulty transmitter or an illegal jammer can degrade a band across a city or a region. Finding the source quickly, and knowing how bands are really used, depends on a network that listens continuously and shares precise time.
What is measured
Occupancy, parameters, direction and time
Fixed monitoring receivers scan bands for occupancy and detect signals that should not be there. They measure each signal’s parameters, direction-finding antennas give its bearing, and GNSS-disciplined time lets several stations compare arrival times. Mobile units close in for the final search.
- Instruments
- Monitoring receivers · Direction-finding antennas · GNSS time references · Mobile units
The base node
Every detection on the same clock
Each station’s node scans its bands, matches detections against the licence database, measures parameters and bearing, and time-stamps every detection against GNSS, so stations can locate a source together. Every measurement is signed for the case record. Timing faults are flagged at once.
Radio and links
Fibre, cellular and the field
Fixed stations on buildings with fibre send scans and detections home with low delay. Stations without fibre, and mobile units in the search, report over cellular, and remote stations protecting aviation or satellite bands report by satellite. Each path is supervised.
- Links
- Fibre · Public cellular · Satellite
How it works
From a complaint to a switched-off jammer
An operator reports interference in its band. Three stations detect the signal, measure bearings and time differences, and the network locates it to a few streets. A mobile unit finds a faulty device, the owner switches it off, and the case closes with the measurements.
From order to operation · Order
Scope the bands and the area
The scope reads the bands to protect, the interference history, the existing monitoring network and the licence database. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the station plan for coverage and location geometry, the timing design, the integration with case management and a price per station and per year.
Plan a deploymentFrom order to operation · Survey
Measure the noise floor first
Crews survey candidate sites with a portable receiver to measure the local noise floor and nearby strong transmitters, check views across the area, GNSS sky view, power and fibre or cellular. Sites are chosen so that several stations see every point for location.
From order to operation · Permits
Sites and the regulator
Hosts agree to antennas on their buildings or masts, and masts follow planning rules. Monitoring is operated under the regulator’s authority or the operator’s licence, and the handling of measured signals follows the rules on privacy of communications. Every agreement is kept.
From order to operation · Build
Build and synchronise
Receivers, antennas, GNSS references and nodes are built, calibrated and enrolled with their identities. Each station is configured with its bands and the licence database, and timing is checked against a common reference before shipping. Configurations are tested together on the bench before stations ship.
Open the Station BuilderFrom order to operation · Install
Install for geometry
Crews mount antennas with clear views, GNSS antennas with open sky, and receivers and nodes indoors with fibre or cellular. Each station’s position and antenna orientation is surveyed, because location accuracy depends on them. Lightning protection is fitted at every mast, and cables are protected.
From order to operation · Commission
Locate a known transmitter
Each node proves its identity. Receivers are checked with a reference signal, timing compared across stations, and a known test transmitter is located by direction finding and time difference. The network joins the regulator’s case system when the location is right.
From order to operation · Operate
Find it, then fix it
Engineers see occupancy across bands for planning, and when an interference complaint arrives, the network detects the signal, locates it to an area and sends a mobile unit for the final search. Every case is kept with its measurements until it is closed.
From order to operation · Maintain
Keep the timing and the database true
Stations are checked on schedule against reference signals, timing verified against GNSS, antennas inspected after storms, and the licence database kept current. Every change is recorded, so measurements stay comparable for planning and cases. Spares are kept ready, so a failed station is restored quickly.
Book field servicesData products
For planners, regulators and operators
Spectrum planners receive occupancy reports; regulators and network operators receive interference detections with location; licensing teams receive compliance measurements; enforcement teams receive case records. Each product carries its station, calibration and time. Reports are dated and versioned, and each case keeps its measurements until it closes.
See the data productsEvidence
Cases that close on evidence
Every scan, detection, location and case step is signed and kept. Monitoring follows the ITU handbook, operation follows the radio regulations and the European electronic communications rules, and timing is traceable to GNSS, so cases close on evidence that stands up.
- Drawn against
- ITU Handbook on Spectrum Monitoring · ITU Radio Regulations · Directive (EU) 2018/1972
What you get
Spectrum and RF monitoring
RF sensing in the band for interference, coexistence and spectrum planning. Delivered as managed service and data licence, for carriers, regulators, airports, venues. Scale: Regional. Service levels are written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard. The same design repeats from the first site to the last.
Talk to salesNext step
Plan spectrum monitoring and interference with us
Tell us the site, the measurements and the rules it answers to. We reply with a survey proposal, a design and a scope for spectrum monitoring and interference. An engineer replies with a survey proposal and a scope, and the plan grows from one site to the network you need, at your pace.
Plan a deploymentOpen the Station BuilderOpen the Studio
01The place and its hazards
Where it runs, and what can go wrong.
Operating contextSpectrum regulators monitor the radio spectrum to check compliance, measure occupancy for planning and resolve interference to licensed services, following international guidance. Operators of mobile, satellite and safety networks need interference found quickly. Locating a source uses direction finding or time difference of arrival, which needs precise, shared time.
Hazards
- Interference to safety and aviation services
- Interference degrading mobile networks
- Unlicensed and faulty transmitters
- Planning decisions without occupancy data
- Sources that move or transmit briefly
02What must be measured
What, where, how often, and under which rules.
Each measurement names where it is taken, how often, and the public standard or regulation behind it. Numbers in the sources column open the cited source below.
| Measurement | Where | Cadence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum occupancy | Fixed monitoring stations across the area | Continuous scans across bands | 1 |
| Signal parameters | Fixed and mobile receivers | On detection | 1 |
| Direction of arrival | Direction-finding stations | On detection | 1 |
| Time difference of arrival | Time-synchronised receivers | On detection | 1 |
| Compliance with licence conditions | Licensed transmitters | On schedule and on complaint | 23 |
03The observation stack
From one base unit to a network.
The same blocks at every scale: instruments and a base node, a site with its radio, a fleet run as one, and a network federated on the open protocol.
- 01
Base unit
A monitoring station: a receiver and antennas with a GNSS time reference, read by an edge node that processes and signs every measurement.
Build a station → - 02
Site
An area: fixed stations placed for coverage and geometry, with mobile units for the final search.
Plan a site → - 03
Fleet
Every station of a regulator or operator run as one fleet, with one record.
Managed offers → - 04
Network
Regulators and operators exchange measurements and interference cases through open standards.
The open protocol →
- 01GNSS reference station (RTK)
- 02Edge node (Wedge)
- 03Fibre terminal
- 04Cellular modem/router
- 05Telescopic mast
Radio and links
Fibre
Fixed stations on buildings with fibre send scans and detections home with low delay.
Radio and links
Public cellular
Stations without fibre, and mobile units in the search, report over cellular.
Radio and links
Satellite
Remote stations protecting aviation or satellite bands report by satellite.
Edge computeEach station’s node scans bands, detects signals that do not match the licence database, measures their parameters and direction, and time-stamps every detection against GNSS so stations can locate a source together.
PowerStations run on building power with batteries; remote stations on solar.
04How it works
From the instrument to the product.
One observation’s path, tier by tier, with the interface on every link and a bill of materials below; then how the one node grows to a site, a fleet and federated networks.
Spectrum monitoring and interference: data path
– of 06
01 Instruments Measurement with sensor identity andcalibration 02 Node – Wrap in an observation envelope with timequality– Measure quality and uncertainty, attachquality flags– Buffer locally (store-and-forward when thelink drops) 03 Backhaul Commit with transactional outbox andpublish, delivered at least once 04 Site Consumer inbox deduplicates and applieseach record once into governed data 05 Data store Governed product through API, map orexport, correction-aware 06 Products ITU Handbook on Spectrum MonitoringOGC SensorThings APINTP and PTP 07 Power and structure Monitoring receivers anddirection-finding antennas Not in the reference kit 01 GNSS reference station (RTK) Ethernet · GNSS antenna · RS-232 ·1PPS/10 MHz 02 Edge node (Wedge) Ethernet · Fibre · USB · RS-485 ·BMC 03 Fibre terminal Fibre · Ethernet 04 Cellular modem/router Ethernet · USB · RS-232 Site MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B Governed data store Versioned, correction-aware Spectrum occupancy reports Interference detections with location Compliance measurements Case records 05 Telescopic mast Ethernet Ethernet Fibre Ethernet Fibre LTE/NR| Item | Equipment | Data ports | Protocols | Power in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | GNSS reference station (RTK)Multi-constellation GNSS base station that streams corrections for real-time kinematic positioning. | EthernetGNSS antennaRS-2321PPS/10 MHz | NMEA 0183, NTP with NTS | 12 V DC |
| 02 | Edge node (Wedge)Rugged edge node that boots from signed media, attests itself and establishes a site cell from little or no infrastructure. | EthernetFibreUSBRS-485BMC | MQTT 5, DMTF Redfish, IEEE 1588 PTP, NTP with NTS, OPC UA | 12 V DC, 24 V DC, 48 V DC, AC mains |
| 03 | Fibre terminalOptical network terminal or media converter that lands fibre backhaul at a site. | FibreEthernet | IEEE 1588 PTP | 12 V DC, 48 V DC, AC mains |
| 04 | Cellular modem/routerLTE or NR modem or router that uses a public carrier or private network as backhaul. | EthernetUSBRS-232 | 3GPP E-UTRA air interface, 3GPP NR air interface, OMA LwM2M | 12 V DC, PoE |
| 05 | Telescopic mastPneumatic or winch telescopic mast on a trailer, vehicle or base. | — | — | — |
How it scales
01 Instruments Arbitrary qualified sensors and instruments whosemeasurements are ingested with calibration, units,geometry, time, custody and uncertainty. ×n 02 Node The minimum useful deployable unit: server, ruggedappliance, radio node, sensor gateway, satelliteterminal, AI, scientific, vehicle or virtual node. Node Node agent 03 Site The minimum independently operable localgovernance and failure domain: one or more nodesplus local network, identity, policy, evidence,storage, products and operator surfaces.SITE
Node Node Node ×n 04 Cluster An optional scale or specialisation domain forscheduling, shared storage, accelerators or datalocality.CLUSTER
×n 05 Fleet Coordinates plans, acknowledgements,convergence evidence, update campaigns andcorrection propagation across nodes and sites.FLEET
Fleet controller ×n 06 Federation An exchange of products, capabilities, events orwork across approved, independently administeredtrust domains, using explicit trust, policy,data-locality, version and correction contracts.TRUST DOMAIN
TRUST DOMAIN
TRUST DOMAIN
×n Verifier Applications Data in the field Telemetry Control Data upstream Control Data upstream Control Exchange Evidence Events Exchange- Data in the field
- MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B; connectors for LoRaWAN, OPC UA and instrument buses.
- Telemetry
- OpenTelemetry OTLP.
- Control
- TLS 1.3 with mutual authentication; protobuf messages over gRPC or HTTP/2.
- Data upstream
- At-least-once publication with repeat-safe keys over the control channel or NATS JetStream; QUIC MAY be used on lossy links.
- Evidence
- DSSE-signed in-toto statements; SLSA provenance; SCITT transparency receipts.
- Events
- Event envelopes mapped to CloudEvents 1.0; channels described in AsyncAPI 3.
- Exchange
- OpenAPI 3.1; the OGC API family; SensorThings; STAC; WIS 2.0.
05From order to operation
Every step, from the first call to a running site.
The same crew and the same record carry the work from scope to maintenance.
- 01 Order
Scope the bands and the area
The scope reads the bands to protect, the interference history, the existing monitoring network and the licence database. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the station plan for coverage and location geometry, the timing design, the integration with case management and a price per station and per year. 1
- 02 Survey
Measure the noise floor first
Crews survey candidate sites with a portable receiver to measure the local noise floor and nearby strong transmitters, check views across the area, GNSS sky view, power and fibre or cellular. Sites are chosen so that several stations see every point for location.
- 03 Permits
Sites and the regulator
Hosts agree to antennas on their buildings or masts, and masts follow planning rules. Monitoring is operated under the regulator’s authority or the operator’s licence, and the handling of measured signals follows the rules on privacy of communications. Every agreement is kept.
- 04 Build
Build and synchronise
Receivers, antennas, GNSS references and nodes are built, calibrated and enrolled with their identities. Each station is configured with its bands and the licence database, and timing is checked against a common reference before shipping. Configurations are tested together on the bench before stations ship.
- 05 Install
Install for geometry
Crews mount antennas with clear views, GNSS antennas with open sky, and receivers and nodes indoors with fibre or cellular. Each station’s position and antenna orientation is surveyed, because location accuracy depends on them. Lightning protection is fitted at every mast, and cables are protected.
- 06 Commission
Locate a known transmitter
Each node proves its identity. Receivers are checked with a reference signal, timing compared across stations, and a known test transmitter is located by direction finding and time difference. The network joins the regulator’s case system when the location is right.
- 07 Operate
Find it, then fix it
Engineers see occupancy across bands for planning, and when an interference complaint arrives, the network detects the signal, locates it to an area and sends a mobile unit for the final search. Every case is kept with its measurements until it is closed. 13
- 08 Maintain
Keep the timing and the database true
Stations are checked on schedule against reference signals, timing verified against GNSS, antennas inspected after storms, and the licence database kept current. Every change is recorded, so measurements stay comparable for planning and cases. Spares are kept ready, so a failed station is restored quickly.
06Data products and integration
What it delivers, to whom, and into which systems.
Data products
- Spectrum occupancy reportsSpectrum planners
- Interference detections with locationRegulators and network operators
- Compliance measurementsLicensing teams
- Case recordsEnforcement teams
Integration
- Licence databaseDetections are matched to licensed transmitters automatically.
- Interference case managementDetections and locations open and update cases.
- Operators’ network managementOperators receive interference events affecting their bands where agreed.
Exchanged through ITU Handbook on Spectrum Monitoring, OGC SensorThings API, NTP and PTP.
07Questions buyers ask
Before you scope it.
Does monitoring record communications?
It measures signals and their parameters; handling follows the rules on privacy of communications.
How precise is location?
It depends on station geometry and timing; the final search uses mobile units.
Can operators use it?
Yes, for their own bands, with the regulator where it leads.
Why GNSS timing?
Locating by time difference needs every station on the same precise time.
08Resources
The sources behind this page.
Public standards, regulations and guidance, cited where they apply. Each applies only where its jurisdiction or scope does.
- 1Handbook on Spectrum MonitoringInternational Telecommunication Union · 2011
- 2ITU Radio RegulationsInternational Telecommunication Union
- 3Directive (EU) 2018/1972 establishing the European Electronic Communications CodeEuropean Union · 2018
09Related
Use cases and solutions.
SolutionSpectrum and RF monitoring
RF sensing in the band for interference, coexistence and spectrum planning.Solutions for telecom →SolutionTiming and positioning integrity
PTP grandmasters with GNSS holdover, interference detection and timing monitoring for networks and instruments.Solutions for telecom →10Telecom: specialized fields
Other fields of this industry.
Specialized fieldMobile network sites
Power and batteries, shelter climate, tower movement, intrusion and site weather at every mobile site, with an out-of-band path that reports when the site itself is down.The full field →Specialized fieldFibre networks and outside plant
Distributed fibre sensing along routes, flooding and gas in chambers, and cabinet access and climate, on LoRaWAN and the fibre itself, so dig-ins and faults are found before the cable is cut.The full field →Specialized fieldEdge data centres
Power and energy, cooling and air, leaks and vibration in edge and regional data centres, on an industrial network behind a security gateway, with efficiency indicators to the standard.The full field →Specialized fieldSatellite ground stations
Rain, wind and lightning at the antennas, antenna drive condition, timing and site security at satellite ground stations, on the site’s fibre, so passes are planned around the weather and faults are caught between passes.The full field →Bring us the site.
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