About

Monisha Ghosh is a Research Professor at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, an associate member of the Computer Science Department, and an affiliate at Argonne National Laboratory. She joined the university in September 2015 and has a distinguished background in wireless communications and signal processing, with extensive experience in industrial research and development at Interdigital, Philips Research, and Bell Laboratories. Ghosh received her PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California in 1991 and her B.Tech in electronics and electrical communications engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in 1986. Her early work includes contributions to the development of the first digital broadcast HDTV system and the implementation of a blind decision feedback equalizer. She has also worked on OFDMA for cellular systems, a precursor to 4G LTE, and contributed to the first cognitive radio standard for TV White Spaces. Ghosh has over 50 scientific papers and 40 patents, and she is a Fellow of the IEEE. Her current research focuses on spectrum coexistence and millimeter-wave technologies for 5G, low power sensor networks for agriculture, and analytics for healthcare, including the use of statistical signal processing techniques in genomics.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Telecommunications
• Computer network
• Geography
• Computer Security
• Engineering
• Electronic engineering
• Real-time computing
• Optics
• Data science
• Physics
• Algorithm

Selected publications

• A Comprehensive Real-World Evaluation of 5G Improvements Over 4G in Low- and Mid-Bands

  IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking · 2025-04-04 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author

  With the proliferation of 5G and developments of 6G technologies already underway, understanding the realworld performance of various 5G enhancements such as higher modulation, beamforming, and MIMO of deployed 5G over 4G is vital. This work addresses this knowledge gap by conducting extensive 4G/5G measurements in low-(<1 GHz) and mid-bands (1 to 6 GHz) across Chicago and Minneapolis. As both 4G and 5G utilize low-and mid-band channels, we carefully analyze their performance and signal parameters to reveal several key observations: (i) 5G’s throughput improvement today is mainly driven by wider channel bandwidth in the mid-bands, from both single channels and channel aggregation, (ii) realizing further throughput gains necessitates better signal conditions achievable through denser deployment and/or beamforming, (iii) channel rank analysis shows real-world channel conditions rarely support the full 4x4 MIMO, (iv) advanced features like MU-MIMO and higher order modulation like 1024-QAM have yet to be widely deployed, and (v) aggregated throughput performance in LTE can be enhanced by incorporating shared and unlicensed bands, resulting in a performance similar to single-channel NR. These observations and conclusions suggest that the next generation of cellular systems should prioritize wider channels, possibly with enhanced channel aggregation, and a denser deployment architecture utilizing more beams. This would ensure consistently better signal strength across the coverage area with up to 4 MIMO layers per user.

  PublisherDOI

• Evaluation of Indoor/Outdoor Sharing in the Unlicensed 6 GHz Band

  2025-05-12

  articleSenior author

  Standard Power (SP) Wi-Fi 6E in the U.S. is just beginning to be deployed outdoors in the shared but unlicensed 6 GHz band under the control of an Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) system to protect incumbents, while low-power-indoor (LPI) usage has been steadily increasing over the past 2 years. In this paper, we present the first comprehensive measurements and analyses of a SP Wi-Fi 6E deployment at the University of Notre Dame’s football stadium, with 902 access points and a seating capacity of 80,000, coexisting with LPI deployments in adjacent buildings. Measurement campaigns were conducted during and after games, outdoors and indoors to fully characterize the performance of SP Wi-Fi 6E, interactions between SP and LPI and potential for interference to incumbents. Our main conclusions are: (i) in a very short time of about 2 months, the percentage of Wi-Fi 6E client connections is already 14% indicating rapid adoption, (ii) dense SP operation outdoors can negatively impact LPI deployments indoors, depending on building loss, indicating the need to carefully consider hybrid indoor-outdoor sharing deployments, and (iii) spectrum analyzer results indicate an aggregate signal level increase of approximately 10 dB in a Wi-Fi channel during peak usage which could potentially lead to interference since the AFC does not consider aggregate interference when allocating permitted power levels. These results from real-world deployments can inform spectrum policy in other bands where similar sharing mechanisms are being considered, such as 7.125 - 8.4 GHz.

  PublisherDOI

• Decoupling Traffic Management from Listen-Before-Talk in the Unlicensed Spectrum with 5G NR-U

  2025-01-10

  article

  5th Generation (5G) New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) enables Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to extend their network capacity by leveraging nearly 2 GHz of mid-band unlicensed spectrum. However, delivering delay-sensitive services over shared spectrum is challenging due to unpredictable contention delays and variable channel conditions. To address this, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) introduced Channel Access Priority Classes (CAPCs), which allow multiple concurrent Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) processes with varying access probabilities. This design aims to balance diverse Quality-of-Service (QoS) requirements alongside fair access in shared spectrum environments. Traffic classes are mapped to one of the four CAPCs, allowing probabilistic time-domain resource slicing. Mapping complex, multi-dimensional QoS requirements to CAPCs, however, remains a non-trivial task, as no single CAPC optimally supports a given traffic flow under varying channel conditions and QoS demands. In this paper, we propose a QoS-aware scheduler that decouples traffic flows from specific CAPC processes. This scheduler prioritizes flows for each Transmit-Time-Interval (TTI) within a valid Channel Occupancy Time (COT) regardless of which CAPC wins contention. Our experimental results demonstrate over a 50% reduction in average delay for high-priority traffic and more than a 43% delay reduction across all traffic classes using this decoupled scheduling mechanism, achieved without modifying contention parameters. By leveraging NR-U's synchronized slot structure and refined QoS controls inherited from licensed-access frameworks, this approach significantly improves COT utilization and the delivery of delay-critical services.

  PublisherDOI

• Next Steps for the 3 GHz Band

  IEEE Wireless Communications · 2025-05-27 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The 3 GHz band is one of the most desirable bands for wide-area 5G deployments due to the favorable propagation characteristics and availability of 100 MHz wide channels. Most countries have deployed 5G in various subsets of 3GPP defined bands n77 (3.3–4.2 GHz) and n78 (3.3–3.8 GHz), depending on local usage. For example, in the U.S. 3.45–3.55 GHz and 3.7–3.98 GHz have been allocated for high-power exclusive use, while 3.55–3.7 GHz, the CBRS band, has been allocated for shared access using low and medium power since the U.S. also deploys Navy radars in the band [1]. Many European countries have allocated parts of the 3.4–3.8 GHz band for exclusive, high-power use, while evaluating 3.8–4.2 GHz for local licensing [2]. Given the limited available bandwidth remaining in the 3 GHz band, there is increasing focus on methods to either share the band or reallocate to new services. In this column we will discuss a recent Notice of Inquiry (NOI) from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requesting comments specifically on the 3.98–4.2 GHz band [3].

  PublisherDOI

• The Future of Wireless Broadband in the Peak Smartphone Era: 6G, Wi-Fi 7, and Wi-Fi 8

  IEEE Wireless Communications · 2025-04-21 · 6 citations

  article

  The field of wireless communications has traditionally been defined by what seems like unending exponential traffic growth. History suggests this trend is unlikely to continue in perpetuity, at least with the current set of applications, with recent evidence pointing to moderating traffic growth. In this article, we evaluate the implications of the peak smartphone era for those designing wireless networks within the context of the next-generation of wireless broadband technologies. First, three potential future demand scenarios are identified, ranging from a return to exponential traffic growth (optimistic) to continued moderation in growth (realistic) and even a scenario of declining traffic (pessimistic). Second, we compare the emerging properties of the 6th generation of cellular technology ("6G") envisioned by IMT2030 and two new Wi-Fi standards, including IEEE 802.11be ("Wi-Fi 7") and IEEE 802.11bn ("Wi-Fi 8"). Finally, an alternative vision for the future of wireless broadband is proposed, focusing on enhanced coverage, reduced deployment costs, and improved energy efficiency. Four key recommendations include use of neutral hosts for superior indoor coverage, ensuring spectrum sharing and intelligent handover/roaming integration between cellular, Wi-Fi, and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), providing strong support for infrastructure sharing and national roaming in rural and remote areas, and efficient (re)organizing of existing spectrum allocations.

  PublisherDOI

• A Generalized Deep Learning Model for Signal Coverage Prediction in the CBRS Band

  2025-05-12 · 2 citations

  article

  In cellular networks, received signal strength (RSS) prediction plays an essential role in cellular network planning and deployment, as it aims to estimate the wireless signal quality that a base station (BS) can deliver to user equipment (UE) within an area of interest. While there have been extensive works on developing analytical and empirical channel models for signal coverage prediction, these models typically do not consider cell-specific environmental information such as building footprints and other types of clutters. As a result, their performance in RSS prediction can deviate from real-world deployments and measurements. In this paper, we bridge such a gap by implementing state-of-the-art RSS prediction methods based on deep learning (DL) and with evaluations using real-world RSS measurements collected from an LTE network operating in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band. We also present a comprehensive comparison of the RSS prediction performance compared to analytical and empirical channel models as well as ray tracing (RT) methods. Our evaluations reveal that the existing empirical/analytical channel models and RT methods exhibit unstable RSS prediction performance depending on the environments, with maximum root mean square error (RMSE) values ranging from 7.12–12.43dB and 6.61–18.96dB, respectively. In contrast, the DL method outperforms these baseline methods, achieving a more stable performance with RMSE values ranging between 5.71–12.18 dB across the 10 PCIs, therefore demonstrating its robustness and generalizability.

  PublisherDOI

• Indoor Sharing in the Mid-Band: A Performance Study of Neutral-Host, Cellular Macro, and Wi-Fi

  ArXiv.org · 2025-06-05

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Indoor environments present a significant challenge for wireless connectivity, as immense data demand strains traditional solutions. Public Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), utilizing outdoor macro base stations (BSs), suffer from poor signal penetration. Indoor Wi-Fi networks, on the other hand, may face reliability issues due to spectrum contention. Shared spectrum models, particularly the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) utilized by private 4G/5G networks, have emerged as a promising alternative to provide reliable indoor service. Moreover, these private networks are equipped with the neutral-host (NH) model, seamlessly offloading indoor MNOs' traffic to the private CBRS network. This paper presents a comprehensive, in-situ performance evaluation of three co-located technologies utilizing mid-bands spectrum (1-6 GHz)--a CBRS-based NH network, public MNO macro networks, and a Wi-Fi 6 network--within a large, big-box retail store characterized by significant building loss. Our analysis demonstrates: (i) the NH network provides superior indoor coverage compared to MNO macro, requiring only six CBRS devices (CBSDs)--versus 65 Access Points (APs) for enterprise Wi-Fi--to achieve full coverage, with a median building loss of 26.6 dB ensuring interference-free coexistence with outdoor federal incumbents; (ii) the NH network achieves substantial indoor throughput gains, with per-channel normalized throughput improvements of 1.44x and 1.62x in downlink (DL), and 4.33x and 13x in uplink (UL), compared to 4G and 5G macro deployments, respectively; (iii) the NH deployment achieves a median indoor aggregated physical (PHY)-layer DL throughput gain of 2.08x over 5G macro deployments indoors, despite utilizing only 40 MHz of aggregated bandwidth compared to 225 MHz for 5G macro; and (iv) the NH deployment also outperforms Wi-Fi in application-layer HTTP DL performance by 5.05x.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A New Paradigm: Mid-Band, Sharing-Native 6G

  2025-03-30

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The 6G juggernaut has started rolling, mostly propelled by standardization bodies and equipment manufacturers, even as significant concerns remain about the success of 5G, use cases that “need” 6G and, most importantly, spectrum availability for the continued expansion of wireless connectivity. Based on insights derived from extensive past research on measurements and analyses of real-world deployed 5G networks in licensed mid-band (2.5 - 3.98 GHz) and mmWave (> 24 GHz), 4G/5G in the shared Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band, as well as sharing studies between Wi-Fi and incumbent users in the unlicensed 6 GHz band, this paper offers an alternate vision for how next generation cellular networks need to change in order to address the actual needs of wireless connectivity today. Demands on throughput are increasing, but much of this emanates from indoor usage, while the cellular architecture of today does not differentiate between indoor and outdoor usage. Our conclusion is that 6G bandwidth needs in the mid-bands are better served by developing protocols that allow cellular networks to operate in shared spectrum as effectively as in exclusively licensed spectrum: this will improve indoor coverage since it may be easier to access additional spectrum on a low-power, shared basis rather than exclusive, high-power use.

  PublisherDOI

• Spectrum Sharing Characterization Using Smartphones: Exploring 6 GHz Sharing Through Large-Scale Wi-Fi 6E Measurements

  IEEE Communications Magazine · 2025-01-29 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author

  Spectrum is increasingly being shared between new entrants and incumbents, for example in the 3.55-3.7 GHz Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) and the 6 GHz unlicensed band (5.925-7.125 GHz). Sharing in these bands is between a commercial system, such as cellular or Wi-Fi and incumbent services like radars, fixed microwave links or satellite links. It is important to learn from these deployed systems through detailed measurements to evolve existing methodologies for new bands. However, there are no large-scale wireless community testbeds explicitly devoted to evaluating sharing in new bands such as 6 GHz, but commercial deployments are proliferating and can be leveraged for experimental studies using the right approach. Hence, in this article we describe tools and methodologies that can be used to quantify the performance of real-world spectrum sharing, using the 6 GHz band as an example. We present detailed analyses based on extensive measurements on dense deployments at the University of Michigan (UMich) and the University of Notre Dame (UND) that show that the proposed sharing mechanism is working well: measured signal strength outdoors from indoor deployments, ranging from −81 dBm to −89 dBm over 20 MHz, do not pose interference risk. Further, our methodology allows us to determine appropriate enabling signal levels for client-to-client (C2C) communications that protect incumbents. In addition to the tools and methodology developed, the dataset collected in this work will be publicly available for the community for further research in spectrum sharing.

  PublisherDOI

• Multimode Power Control Technique of Series Connected PV fed Multiport Converter for Standalone Solar PV Applications

  2025-07-09

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This work introduces an approach of dynamic power management system tailored for a solar assisted EV application, incorporating a single-stage single-inductor-based three-port DC–DC converter. The system employs a sophisticated time-sharing-based voltage-mode control scheme to facilitate power flow regulation among the PV array, the rechargeable battery, and the DC load. Notably, the control scheme ensures a consistent DC load voltage while concurrently executing optimal maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for the solar PV system even if any or both PV module is in partial shaded condition. Conventional maximum power tracking algorithm P&O and IC algorithm cannot efficiently work at partial shading condition due to many local maxima. That’s why the global maximum power point tracking (GMPPT) algorithm is used to track the global maxima. Mode changing operations from dual output mode (DOM) to dual input mode (DIM) are also shown by changing the solar irradiance and changing the load demand. Detailed transient operations and simulation results are shown in various operating conditions by step changing the input irradiance and the dc load. Control algorithm helps the battery not to get overcharged and maintained safe operations across the load and the battery.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: SWIFT: Coexistence and Interference Mitigation in the Mid-Band Spectrum: Analysis, Protocol Design, and Experimentation

  NSF · $375k · 2022–2026

Frequent coauthors

• Vanlin Sathya

  SRM Institute of Science and Technology

  48 shared

• Ahmed S. Ibrahim

  Florida International University

  41 shared

• Muhammad Iqbal Rochman

  University of Chicago

  38 shared

• Norlen Nunez

  Florida International University

  35 shared

• Damián J. Fernández

  Florida International University

  35 shared

• Scott Poretsky

  Federal Communications Commission

  25 shared

• Peter Thermos

  Federal Communications Commission

  25 shared

• Vijay K. Gurbani

  Illinois Institute of Technology

  25 shared

Awards & honors

• Distinguished Engineer Award in Philips (2008)
• Fellow of the IEEE