Man-made interference in below 3 GHz frequencies: How severe is the problem?

We present initial results from our ongoing on radio's spectrum measurement campaign on characterizing radio noise levels. The measurements are done at a number of diverse locations in order to study in detail the power and other characteristics of the man-made noise. We observe a significantly increased occurrence of noise compared to levels reported in the earlier literature. In some areas can even deteriorate the quality of service of deployed wireless networks. In this paper we present the measurement methodology, initial results, and show that the man-made noise is something that needs to be considered when planning future wireless systems.