MWC Government and Defense Summit Focuses on Expanding 5G Tech to Transform Government
Mobile World Congress Government and Defense Summit takes strategic look at 5G and ways to transform government
In October, the Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas included a government, homeland security and defense summit to foster one-on-one engagement between the commercial mobile sector and Federal officials to better understand government user needs and the government’s vision for deploying advanced, high-bandwidth mobile communications. The summit sessions provided a strategic view of the U.S. Government’s leadership in 5G, 6G, open networks, and spectrum sharing. Specifically, the participants and speakers discussed 5G, Edge, Open RAN and AI innovations and the transformation they can bring to every level of government.
The U.S. Government has been very focused on the critical role of 5G and FutureG in the DoD’s communications architecture. Dr. Tom Rondeau, principal director of the DoD’s FutureG Office, has made several statements about 5G networks since the beginning of this year. He stressed that 5G technology is poised to play a pivotal role in DoD base modernization efforts over the next few years. During the MWC Summit, he also discussed the DoD’s commitment to open systems for 5G. “We have a perspective of how Open RAN is the basis for taking advantage of these technologies and pushing us into the 6G era.”
5G and FutureG deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity capabilities that can enable various innovative applications, including enhanced situational awareness, autonomous systems, and augmented reality for training and operations. Additionally, 5G networks can support a multitude of IoT devices and sensors, facilitating smarter and more efficient base operations and logistics.
5G, ORAN and RAN sharing support secure connectivity on and off base for the U.S. Navy in OCONUS operations
During the MWC Summit, Dr. Rajeev Gopal, vice president for Hughes Defense, participated in a discussion explaining the Lessons Learned by some of the DoD 5G experimentation projects. Dr. Gopal explained that Hughes has been leading a US Navy 5G contract using 5G infrastructure from Hughes. The technology includes a packet processing core, radio access network, edge cloud, security and network management, all helping to power the modern networking necessary to transform base operations. The standalone, standards-based 5G network configuration – including O-RAN standards for flexibility – can also connect seamlessly anywhere on the planet using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite connectivity.
Dr. Gopal described how Hughes also validated RAN sharing so Navy personnel can stay securely connected while on and off base. The private 5G network maintained secure connectivity to applications for users when they moved off the Naval base. By coordinating with another Hughes-designed, private 5G network located at Hawaii, the RAN of the Hawaii private network was shared with the Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island 5G network Core. This capability supported a concept of operations where a user device running on the Whidbey Island NAS 5G network can travel to another location, share local RAN and spectrum, and securely authenticate with the trusted 5G Core at Whidbey Island.
Applying this RAN sharing capability, the DoD can expand use of trusted devices with secure access while leveraging local 5G RAN and spectrum around the world. This can quickly expand DoD’s 5G coverage to support a variety of missions without requiring the DoD to build RANs worldwide when users relocate from one base to another location.
With industry and DoD 5G teams continuing to collaborate, the DoD can maintain technology leadership by leveraging the speed and innovation created by commercial providers. DoD will gain secure, high-speed 5G networks that support centrally located bases as well as expeditionary missions. ORAN interoperability and RAN sharing will enhance these networks so users can pursue their missions and use applications across the globe, including remote areas in Europe and the IndoPacific region.