Posts Tagged ‘Satellite Communications’
Test Plans, Results, and Lessons Learned About Open RAN Integration
Abstract: The vision of the 5G Challenge competitions was to accelerate adoption of 5G open interfaces, interoperable subsystems, and multi-vendor solutions by fostering a large, vibrant, and growing vendor community dedicated to advancing 5G interoperability towards true plug-and-play operation. This report provides test plans, results, and lessons learned about 5G Open RAN multi-vendor interoperability and compliance during the 2022 and 2023 5G Challenges. Multiple vendors demonstrated O-RAN ALLIANCE subsystem interoperability and performance on a limited timeline with no prior integration or planning. Contestants made significantly faster integration progress when they were open to sharing and working together. Significant integration time was devoted to resolving configuration parameters and compliance mismatches (e.g., which options were selected). Stringently following software development best practices improves the speed and success of multi-vendor interoperability.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (NTIA/ITS) and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) partnered to execute prize-based 5G Challenge competitions to foster, accelerate, and expand Open RAN development and adoption. This included a key partnership with CableLabs as the host lab and system integrator to develop and execute the test strategy and activities. This report presents the methodology and results from this research to expand and improve Open RAN interoperability testing and thereby accelerate the adoption and development of Open RAN services. The 5G Challenges implemented an innovative multi-vendor interoperability testing paradigm for fifth generation (5G) cellular open radio access network (Open RAN) standards- based systems. This novel testing approach allowed true ad hoc multi-vendor interoperability testing to encourage new development and entrants into the 5G Open RAN marketplace. The research provides insights and recommendations for future activities that replicate and build on the 5G Challenge’s testing framework to further support multi-vendor deployments of O RAN ALLIANCE open central units (O-CU), open distributed units (O-DU) and open radio units (O-RU). The O-CU hosts the control plane and user plane functions and protocols that control radio resources, packet data convergence, and transport layer processing. The O-DU hosts various protocol layers for base band processing and data transmission. The O- RU converts the radio signals from the antenna to digital signals sent to the O-DU and vice versa.
DoD Preparing Spectrum-Sharing Demo
The Pentagon is preparing a large-scale demonstration of dynamic spectrum-sharing technology this November, to explore how the military and commercial sectors can jointly use the lower 3 GHz band without compromising national security. This effort, led by the Department of Defense’s (DoD) FutureG office and the Office of the Chief Information Officer, follows a December 2024 solicitation seeking industry proposals, notes DefenseScoop.
The lower 3 GHz band is critical for both defense systems and commercial 5G, making spectrum sharing a contentious issue. The demonstration comes following years of back and forth between the Defense Department and the telecommunications industry over access to the 3.1-3.45 GHz S-band used by the Pentagon to operate different radars, weapons and other electronic systems. The telecom industry wants part of that spectrum to meet rising demand for commercial and civil 5G wireless technology, Inside Towers reported.
Pentagon seeks open-source software for 5G, 6G networks
WASHINGTON — As the US military makes big bets on 5G and future 6G networks for everything from streamlining supply lines to controlling combat robots, it doesn’t want to be beholden to the handful of huge tech firms that dominate the market today. So the Pentagon will soon seek bids to develop prototype “open” software — code that any company can freely access and deploy on its devices — in hopes of breaking down barriers to innovation.
Pentagon sets November timeline for largest-ever spectrum sharing demo
WASHINGTON — The Defense Department is planning to host the largest-ever spectrum sharing demonstration with industry in November, an official from the Pentagon’s FutureG office revealed Wednesday, in hopes of answering key questions amid a contentious debate.
“The real gap that we’ve had in these past spectrum sharing projects has been scale. They’ve been frankly under-resourced concepts on a table, maybe in a lab, maybe one or two outdoor experiments here and there. But nothing at this scale, which is a large-scale, multi-domain spectrum-sharing demonstration,” Tom Rondeau said during a panel at the Apex Defense Conference. “So that’s the really exciting part.”
Pentagon’s FutureG Office gearing up for new prototyping effort
The National Defense Education Program (NDEP) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is now on Grants.gov, announcement HQ0034-20-S-FO01. The Department of Defense (DoD) seeks innovative applications on mechanisms to implement Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, outreach, and/or workforce initiative programs. The Department intends to award multiple grants, subject to the availability of funds. Activities will support the DoD STEM strategic plan and align to the 2018 Federal STEM strategic plan. Suspense for applications is 24 FEB 2020.
DOD preparing for first large-scale demonstration of spectrum-sharing tech in 2025
As Pentagon officials continue advocacy to prevent the military’s share of the electromagnetic spectrum from being sold to commercial industry, the Defense Department is looking to demonstrate emerging dynamic spectrum-sharing capabilities before the end of the year.
In December 2024, the DOD’s Office of the Chief Information Officer published a solicitation for the Advanced Dynamic Spectrum Sharing Demonstration, which called for industry technology that could allow the Pentagon and private sector to simultaneously use the same spectrum band. The department is currently evaluating proposals for source selection and intends to conduct the demonstration in November 2025, Tom Rondeau, principal director for the FutureG office, said Wednesday.
DoD’s FutureG Office Exploring Drone Detection Capabilities
The Department of Defense’s (DoD) FutureG Office is exploring how new features of 6G wireless technologies can help to sense drones in a network’s environment, according to Deputy Principal Director Marlan Macklin.
At the Elastic Public Sector Summit in Washington, D.C., on March 19, Macklin shared that his unofficial title is “FutureG’s hype man.” His office – which sits within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering – is responsible for the strategic assessment and research and development of FutureG technologies.
Unpacking the Fight for the Spectrum Band & Its Link to 5G, FutureG
The battle over electromagnetic spectrum allocation has long been a contentious issue between the Department of Defense and commercial industry. This “spectrum war” has only intensified as advancements like 5G and the prospects of futureG technologies hinge on access to mid-band spectrum, a finite and highly desirable resource. For government contractors, understanding this fight is crucial, as it directly impacts projects related to national security, telecommunications and technological innovation.
Pentagon’s Dr. Tom Rondeau on 2 Recent, Modern 5G Moves at DOD
5G networks provide a potentially more covert foundation for military communications because they use a greater range of the electromagnetic spectrum than other comms systems. With 5G, users tap into the millimeter wave in the tens of gigahertz, the Department of Defense’s Dr. Thomas Rondeau told Federal News Network, while futureG (the forthcoming, as-yet-unrealized successor to 5G) is targeting frequencies in the 7GHz to 24GHz range.
Federal Executive Forum 5G Strategies in Government Progress and Best Practices 2024
5G continues to provide benefits and introduce new opportunities for achieving agency missions. How are agencies profiling a successful 5G strategy and what is the vision for the future?
During this webinar, you will gain the unique perspective of top government technology experts:
- Dr. Tom Rondeau, Principal Director for FutureG, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Department of Defense
- Juan Ramirez, Director, 5G Cross Functional Team, Office of the CIO, Department of Defense
- Retired Capt. Bryan Lopez, Director of Emerging Technologies, Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer
- Bryan Schromsky, Associate Director, 5G Public Sector Architect Team, Verizon Business Group
- Steve Vogelsang, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia Federal Solutions
- Chris Christou, Senior Vice President, Brightlabs, Chief Technology Office, Booz Allen Hamilton
- Moderator: Luke McCormack, Host of the Federal Executive Forum
Panelists also will share lessons learned, challenges and solutions, and a vision for the future.