DoD starts 5G dynamic spectrum sharing experiments

A ceremony, on 2 December marked the successful deployment of a private 5G cellular network at Hill Air Force Base and started the DoD’s 5G Dynamic Spectrum Sharing Experimentation initiative.

Awards for this effort totalled $173 million, aiming at evaluating the technical feasibility of spectrum sharing and coexistence with diverse 5G networks in a band of vital importance to commercial industry.

The initiative involves 12 suppliers working in three lines: 5G Testbed, 5G Applications and 5G Network Enhancements.

For 39 months, they will develop spectrum co-existence system solutions between Hill Air Force Base’s private 5G network, airborne radars and other DoD spectrum-dependent systems.

The project is led by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD-R&E) and managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

According to a DoD press release, the private 5G cellular network at Hill Air Force Base is aimed at demonstrating the potential for dynamic spectrum sharing in the 3.3-3.45 GHz band initially, with an upgrade to 3.1-3.45 GHz scheduled for May 2022.

Deb Stanislawski, Director of OUSD (R&E) 5G Tranche Prototyping and Experimentation, claimed that 3-4 GHz is a highly desired mid-band which US commercial operators lag in access.

‘These experiments are designed to rally both the Department and our industrial base to win at 5G and beyond,’ he pointed out.