Bringing Private 5G to Life via the DOD’s 5G-To-Next G Initiative

As you saw in the news today, Federated Wireless and our partners AWS, Capstone, Cisco, JMA, Perspecta Labs and Vectrus have started to deploy a 5G private network for an extensive IoT automation program at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia. We were honored to be selected by the U.S. Department of Defense to lead this project as part of their 5G to Next G Initiative. This is truly a milestone deployment – the first time that CBRS and mmwave spectrum will be used to deploy a fully private 5G network. The deployment will become a reference design for smart warehouse automation across the armed services, applying the power of shared spectrum technology to securely improve communications and operational efficiency for the DoD – arguably the largest and most complex Enterprise there is.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps

The 5G Smart Warehouse Prototype is an end-to-end 5G platform and testbed environment based on technology, products and expertise from Federated Wireless and our partners who are all world-class communication and logistics solution providers. The deployment incorporates state-of-the-art products and applications using the latest open industry standards and architectures including Open RAN, virtualized Radio Access Network, virtualized 5G packet core and mobile edge compute.

This multi-year initiative will act as a proving ground for testing, refining and validating emerging 5G-enabled systems. The new private enterprise 5G network supports a broad set of smart warehouse use cases, including warehouse robotics, barcode scanning and holographic, augmented and virtual reality applications. The program is designed to increase the efficiency and dependability of Marine Corps Logistics Command warehouse operations, including improvements in receiving, storing, issuing and auditing material and supplies that directly support Marine Corps operations globally.

I want to thank our partners AWS, Capstone, Cisco, JMA, Perspecta Labs and Vectrus for working with us to create a reality-based vision for the future of private 5G wireless networks. We are proud to show what can be done when experts in their fields combine to apply the latest advancements in communication technology to deliver automation and efficiency for mission-critical logistics. This initiative will show how private 5G can meet connectivity and communications needs across a wide range of industries that depend on fast, secure and scalable wireless solutions, including energy, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing. I personally find it satisfying that the DoD had the vision to share their midband spectrum through the dynamic CBRS framework, and they are now able to take advantage of the resulting shared spectrum ecosystem for their own private use.

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