Pentagon taps Hughes to develop 5G O-RAN prototype at Fort Bliss
The Defense Department announced Monday that Hughes Network Systems has received a $6.5 million contract to develop an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) prototype at Fort Bliss, Texas, that will test and evaluate advanced 5G capabilities for military applications.
Under the contract, Hughes will install 5G O-RAN equipment at the base that will operate a temporary network for preliminary evaluation, according to a press release. The network will eventually transition to the company’s commercial network in order to support both Pentagon and commercial customers in and around the military installation.
The project will be a joint effort between the Army, the Pentagon’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the release noted.
“The Open RAN project at Fort Bliss is a valuable opportunity for the DoD to explore the enhanced command and control capabilities that near-real time control of the RAN offers DoD,” Anthony Smith, acting DOD CIO for command, control and communications, said in a statement. “The DoD CIO will continue to prioritize the deployment of Open RAN architectures and 5G across the Department, leveraging these information communications technologies for strategic warfighter advantage.”
