The private 5G Standalone network will utilize spectrum from DISH Wireless
Hughes Network Systems announced the award of an $18 million contract from the Department of Defense (DoD) to deploy a Standalone 5G network at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state.
The deal was issued through the Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP) consortium, a collaboration to engage industry and academia to develop and mature technologies in the field of information warfare that enhance Navy and Marine Corps mission effectiveness.
Under the terms of the contract, Hughes will serve as the prime contractor connecting the base with a secure 5G network to support operations, maintenance and flight traffic management. The 5G SA network will utilize spectrum from DISH Wireless.
“Over the course of this three-year project, we will demonstrate for the U.S. Department of Defense how 5G infrastructure from Hughes – including a packet processing core, radio access, edge cloud, security and network management – can power the resilient networking necessary to transform base operations,” said Rajeev Gopal, vice president of advanced programs at Hughes. “Today’s walkie-talkies, paper-trails and telephone conversations will be replaced with a private, secure 5G network over which air station processes and systems will be automated and continuously optimized. What’s more, the standalone, standards-based configuration – including O-RAN standards for flexibility – will connect seamlessly anywhere on the planet using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite connectivity.”
“DISH is delivering the connectivity for this private 5G network, providing engineering services, support and access to our spectrum portfolio,” said Stephen Bye, chief commercial officer at DISH. “As we build our own network, we’re proud to team with Hughes in this important project to deliver a fast, secure, reliable network to serve the U.S. Department of Defense and support mission-critical functions.”
Meanwhile, Rick Lober, vice president and general manager at Hughes Defense, said that the company aims to showcase its capabilities in secure management of a 5G standalone deployment with advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning for ongoing enhancement and increasing efficiencies.
The deployment, which began in September 2021, leverages Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) and meets National Security Administration (NSA) Commercial Solution for Classified (CSFC) requirements.
Hughes said that other firms working on this project include Boingo Wireless, Cisco, Dell, DISH, JMA Wireless and Intel.
Hughes Network Systems is a specialist in satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks. The Hughes flagship Internet service, HughesNet, connects more than 1.5 million subscribers across the Americas, and the Hughes JUPITER System powers Internet access for tens of millions more worldwide. The company said it supports nearly 500,000 enterprise sites with its HughesON portfolio of wired and wireless solutions.
