U.S. Department of Defense Successfully Demonstrates a 5G Network for Smart Warehouses

The U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) 5G-to-Next G Initiative (5GI), overseen by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, successfully demonstrated an advanced 5G network for logistics modernization exclusively designed and built in the United States. The $90 million prototype, Smart Warehouse Technology Early Capabilities Demonstration, delivered high-speed downloads of 1.5 Gbps and sub 15 msec latency using 380 MHz of spectrum in the mid-band and mmWave.

Once completed, the prototype will deploy in Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia as a private 5G network and use up to 750 MHz of available bandwidth for higher performance.

The very high speed and ultra-low latency capabilities realized by 5G, and the specialized equipment built to handle them, will deliver significant enhancements in the operation of autonomous vehicles for inventory management, machine learning for inventory tracking, and augmented/virtual reality applications for improved workforce efficiency in warehouse operations in support of the DOD.

The prototype 5G network is built on the next generation of Open Radio Network standards and designed to comply with DOD specifications for zero-trust architecture for native security and secure connectivity with other networks. These standards and the approach to network design recognize the increasingly ubiquitous presence of connected devices in the Internet of Things era and their growing risks to the security of systems and networks.

This prototype is the first progress demonstration in the first round (or “Tranche 1”) of 5G projects, a more than $500 million DOD investment in advanced 5G technology that also includes: a second smart warehouse project at Naval Base Coronado in California; a dynamic spectrum-sharing project at Hill Air Force Base in Utah; and an augmented reality / virtual reality training project at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.

The 5G Initiative consists of three “thrusts”:

1. Accelerate – to stimulate the use of 5G technology through experimentation and advanced prototyping of dual-use applications
2. Operate Through – to develop technology to secure 5G and enable the secure use of non-secure networks
3. Innovate – to perform the research and development necessary to win at 6G and beyond.