5G technology conquers new heights
The fifth generation of cellular network technology known as 5G provides broadband access and is designed to greatly increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. The faster transmission speeds and lower latency offered by 5G could enhance a variety of military applications, including autonomous vehicles, sensor networks, command and control, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. It can change the defense landscape by instantaneously transmitting and receiving large amounts of data. 5G jammer
The U.S. Department of Defense is putting together a list of bases for testing — and eventually deploying — 5G capabilities. Research and engineering groups at the Pentagon are building use cases for the technology and determining which bases are best suited to test and ultimately use the capabilities.
"One of the things we want to do is not just go there and experiment and pull it out, but actually leave a capability that the foundation can continue to use from a 5G perspective," Deasy said.
However, there are security concerns in the supply chain, especially when companies such as Huawei are involved and have ties to U.S. adversaries. While the U.S. is not necessarily at a disadvantage, Dish said, it needs to think about building more domestically.
"All forms of telecommunications will be part of the global market," Dish said, commenting that Huawei appears to be dominating the 5G market. "There are some international players and we're worried that I don't think it's the end of a game - I think we're here too late... we're going to keep jumping."
It remains to be seen how well the defense system coexists with the largest cellular wireless communications network ever built.
