Space News by Sandra Erwin — July 6, 2022
Hughes VP Rick Lober: DoD could take advantage of low Earth orbit satellites to deliver 5G for mobile usersWASHINGTON — A $600 million DoD initiative to demonstrate 5G wireless networks at military bases nationwide is primarily focused on terrestrial communications but is being closely watched by the satellite industry as non-terrestrial networks increasingly become part of the 5G ecosystem.
These DoD experiments with 5G also will serve as an indicator of how the military intends to employ commercial technologies for fixed and mobile communications, which could shape future demand for space-based services.
“The question is where do they go with it?” said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of the defense business division of Hughes Network Systems.
Satellite operators Hughes and Viasat are among several telecommunications technology firms that have won Pentagon contracts under the 5G pilot project.
“After this experimentation phase, we understand that in the 2024 budget cycle we may see it being programmed in for operational use,” Lober told SpaceNews.
The next step would be for DoD to take advantage of low Earth orbit satellites with lower latencies to deliver 5G for mobile users, Lober said.
More:
https://spacenews.com/satellite-companies-watching-where-dod-goes-with-5g/
