AMBIT Deal Boosts U.S. 5G Development
At the onset of 2020, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the White House established America's Mid-Band Initiative Team (AMBIT). The goal was to make available a contiguous, 100 MHz segment of mid-band spectrum for fifth-generation (5G) development. That timeline was met this month, allowing the private sector to share spectrum ranging from 3450 to 3550 MHz. The private sector already had access to the 2550 to 3980 MHz spectrum, so the AMBIT deal makes available a contiguous 530 MHz band.
According to the US DoD, the Defense Department utilizes spectrum from 3450 to 3550 MHz for various applications like missile defense, counter mortar capabilities, weapons control, air defense, and air traffic control. The spectrum-sharing solution proposed by AMBIT will ensure that the spectrum band continues to be available to the Defense Department. Yet it also is available for the private sector in the lower 48 states.
Many commercial advances – including wireless communications – originally resulted from military research and development. In some areas, the pace of commercial development has outpaced military R&D. As a result, military forces increasingly leverage commercial capabilities. These technology assets may provide advantages in electromagnetic (EM) spectrum operations, where technology access and availability have greatly leveled the playing field.
According to the 2018 Summary of the National Defense Strategy, “New commercial technology will change society and, ultimately, the character of war. The fact that many technological developments will come from the commercial sector means that state competitors and non-state actors will also have access to them, a fact that risks eroding the conventional overmatch to which our Nation has grown accustomed. Maintaining the Department’s technological advantage will require changes to industry culture, investment sources, and protection across the National Security Innovation Base.”
One of those changes seems to be increasing the investment and speed of using new commercial technologies. Earlier this summer, the DoD announced that it is researching ways that 5G technology can benefit warfighters. Five test installations currently exist in the U.S. with seven more planned. They are evaluating the use of 5G technology for applications ranging from vehicle warehousing to augmented and virtual reality training. One of the RFPs for the new 5G testbeds focuses on disaggregating command and control capabilities to give command centers more flexibility and mobility.
Although these 5G projects may cover low to high bands, the AMBIT deal focuses specifically on making mid-band spectrum available. That band can reportedly deliver high capacity and reliability over large areas. For this project, the U.S. DoD established a Mid-Band Spectrum Working Group comprising experts in areas like ship, ground, electronic warfare, and test and training capabilities. All four services were represented in this project, as well as representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The AMBIT also used work performed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to create a spectrum-sharing solution. The goal is for 5G development to progress in the private sector as the U.S. military continues using the spectrum to satisfy security requirements.
Keysight offers spectrum monitoring and signal analysis solutions to aid successful spectrum sharing. We also help customers from design through deployment in aerospace defense, 5G, and other markets.