DOD fielding 5G communications to first responders to help set up wireless networking in harsh conditions
ARLINGTON, Va. – First responders often face communications challenges that hinder collaboration and real-time situational updates, especially in remote areas while responding to natural disasters such as fires, storms, earthquakes and flooding. The U.S. Army reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
1 Dec. 2021 -- To alleviate this problem, officials of the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in Cambridge, Mass., announced a yearlong prototyping project in October involving a private wireless 5G communications network for first responders in California -- including the California National Guard.
The service will provide reliable, ad-hoc data and voice services to emergency responders operating anywhere in the state. The project could have emergency responders show up to any site with personal or government-issued mobile devices and use networked applications such as push-to-talk voice, geolocation, and live maps of their surroundings — all while outside the range of existing cellular networks.
The first to arrive simply can bring the private communications network with them using a vehicle-mounted, backpack, hand-carried, or wearable node. Radios are becoming obsolete and providing satellite phones are too expensive.
Related: What 5G means to the military
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
