OSD, USAF to start building 5G test range at Nellis Air Force Base

摘要

The Pentagon's research and engineering directorate and the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center will soon begin constructing a fifth-generation cellular network test range at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, with plans to begin testing "survivable command and control" applications and "network enhancement" prototypes next year.Joe Evans, the Defense Department's technical director for 5G, said construction of the private network is expected to begin this July. Testing will start in January 2021 and continue in three 12-month phases, according to the announcement.The Nellis network is part of DOD's 5G development "for both defense and civilian uses." However, "only users taking part in the testing will have access to the private network," according to the announcement."The network will feature relocatable cell towers that can be set up and taken down in less than an hour," it states. "Testing will involve mobile operations centers where team members will use the network while on the move."