DoD mission partners and the Defense Innovation Unit will work together to prototype 5G co-channel interference mitigation capabilities.
May 21, 2024 (Mountain View, California) — Department of Defense (DoD) operations depend heavily on the reliability and availability of satellite communications (SATCOM) systems. However, integrating 5G wireless technology into the global communications infrastructure presents significant challenges. The bandwidth used by SATCOM equipment often overlaps significantly with the 5G radio frequency (RF) spectrum, resulting in adverse effects on the quality and reliability of received SATCOM signals. This issue is especially pronounced with the rapid rollout of 5G technology in many regions around the world.
iDirect Government was selected to prototype 5G common channel mitigation capabilities that will bring flexibility, agility, transmission security and efficiency to the warfighter.
“Addressing the challenge of 5G co-channel interference is more than just a technical hurdle — it’s about ensuring seamless, robust communications for cutting-edge technologies, from satellite communications to avionics support systems,” said Capt. Anthony Bustamante, cyber and communications project manager for the Defense Innovation Unit. “The success of this project will help ensure that autonomous systems, from commercial to military applications, are more efficient and operate at their best without the risk of communications failure.”
If this effort to neutralize 5G interference proves effective, it will mark a major advancement in addressing the pervasive challenge of RF interference. The methods and technologies developed through this project could potentially be generalized and adapted to protect other critical communications and navigation systems from similar jamming.
“These advances dramatically improve the reliability of both civilian and defense-related systems, allowing them to remain robust in the increasingly crowded RF environments typical of today’s global technology environment. This will greatly improve operational continuity and security across numerous platforms, benefiting a wide range of sectors that rely on precision electronic communications.”
