General Dynamics, Amazon, and Cisco form partnership to accelerate 5G deployment

WASHINGTON – General Dymanics announced a partnership with Amazon and four other information technology, software and communications companies to develop 5G technology and accelerate its deployment across sectors, including the U.S. military.

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) on November 10 announced partnerships with Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Dell Technologies, Splunk, and T-Mobile.

The promise of fifth-generation wireless networks, which offer vastly improved connectivity compared to 4G, has been promised for years, but 5G has yet to live up to the hype and reach many people. The slow rollout is often blamed on a fight between industry and Congress over the designation of public airwave space. The announcement comes as control of the House remains in jeopardy after the midterm elections.

“We share a common vision of how 5G, edge and advanced wireless technologies can transform government operations,” Ben Gianni, GDIT’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, said in a statement. ” he said. “By forming this coalition, we can combine our collective strengths to provide technological differentiation and the most beneficial solutions to our government customers.”

related

5G promises exponentially faster speeds and capacity for increasingly sophisticated devices, with potential benefits for defense, healthcare, trade, and more. This equipment also comes with a number of concerns, including cybersecurity, privacy, and price.

The US Department of Defense, in particular, is interested in 5G as a way to quickly share information on and off the battlefield and improve logistics, including so-called smart warehouses that leverage artificial intelligence and remote monitoring. The department’s 2020 strategy said 5G would be “much more disruptive” than its predecessors, noting that high-speed connectivity would “transform how the military operates.”

The GDIT 5G and Edge Accelerator Coalition’s efforts stem from the Advanced Wireless Emerge Lab, where we identify the best applications for 5G and cost-effectively implement related kits across federal, state, and local agencies. Work is already underway to identify how.

GDIT said in the announcement that it will “design, deploy, and maintain secure end-to-end 5G solutions” while leveraging Amazon’s cloud assets. Cisco will provide the computing and data processing capabilities, and Dell will provide the software and AI-enhanced devices and sensors. Splunk takes care of cybersecurity. And T-Mobile provides the bandwidth and expertise.

“5G solutions offer a wealth of benefits to the federal government in today’s climate, and we are committed to helping the federal government deploy and take full advantage of these innovative technologies to best accomplish its mission. We are committed to helping them do that,” Bethann Pepoli, group vice president at Splunk, said in a statement. . “Security is a top concern when implementing these new technologies, and we are committed to helping governments ensure they have the right tools and support to maximize their cybersecurity operations and threat response. We are focusing on that.”

related

The Department of Defense set aside approximately $338 million for 5G and microelectronics in fiscal year 2022 and requested $250 million in fiscal year 2023.

The ministry has so far invested in testbeds at more than a dozen military facilities. It is also researching 5G networking for overseas operations at the Department of Energy’s large nuclear holdings, the Idaho National Laboratory, which spent $1.77 million over the summer on an industry-university research effort known as Open6G. I threw in a dollar.

General Dynamics is the world’s fifth-largest defense contractor by revenue, earning approximately $30.8 billion in 2021, according to an analysis by Defense News.