Sensor-driven 5G technology pilot program installed at Air Station Miramar
NewsJanuary 28, 2021
SAN DIEGO. A new technology pilot program -- called the 5G Living Lab -- is now operational at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in San Diego, part of a $4 million initiative funded through the Office of Naval Research and Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific and run by nonprofit concern US Ignite.
The program will support multiple pilot projects aimed at improving military-base operations through technology innovation, with the initial project being the use of the Verizon network through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to offload data from an automated package-delivery shuttle. The second project will track the development of four finalist applications selected in a recent 5G pitch competition and end with a demonstration event for U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) officials.
“Military bases, like smart cities, are a crucial testing ground for new sensor-driven technologies, particularly as we upgrade the nation’s wireless networks to 5G. We have an opportunity at Miramar not only to experiment with systems to improve overall safety and efficiency on base, but also to help develop a framework of best practices that will serve smart bases and smart communities across the country," stated Nick Maynard, chief operating officer for US Ignite.
Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Newell, 5G Living Lab Lead, said of the project: “Through the 5G Living Lab at Miramar, we expect to develop technologies that benefit: military operations, the private sector forging new business models around 5G services, and the public we serve.”
More pilot projects are planned for 2021, including an effort to connect solar cells on base to the local 5G network and a partnership with the University of California San Diego for future data-analysis work related to transportation and energy projects.
