Recently, telecommunications juggernaut AT&T successfully demonstrated a new 5G network at the Naval Base Coronado, in San Diego, California. The procedural test was part of a new effort from the United States Department of Defense to adopt existing technologies and develop new technologies for the purpose of creating what they are calling “smart warehouses”.
At the April 28 showcase, AT&T managed to deliver data transfer speeds of 3.9 gigabits per second with latency less than 10 milliseconds. This private network powered a variety of experiments with either virtual reality or augmented reality, often also utilizing high-definition video surveillance as well as cloud-based artificial intelligence.
According to AT&T client executive vice president for defense Lance Spencer, “The AT&T 5G-powered solution we’ve delivered at Naval Base Coronado is a first of its kind: high-performance, highly secure, and scalable private network solution.”
In his statement, Spencer goes on to comment that they expect this development will establish a foundation to improve accuracy, efficiency, security, and timeliness, as well as the overall safety of naval warehouse operations.
This announcement comes only four months after the largest US telecommunications (by revenue) reported their first success in 5G smart warehouse testing with speeds of at least 4 gigabits per second. The test was performed at a test bed located in Richland, Texas.
The success of this program began with an initial investment from the Pentagon valued at $600 million, in October 2020. This investment was specifically intended for 5G experimentation, but the amount was spread across five different US military installations. Most importantly, the investment represents what has become the largest full-scale tests for dual-use applications anywhere in the world. Within the next year, however, further financial investments were made to support the project.
