CableLabs announced it has been named by the United States Department of Commerce as the host lab for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (NTIA-ITS) 5G Challenge.
NTIA-ITS is currently engaged in the design and execution of the 5G Challenge supporting the Department of Defense, Office of the Undersecretary for Research and Development. The prize competition requires a host lab with a 5G core network, testing and measurement capabilities.
NTIA-ITS will leverage CableLabs’ state-of-the-art lab deployment of fully virtualized 5G networks, including multiple cores, multiple radio access network and new network emulation equipment.
CableLabs is providing the standalone 5G network with the essential engineering capability to integrate multiple vendors simultaneously while testing and measuring technical performance metrics -- enabling innovators to compete in testing and validation on site.
CableLabs said the company "is well suited to host the challenge given its growing expertise in mobile network technologies and long-standing role in the industry, working with multiple vendors to drive interoperable network technologies."
The goal of the 5G Challenge is to help accelerate the development and widespread deployment of open 5G networks. It is designed to increase the speed of adoption of 5G open interfaces, interoperable components, and multi-vendor solutions by fostering a large, vibrant, and growing vendor community dedicated to advancing 5G interoperability towards true plug-and-play operation.
The US Government and Department of Defense have established 5G as a key modernization priority and the 5G Challenge specifically addresses the movement toward the use of open implementations for various components of a 5G system.
“CableLabs is honored to be the host lab for the 5G Challenge,” said Phil McKinney, president and CEO of CableLabs. “The recognition from the US Department of Commerce is a testament to CableLabs’ continued and increasing investment in mobile wireless network technologies, and particularly, our focus on open and interoperable network technologies. We are committed to ongoing research and development and interoperability testing in mobile network technologies, and we look forward to the opportunity to serve as the host lab for the 5G Challenge.”