Verizon to deploy private 5G network at DoD base

Verizon will deploy a private 5G network inside an aircraft maintenance hangar on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) as part of an $11.5 million Tranche 2 award from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The private network, which will provide military personnel with high-speed, high-bandwidth and low-latency connectivity, will join ranks with an already-implemented Verizon 5G mmWave tower on JBPHH.

“The private 5G network we’re constructing in an aircraft maintenance hangar at JBPHH is just the latest example of how we’re helping the U.S. Department of Defense deliver innovative, mission-critical capabilities across a range of military operations through advanced network and communications solutions,” commented Maggie Hallbach, SVP for public sector at Verizon.

The network design covers a JBHHH hangar, enabling aircraft maintenance personnel will test and explore new ways to implement Foreign Object Detection (FOD), other airplane maintenance applications and several different user equipment (UE) devices. According to Verizon, this testing will “determine how the military can apply this design and the corresponding outcomes to other bases.”

For this project, Verizon has tapped Ericsson for its private 5G solution, which offers a core and radio access network to the test site. “We’re continuing to push technological advancements with our long-standing partner Verizon to deliver on their 5G ambitions, and announcement demonstrates our commitment to exploring the vast applications and opportunities that can be built upon next-generation networks,” said Graham Osborne, VP and head of the Verizon customer unit at Ericsson North America.

This latest DoD announcement is just the most recent in a long line of DoD announcements from Verizon. This past August, for instance, Verizon revealed that it will provide integrated voice and data services to the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic and in March 2022, the carrier was awarded Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) task orders worth $966.5 million by the government organization.