US military bases could get private 5G, delighting Dish

New funding legislation wending through Congress would require the US Department of Defense (DoD) to install private wireless networks on US military bases. According to the wording of the legislation, the networks are to support 5G and open RAN technology.

That requirement is music to the ears of Dish Network officials.

"This is a positive development for our national security and the future of wireless technology," said Jeff Blum, Dish's EVP for external and legislative affairs and the company's top lobbyist. "We look forward to working with the Department of Defense to help implement these provisions and bring the security and interoperability of ORAN networks to our military service members across the globe."

The new legislation – the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – passed through the Senate Wednesday and is now on its way to the House. According to The Hill, the legislation totals $886 billion and would pay for aircraft, ships and a 5.2% pay raise to troops. It also sets aside $11.5 billion to deter China in the Indo-Pacific region and another $800 million to support Ukraine.

For companies in the wireless industry, the legislation offers some interesting nuggets: "The Secretary of Defense shall develop and implement a strategy for deploying private networks, based on fifth generation information and communications capabilities (5G) and Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) architecture, to military bases and facilities that are tailored to the specific mission, security and performance requirements of those bases and facilities."

The bill also requires those bases to create a "common, transparent and streamlined process" for commercial mobile network operators to install their 5G networks at those locations. And it opens the door for base commanders to consider public/private neutral host networks using Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) architectures.

It's worth noting that DigitalBridge's Boingo in the past has supplied wireless networks to various US military bases.

In other parts of the new NDAA legislation, it seeks to push forward the Pentagon's JADC2 effort. JADC2 stands for Joint All-Domain Command and Control, and it's the Pentagon's vision for connecting "sensors with shooters across all domains, commands and services." Meaning, it would be a comprehensive, interoperable wireless networking system that would basically connect everything owned and operated by the Pentagon. 5G is expected to play a major role in that as well.

Finally, the legislation would allocate $179 million for DoD research into "Next Generation Information Communications Technology (5G)."

The military's interest in 5G and open RAN is not a surprise. Indeed, as Light Reading has previously reported, the Pentagon has been very clear in its interest in developing open RAN-based 5G networks for military uses. In response, companies like Ericsson and Nokia have been working to develop defense-related products and services.

Dish too has been very clear about its desire to win business among military and government customers. For example, in 2020 the company said it would help construct a 5G network using spectrum currently owned by the US military, and also offered the military a slice of its planned 5G network. In 2021, the company offered a detailed look at its approach to network security in a bid to attract customers concerned about such topics. And earlier this year, the company outlined its work with EchoStar on a new private wireless 5G network for the DoD Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island, a major naval operation in the Pacific Northwest.

In related news, Dish expects to close its proposed merger with EchoStar within days. "We believe the close is close," wrote the financial analysts at Raymond James in a recent note to investors.

Charlie Ergen, Dish's founder, owns over 90% of the voting stock of Dish and over 51% of the equity. He also owns 93.5% of the voting stock and around 60% of the equity of EchoStar.

The DoD is one of many players pushing the open RAN trend forward. For example, AT&T recently inked a massive $14 billion, five-year agreement with Ericsson the operator said is intended to implement open RAN specifications into its network.