DoD Extends Contract for ORAN-based Private 5G Networks through 2025
Contract Extension Awarded for 5G Deployments at bases in Washington and Hawaii to Help DoD Evaluate 5G Applications and LEO/GEO SATCOM Resiliency
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, EchoStar (Nasdaq: SATS) announced the contract period of performance extension by the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) FutureG Office, for the continued deployment of standalone 5G networks at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) in Hawaii and at the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) in Washington State. The contract extension builds on the award for NASWI in 2021 and additional expansion in Hawaii in 2022, extending both through 2025 with additional 5G enhancements. EchoStar is a premier supporter of the use of Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) in DoD networks and recently won a $50M NTIA grant to build an ORAN test center.