OAKTON, Va., Sept. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --
What's the news? AT&T* and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) have entered into
an agreement to explore and develop 5G and edge computing-based
maritime solutions aimed at benefitting national defense, homeland
security, and industries such as shipping, oil and gas,
recreational boating and more.
Why is this important? The NPS and AT&T experiments
with 5G and edge computing are expected to result in the
identification of advanced technology solutions such as a connected
system of unmanned and autonomous vehicles that can improve
critical elements of national defense, such as multi-domain
situational awareness, command and control, training, logistics,
predictive maintenance and data analytics.
The research includes the use of edge computing: where data is
processed locally near a device to speed the completion of
computing tasks.
What type of contract or agreement is there between AT&T
and NPS? The parties entered into a three-year Collaborative
Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)1. Under the
agreement, super-fast, low latency AT&T 5G networking and edge
computing capabilities will support a broad array of 5G-focused
experiments on NPS facilities incorporating artificial
intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things, machine learning, data
analytics and smart base solutions.
Where will the research be conducted? As part of the
CRADA, one initiative is the Naval
Postgraduate School's Sea Land Air Military Research
("SLAMR") program. SLAMR conducts activity at Camp Roberts in
South Monterey County and, to a
lesser extent, on the NPS main campus and at SLAMR's beach lab
north of the main campus in Monterey,
California.
What is the focus of the program? The NPS SLAMR program
will explore the development of 5G and edge computing-powered sea
applications that connect crewed and non-crewed vessels and
sensors. Experiments will be conducted within the SLAMR's
multi-domain laboratory. The program is also focused on providing
all-domain maritime solutions for a broad array of defense,
industry and commercial applications.
What type of solution is being tested? The vision guiding
the SLAMR program is to eventually have a command and aquatics
operations facility with which to perform localized, unmanned
aerial, surface, and underwater robotic vehicle activity. It is
expected the facility and some of the experimental vehicles will be
connected and powered by AT&T networking capabilities,
including 5G and edge computing services.
How far along is the program? The placement
of AT&T's 5G networking infrastructure is underway at NPS
in accordance with a real estate license. It includes a tower and a
short-range antenna on a pre-fabricated pad that is to be located
at the SLAMR beach lab within walking distance from the main NPS
campus. A key goal of the equipment placement is ease of access for
faculty and students conducting autonomous vehicle research at a
former waste-water treatment facility on the site. The equipment
placement at the NPS main campus and SLAMR beach lab was reviewed
and approved by applicable Department of Navy (DON)
offices2.
Can you provide specific examples of other SLAMR
experiments? Under the CRADA, an NPS Master's Degree
student research project involves exploring the possibility of
using virtual and augmented reality in combat medical care when
medical evacuations are not possible. A separate student-led
research project will study the application of 5G-powered
waterborne autonomous systems for operations in the littoral
environment. The projects have significant potential for military
and non-military applications, and are a part of NPS' support to a
Department of the Navy effort to help grow a 5G-ready
workforce.
When will the AT&T 5G and edge computing capabilities be
operational at the SLAMR site? We expect the first 5G and MEC
nodes to be installed at the SLAMR site and available for use
during the first quarter of fiscal year 2022.
Lance Spencer, Client
Executive Vice President – Defense, AT&T Public Sector and
FirstNet
"This is an important program to the future of our
national security and defense. We're honored to explore and
innovate new AT&T 5G and multi-access edge computing-based
maritime applications with the Naval
Postgraduate School."
Mike Galbraith, Department of
the Navy (DON) Chief Digital & Innovation Officer
"5G
and multi-access edge computing capabilities are increasingly
important in our personal lives and even more important to our
warfighters. The collaboration between the Naval Postgraduate School and AT&T will help us
explore better, faster means of collecting, disseminating, and
analyzing data at the tactical edge, which is vital to maintaining
and exploiting battlespace awareness. Experiments conducted under
the NPS-AT&T CRADA are expected to complement other DON efforts
to apply 5G and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enterprise and
tactical uses."
Retired Vice Admiral Ann E.
Rondeau, President, Naval Postgraduate
School
"Innovation occurs at the seams and
intersections of practice and expertise and NPS provides an
innovation hub where this applied 5G research can
occur. AT&T's experience with the existing 5G
infrastructure on the Monterey
Peninsula will facilitate our collaboration on the next
generation of mobile networks. By working alongside experts from
our faculty and industry partners, we can apply the operational
experience of our graduate students to accelerate and enhance
research into 5G-related naval maritime capabilities."
The Naval Postgraduate School is the
Department of the Navy's applied research university that combines
defense-focused interdisciplinary graduate education and
solutions-focused research where experimentation and innovation
activities can occur. Learn more about the SLAMR program here.
Go here for more information about AT&T's work in the
public sector.
1 - The Collaborative
Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) does not imply
endorsement of AT&T, its products, or activities by the Naval
Postgraduate School, the Department of the Navy, or the Department
of Defense.
|
|
2 - HERO/HERP/HERF
Certification by Naval Ordnance Safety and Security
Activity
|
About the Naval Postgraduate
School
The Naval Postgraduate
School provides defense-focused graduate education,
including classified studies and interdisciplinary research, to
advance the operational effectiveness, technological leadership and
warfighting advantage of the Naval service.
*About AT&T Communications
We help family, friends
and neighbors connect in meaningful ways every day. From the first
phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video streaming, we @ATT
innovate to improve lives.
AT&T Communications is part of AT&T Inc.
(NYSE:T). For more information, please visit us at
att.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/5g-at-sea-att-and-naval-postgraduate-school-to-jointly-research-5g-and-edge-computing-solutions-301378784.html
SOURCE AT&T Communications