NTIA Releases Analysis of Responses to 5G Challenge NOI

Earlier in 2021, NTIA issued a 5G Challenge Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on behalf of the Department of Defense, requesting information on how to use Prize Challenges to accelerate the development of the open 5G ecosystem and support Department of Defense missions. NTIA received 51 responses to the NOI, and NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences is releasing an analysis of those responses to inform future collaborations between the Department of Defense and NTIA, including the potential of an initial 5G Challenge in 2022. The purpose of 5G Challenges would be to support open interfaces, interoperability, and modularity – accelerating market forces that promote vendor diversity. Open and interoperable 5G networks will encourage new market participation, allowing innovative companies to develop plug-and-play 5G components and integrated systems. Organizations would be able to optimize their network’s operational efficiency by mixing and matching components from multiple vendors.