Stop putting Band-Aids on telecom shortfalls — jump ahead to 5G

Across America, 5G mobile networks are going up, which eventually will supplant the internet backbone we use for nearly all communications. With minor changes, the Pentagon’s ongoing 5G demonstrations, 2020's appropriations to replace Chinese network equipment, and the proposed Infrastructure and Jobs Act could combine to spur deployment of open 5G architectures that would create a market for US telecommunications equipment builders and installers. Analysts have noted today’s 5G networks generally provide only modest improvements over 4G LTE systems. Open radio access networks, or O-RAN, would allow easier installation of better hardware over time compared to integrated proprietary networks. More importantly, O-RAN would allow hardware to be virtualized, or replaced by software, which would improve performance and allow the introduction of features such as machine learning and edge processing needed for applications such as traffic control or remote surgery. The Federal Communications Commission, Congress and the Department of Defense should not miss this rare opportunity to apply billions of dollars toward the next generation in communications technology. Rather than putting Band-Aids on today’s security and broadband coverage shortfalls, the shift to 5G O-RAN will help revive the US telecommunications industry and enable long-term economic growth.

[Bryan Clark is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and director of the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. Dan Patt is a senior fellow at the Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology.]