How Would US Air Defense Benefit From The Pentagon's 6G Tech?

As the 5G network continues to roll out around the world, industries are hard at work developing its intended successor - the 6G network. As always, look a little closer. There are the hallmarks of Great Power Competition as the US races against China to shape the next generation of wireless telecommunications.

Future systems like sixth-generation fighter jets and their advanced AI-driven drones will be extremely interconnected as will the battlefield in general. Future 6G network 6G networks are not expected to materialize until the 2030s, but the US is already at work influencing its development and what it will look like. While the 5G and other cellular networks may be seen as civilian, they are a matter of national security, and the DoD and United States Air Force take interest in them.

Defense News states, " Since transitioning most of its 5G research and development projects to the Chief Information Office last year, the Pentagon’s Future Generation Wireless Technology Office has shifted its focus to preparing the Defense Department for the next wave of network innovation. That work is increasingly important for the U.S.

, which is racing against China to shape the next iteration of wireless telecommunications, known as 6G ." The open radio access network (O-RAN) is a wireless device's first entry point into a network, accounting for around 80% of its cost. Breaking News notes that O-RAN has been historically dominated by companies like Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, and Sam.