DoD advances national-scale spectrum sharing demos for 3.1–3.45 GHz
The Department of Defense and the National Spectrum Consortium (NSC) are moving five industry-academia teams into field demonstrations to validate dynamic spectrum coexistence between defense systems and commercial networks.
Five teams proving mid-band 5G/DoD coexistence
The Advanced Spectrum Coexistence (ASC) Demonstrations, formerly the Advanced Dynamic Spectrum Sharing Demonstration (ADSSD), will be led by Peraton Labs, InterDigital Communications, Nokia Federal Solutions, RTX BBN Technologies, and the Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University. Each team was awarded an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) through the NSC to execute large-scale trials that put emerging coexistence technologies into realistic environments. The focus is practical: prove that military radar, weapons systems, and electronic sensors can operate alongside commercial 5G/6G-class networks in the same bands without harmful interference.
Timeline and policy alignment with National Spectrum Strategy
Experiments are slated to begin as early as November, with results feeding a follow-on study on dynamic spectrum operations mandated by the 2023 National Spectrum Strategy. The Pentagon CIO’s office positioned this effort as essential to national security and competitiveness—tying technical outcomes to near-term policy decisions on mid-band access.
Why mid-band spectrum sharing matters for telecom and defense
Mid-band spectrum around 3.1–3.45 GHz sits at the heart of both U.S. military operations and commercial 5G performance, making coexistence a strategic necessity rather than an academic exercise.
Rising demand in S-band: defense radars vs 5G/6G
DoD relies on the S-band for critical radars and sensors; commercial operators prize the same frequencies for coverage-capacity balance in 5G and future 6G. A newly emphasized homeland missile defense initiative, often referenced as “Golden Dome,” adds demand for reliable, low-latency connectivity across detection, alerting, and countermeasures. Traditional approaches—exclusive allocation or wholesale clearing—are too slow, costly, and politically fraught. Dynamic sharing is the viable middle path to unlock capacity without compromising mission readiness.
From CBRS to defense-grade dynamic sharing
CBRS proved that policy engines, automated coordination, and tiered access can scale. ASC aims to extend that playbook to harder problems: fast-moving incumbents (radars); mobile 5G cells with beamforming; and adversarial conditions with electronic attack and deception. Success would accelerate new sharing models for 3.1–3.45 GHz and create a template for additional federal bands under consideration by NTIA and the FCC.
What ASC will test: AI, RAN, coordination, security
The award portfolio signals a focus on sensing, control, and resilience—integrated across radios, networks, and policy systems.
AI-powered sensing and real-time spectrum decisioning
Expect multi-sensor detection of incumbent activity (radar, EW emitters), signal classification via machine learning, and fine-grained geotemporal maps of occupancy. Policy engines will translate detection into machine-enforceable access rules, dynamically allocating channels, time slots, beams, or power budgets for both defense and commercial users. Closed-loop control—sense, decide, assign, verify—must operate in seconds or less and at scale.
RAN/device coexistence with beamforming and power control
Commercial networks will need scheduler intelligence, beam steering, null formation, and power control tuned for fast incumbent protection while maintaining QoS. 3GPP features across Releases 17–19 (e.g., advanced interference management, sidelink coordination, AI-assisted RRM) and O-RAN interfaces for near-real-time RIC xApps/rApps are natural integration points. For defense systems, LPI/LPD waveforms, agile hopping, and adaptive duty cycles can lower interference footprints without sacrificing operational effect.
Beyond CBRS: secure, real-time coordination frameworks
A CBRS-style Spectrum Access System is a starting point, but ASC will test more dynamic, defense-grade variants: real-time incumbent priority, secure control channels, authenticated policies, and cross-domain data sharing. Interoperability with cloud/edge platforms is crucial to crunch sensing data and deliver decisions close to where radios operate.
Security, EW resilience, and zero-trust control
Coexistence cannot assume benign conditions. The demos will need to address spoofing and jamming of sensing inputs, adversarial ML risks, and fail-safe modes that default to protecting incumbents. Zero-trust principles for control planes and verifiable enforcement at the radio will be scrutinized.
Strategic implications and next steps for stakeholders
Telecom, cloud, and defense stakeholders should treat ASC as a near-term commercialization waypoint, not a distant research effort.
Guidance for mobile operators and neutral hosts
Prepare for policy-enforced access in 3.1–3.45 GHz by hardening RAN software for rapid frequency and power reconfiguration, integrating near-RT RIC apps for coexistence, and instrumenting networks for spectrum-awareness telemetry. Establish testbeds with defense partners and edge clouds to validate latency and KPIs under dynamic protection constraints. Align device roadmaps for enhanced sensing and secure policy enforcement.
Guidance for network vendors and chipset makers
Productize coexistence features: ML-based interference classification, fast beam/power adaptation, authenticated policy APIs, and radio primitives that expose spectrum state to orchestration layers. Demonstrate interoperability with coordination services beyond CBRS, and publish performance under radar-like incumbency patterns. Offer security attestations for control-plane integrity and anti-spoofing.
Guidance for cloud, edge, and analytics providers
Build data pipelines for real-time spectrum maps and inference at the edge, with lifecycle management for ML models under contested conditions. Support standardized interfaces to RICs and coordination systems, and enable auditability to satisfy regulators and mission owners.
Guidance for defense primes and integrators
Co-design CONOPS with coexistence in mind: spectrum agility as a requirement, not a retrofit. Instrument platforms for cooperative sharing signals where feasible, and integrate EW resilience to preserve access without triggering unnecessary commercial protection events.
What to watch next in U.S. spectrum policy and standards
Outcomes from these demonstrations will shape federal spectrum policy, standards work, and commercial investment over the next 12–24 months.
Trial milestones, metrics, and transparency
Track November start dates, test venues, and performance metrics: interference protection times, network throughput under incumbent events, false alarm rates, and recovery times. Public reporting via NSC and DoD CIO channels will indicate how quickly results translate to rulemaking and procurement.
NTIA/FCC policy decisions on 3.1–3.45 GHz
Expect movement on whether portions of 3.1–3.45 GHz shift to auction, shared licensing, or prioritized access with dynamic protection. ASC evidence will inform feasibility, enforcement mechanisms, and timelines—especially as homeland missile defense requirements evolve.
Standards convergence: 3GPP R19 and O-RAN
Watch 3GPP Release 19 items related to AI-driven RRM and sensing, O-RAN work on coexistence xApps/rApps, and industry fora extending CBRS concepts to new bands. Alignment here will lower integration costs and speed time-to-market for coexistence-capable products.
Ecosystem partnerships across DoD, vendors, and operators
The five awardees—Peraton Labs, InterDigital, Nokia Federal Solutions, RTX BBN, and the Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University—will likely expand consortia with operators, hyperscalers, and device makers; participation now offers early visibility into requirements and procurement roadmaps.
Commercial readiness signs for ASC-capable products
Finally, look for vendors to announce “ASC-ready” features, operator field trials in S-band under experimental licenses, and joint demonstrations that combine sensing, policy control, and RAN adaptations—key indicators that coexistence is moving from policy aspiration to deployable capability.
