Nokia, the National Spectrum Consortium, and the Hill Air Force Base, in Utah, have extended their partnership to existing Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) testbeds to mitigate radar interference with 5G networks.

In a media statement, the Finish company said that the renewal will “ensure that incumbent radar and 5G networks operating can co-exist seamlessly in shared spectrum by controlling the behaviour in real-time of the 5G system when the incumbent radar is present.”

Hill Air Force Base, the US Air Force’s second-largest base by population and geographical size, is using Nokia’s O-RAN solutions for the testbed. Phase 1 of the project has been completed, according to the company.

In this first stage, Nokia initially partnered with Hill Air Force Base on a testbed for dynamic spectrum sharing. “For the next phase, we leveraged our O-RAN platform with RIC capabilities for the testbed,” said Michael Loomis, General Manager at Nokia Federal Solutions.

The project is part of a broader initiative by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) to create its first tranche of 5G wireless testbeds.

For Hill Air Force Base, Nokia’s Service Enablement Platform exposes radar interference detection and mitigation capabilities via an O-RAN interface developed by the O-RAN Alliance.

“Nokia developed the 5G Testbed solution at Hill AFB to help ensure the Department of Defense’s radar detection can co-exist with commercial 5G networks operating in the same shared spectrum,” Deb Stanislawski, Director Prototyping and Experimentation, OUSD(R&E) 5G, explained in the press release.

“We look forward to continuing our work together to help move beyond the state-of-the-art in 5G commercial architectures to ensure we address key warfighting needs and expand U.S.-based capabilities critical to 5G adoption.”