Tactical Communications

Octasic provides mission-ready LTE-based solutions that address the current demand for high data rates and more flexibility for military deployments. These solutions may include network modifications, Self-Organizing Networks (SON), stronger ciphers like AES-256, among others, and additional features not found in commercial deployments, such as mesh networking and very large coverage range. Octasic is also collaborating with military equipment partners on 5G solutions, leveraging the standard’s lower latency and higher throughput. Interoperability is one challenge, as equipment built in different eras often have their unique communications systems, even within the armed forces of the same country. Rapid and automatic reconfiguration of networks via software-defined networking (SDN) is another emerging requirement. The 5G waveform itself is yet another challenge: Created for easy discovery, the waveform is inappropriate in its natural state for military operations and requires modifications for secure use.

In work with leading defense contractors, our teams have addressed these and other challenges. Some of our efforts, including a demonstration with the U.S. Army’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center, have been publicly discussed. The Octasic compact base stations already support all cellular standards and come in configurations that cover up to 21 3GPP bands around the world. Our Opus Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE) extends this agility, enabling developers to customize our chips and change any waveform, including 5G. To win on the digital battlefield of tomorrow, where milliseconds of delay can spell defeat, tactical communications systems will need to blend the best of commercial and military-specific infrastructure. Octasic's solutions can deliver these combined features and more on the way, including initial support for artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) and satellite networks. The Octasic base stations and other components are available in ruggedized, turn-key, and field-proven systems that can be adapted to address any tactical use case.