Revised SOW 07JUN2023.pdf

Rev 01 07 June 2023

5G New Radio Distributed Wireless Network Testbed

BACKGROUND

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is investigating Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) Distributed wireless network testbed technology for possible future deployment on US Naval platforms.

NRL is seeking to procure a 5G NR wireless research network where new 5G technologies such as Carrier Aggregation (CA), Bandwidth Parts(BWP), Subcarrier Spacing(SCS), and Beamforming can be studied.

SCOPE

NRL requires a 5G NR distributed wireless network testbed that shall ultimately provide a Standalone (SA) core network servicing both Frequency Ranges (FR) – FR1 and FR2 support 5G research in two buildings within NRL. Realizing that SA FR2 is not commercially available at the moment, NRL is seeking to procure a dual network that supports SA FR1 and Non-Standalone (NSA) FR2 that has an upgrade path to SA FR1 & FR2.

The combination of an integrated 5G SA/NSA technology network, engineering support equipment, and mobile devices comprise the 5G technology wireless network testbed will allow NRL engineers to evaluate different 4G LTE and 5G NR cellular communication network topologies in a variety of deployment environments.

The Contractor will engineer, document, deliver, setup, and test the system, and provide training, at NRL in Washington, DC.

REQUIREMENTS

As a research network we are seeking to procure a 5G network where services such as voice calls; data sessions, as well as beamforming can be studied. The 5G network shall be 3GPP standard compliant to enable studying of these features for possible future use by the US Government. NRL is seeking to procure a 5G Standalone (SA) FR1 and a Non-Standalone (NSA) FR2 distributed network that will provide 5G NR coverage to two buildings. This research network shall emulate a commercial Tier -1 network and be composed of infrastructure components normally deployed by Tier-1 service providers (core network, gNb, RRH). Each building will have a separate deployment scenario as described below.

The network must support a minimum of 150 subscribers and 20 simultaneous users in each building.

It is expected that each location will have at a minimum one gNB that would be comprised of a Baseband Unit (BBU) and ‘n’ number of remote radio heads (RRH’s). The hardware selected for this procurement shall support maximum reuse as the government plans to upgrade this testbed to 5G SA on both FR1 and FR2 once it is commercially available.

5G Technology Wireless Network Testbed

5G SA Distributed Network Requirements

The proposed network topology for each NRL building (Buildings identified as A and B) is shown below. The item shown in orange is an existing government systems that must be integrated into the system design.

5G SA Core Network Requirements

3.1.2.1 The Core networks (both SA and NSA) shall be sized such that it will support a minimum of 150 subscribers and a minimum of 20 simultaneous users in each location.

Both the SA and NSA Cores will be installed in Building A.

3.1.2.2 The Contractor shall specify how many and what types of fiber / LAN connections are needed to connect Building A to Building B.

The Government shall provide Fiber connections to Building B.

3.1.2.3 The Contractor shall provide for remote network administration in each building.

One vLAN will be supplied to connect the remote administration workstations to the Core Network. This interface will operate at a minimum of 1Gb/S

3.1.2.4 The Contractor shall supply at least one Remote administration workstations (laptops or equivalent) for each building.

On the NRL Network, the 5G Core shall control:

• a gNB in building A that provides FR1 and FR2 coverage,

• a gNB in Building B that provides FR1 and FR2 coverage;

3.1.2.4.1 For laboratory testing, NRL has standardized on the Keysight/Anite NEMO

Outdoor Drive Test suite. The Government shall supply to the 5G Core Network a Keysight NEMO Outdoor Data Server. This device shall function as the Internet for the 5G NR Network. It provides an automated endpoint supplying UDP/FTP/HTTP traffic for the network. NEMO clients will be provided by the Government for the handsets that will be provided on this procurement.

3.1.2.5 The testbed shall include two hundred (200) SIM cards provisioned to work with the network.

3.1.2.6 The 5G SA Core shall support native VoNR calls to be conducted between UE’s on the

5G SA network.

3.1.2.6.1 Optionally, VoNR shall be made available on the 5G NSA network

3.1.2.6.2 Optionally, Text Messaging support shall be provided on the 5G SA network

3.1.2.6.3 Optionally, Text Messaging support shall be provided on the 5G NSA network

3.1.2.7 The contractor shall supply a method to access the key performance indicators(KPI’s) of the UEs connected to the core network in real time. We are looking to monitor the core network interface in order to tune the network to meet government requirements and verify operation of the network.

Frequency Selection and UE Requirements

3.1.3.1 The government has selected the following frequency bands to operate the network in.

3.1.3.1.1 FR1: n78, TDD, 3.5 GHz (3.3-3.8 GHz)

3.1.3.1.2 FR2: n260 TDD, 39 GHz (37.0 – 40.0 GHz)

3.1.3.1.3 A second FR2 band is required to support FR2 to FR2 handoffs in a closed environment. This shall be in a 5G NR band that is less than 30 GHz

3.1.3.1.4 A 4G Anchor Frequency shall be selected that is compatible with the 3 bands above. This band shall be identified in the RFP response so that the government can seek the appropriate spectrum clearance.

3.1.3.2 The Contractor shall supply sixteen UE’s that operate in all the bands chosen.

3.1.3.3 The UE’s shall be supported by the Keysight – NEMO Outdoor Drive Test tool. The government owns the NEMO licensing for UE’s operating with either Qualcomm or Samsung Chipsets. If Apple UE’s are selected, the Contractor must supply the needed licensing and USB drivers to interface with NEMO.

3.1.3.4 The planned frequency requirements for the network by building are as follows:

Building A – Deployment in an Anechoic Chamber:

• n78 / 3.5 GHz

• n260 / 39 GHz

• FR2 Band 2 < 30 GHz

• 4G Anchor - TBD

• Supports FR1 Interband CA: n78

• Supports FR2 Interband CA: n260

• Supports FR2 Interband CA: FR2 Band 2

Building B – Outdoor Deployment

• n78 / 3.5 GHz

• n260 / 39 GHz

• 4G Anchor - TBD

• Supports FR1 Interband CA: n78

• Supports FR2 Interband CA: n260

5G SA/NSA NR gNB Requirements

The 5G SA and NSA New Radio Base Station (gNB) is defined as the combination of a baseband unit (BBU) and associated FR1 / FR2 remote radio heads (RRHs).

3.1.4.1 The BBU shall be sized to support the simultaneous connections of up to 20UEs operating over a 5G NR communication link. The 5G links shall include:

• Channel bandwidths from 10 MHz to 100 MHz.

• Carrier Aggregation (CA): 2 Component Carrier (CC) (threshold); upto 4CC

(Objective)

• MIMO: 2x2(threshold) up to 8x8(objective)

• Ideally the BBU shall support simultaneous SA and NSA operation

3.1.4.2 The testbed operation shall use FR1 and FR2 bands that are valid 5G NR Carrier

Aggregation (CA) Bands as defined by 3GPP Release 15 or later.

3.1.4.3 The network shall support 2CC FR1 10MHz (threshold) and 2CC FR2 10MHz (threshold) or 4CC FR1 and 4CC FR2 100MHz x 100MHz (objective) aggregate bandwidths.

Remote Radio Heads (RRH)

The remote radio heads (RRHs) shall support 2x2 (threshold) up to 8x8 (objective) MIMO antennas with digital and analog beamforming. Buildings A & B have the additional requirement of the FR1 n78 RRH transceivers being separable from the antennas. Research testing will be conducted in both buildings using a shared Keysight PROPSIM F64 RF Channel Emulator inserted inline between the RRH transceiver ports and the RRH antenna ports.

The Contractor shall supply a set of cables that will allow the connection of the RRH Transceiver to the channel emulator which has Type N female connectors. The Maximum input power to the channel emulator is +35dBm. The TRX channel power of the FR1 RRH shall be selected such that this power level will not be exceeded. If the TRX Channel Power selected is greater than +35dBm, the Contractor may supply low-PIM attenuators for each channel in order to meet this RF power requirement.

3.1.5.1 Building A RRH Configuration

Research in Building A will involve maximum throughput testing and beamforming. The RRHs will be installed in an Anechoic Chamber 16 ft. (W) x 16 ft (H) x 40 ft. (L). With this in mind, FR1(n78) and FR2(nTBD, n260) cells shall be installed. A minimum of two beams shall be configured for both FR1 and FR2 RRH’s to cover the chamber in length and elevation. Defining 4 beams per RRH is a research objective. Number of antennas shall be chosen to enable maximum throughput of the network.

3.1.5.2 Building B RRH Configuration

Building B research will be focused on 5G NR protocol testing and Massive MIMO antenna characterization. A 2x2(threshold) up to an 8x8 RRH(objective) in FR1 n78 is requested along with a 2x2(threshold) up to an 8x8(objective) RRH in FR2 band n260. These RRH’s shall be mounted to the side of a building and configured to provide 100m of hemispherical coverage as specified in 3.1.5.3.

3.1.5.3 Building B Outdoor Sector Coverage

The Building B tower is expected to provide hemispherical coverage that will illuminate the rectangular area below that includes the four streets identified within the shaded region (Cooley Ave SW, Greenlee St SW, Oberlin Ave SW, Army St SW). The government has initially identified a mounting location on the side/roof of building on the north side of Cooley Ave SW.

Vendor to identify optimum location to cover the specified region which could include the building to the south side of the four streets. The bounding rectangle for coverage area is :Top Left - 38.82236N, -77.02557W, Bottom Right: 38.82176, -77.023983. Commercial best practices shall be observed to select the appropriate RRH’s such that the footprint of the broadcast RF is limited to just the region show below.

Setup, Training, Documentation, and Warranty

Setup

3.2.2.1 The Contractor shall deliver and set up the system at NRL in Washington, D.C.

Training

3.2.3.1 The Contractor shall provide on-site training for the 5G Technology Wireless Network

Testbed to include: initial system set up, configuration, and maintenance of the system, as well as the completion of operation, maintenance, test, and configuration tasks. (CDRL A001)

Documentation

3.2.4.1 The Contractor shall provide complete documentation of the system and subsystems.

3.2.4.2 The Contractor shall provide a paper and electronic copy of system level documentation, and electronic copy of documentation for all commercial components. (CDRL A002)

Warranty

3.2.5.1 The Contractor shall warranty the complete system, to include any options exercised, for at least one year. This warranty support shall include the rights to and installation of any software updates that are released during the warranty period.

3.2.5.2 The Government shall have unlimited usage rights at the completion of the warranty period for the permanent use of the complete 5G Technology Wireless Network Testbed to include any hardware or software upgrades that were delivered during the warranty period.

Long Term Maintenance

The contractor shall provide pricing for annual maintenance of the supplied 5G Wireless Network Technology Testbed. Annual maintenance must be budgeted for separately from this contract. As a reminder – the government intends to contract for a 5G SA network upgrade once SA FR2 support is commercially available.

Test and Acceptance

The contractor shall develop an Acceptance Test Plan (ATP) that incorporates all the testing below as it pertains to the awarded options, describing in detail all tests to be performed. The ATP needs to be reviewed and approved by NRL, after submission to the COR. At the completion of the testing, a final Acceptance test report shall be submitted that details the results of the testing (CDRL A003, A004)

Building A

3.3.1.1 The Contractor shall demonstrate successful operation of the following minimum capabilities of the 5G Technology Wireless Network Testbed:

3.3.1.1.1 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile VoNR voice calls on FR1.

3.3.1.1.2 Ability to perform an iPerf data session between UE’s on FR1

3.3.1.1.3 Ability to perform an iPerf data session between UE’s on FR2 (both bands)

3.3.1.1.4 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile VoNR voice calls on FR2 (if option exercised)

3.3.1.1.5 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile VoNR voice calls on FR1 to FR2 (if option exercised)

3.3.1.1.6 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile text messages on FR1 (if option exercised)

3.3.1.1.7 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile text messages on FR2 (if option exercised)

3.3.1.1.8 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile text messages on FR1to FR2 (if option

3.3.1.2 The Contractor shall configure:

3.3.1.2.1 10, 20, 40, 50, and 100 MHz channel bandwidths

3.3.1.2.2 Intraband CA for both FR1 and FR2

FR1: Threshold 2CC – (2ea) 40MHz channels for 80MHz FR1: Objective 4CC – (4ea) 40 MHz channels for 160MHz

FR2: Threshold 2CC – (2ea) 100MHz Channels for 200MHz FR2: Objective 4CC – (4ea) 100 MHz Channels for 400MHz

3.3.1.2.3 Interband CA for FR1 and FR2

Requirement Deleted.

3.3.1.2.4 Operation of the 2x2 MIMO channels (threshold) and 8x8 MIMO channels

(objective – if supplied)

3.3.1.2.5 Beamforming and test beamforming (objective)

3.3.1.3 The Contractor shall demonstrate:

3.3.1.3.1 Ability to perform 1Gbps or better data throughput on a single user.

o Confirm operation of a CAT 19 UE at 1.6 Gbps.

3.3.1.3.2 Handover between FR1 and FR2

3.3.1.3.3 Operation of the 2x2 MIMO channels (threshold) and 8x8 MIMO channels

3.3.1.3.4 Subscriber management

3.3.1.3.5 Network reporting, call history and performance statistics.

Building B

3.3.2.1 The Contractor shall demonstrate successful operation of the following minimum capabilities of the 5G Technology Wireless Network Testbed:

3.3.2.1.1 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile VoNR voice calls on FR1.

3.3.2.1.2 Ability to perform an iPerf data session between UE’s on FR1.

3.3.2.1.3 Ability to perform an iPerf data session between UE’s on FR2.

3.3.2.1.4 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile VoNR voice calls on FR2 (if option exercised)

3.3.2.1.5 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile VoNR voice calls on FR1 to FR2 (if option

3.3.2.1.6 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile text messages on FR1 (if option exercised)

3.3.2.1.7 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile text messages on FR2 (if option exercised)

3.3.2.1.8 Ability to perform mobile-to-mobile text messages on FR1to FR2 (if option

3.3.2.1.9 Ability to perform 1Gbps or better data throughput on a single user.

3.3.2.2 The Contractor shall configure:

3.3.2.2.1 10, 20, 40, 50, 100 MHz channel bandwidths

3.3.2.2.2 Operation of the 2x2 MIMO channels (threshold) and 8x8 MIMO channels

3.3.2.2.3 Beamforming and test beamforming (objective)

3.3.2.3 The Contractor shall demonstrate:

3.3.2.3.1 Operation of the 2x2 MIMO channels (threshold) and 8x8 MIMO channels

3.3.2.3.2 Voice and data sessions on FR1 when the FR1 gNB is connected to the Government-supplied Keysight Propsim F64 Channel Emulator.

3.3.2.3.3 Remote management of the Building B gNB from the supplied remote management workstation.

DELIVERABLES

Identified in this section are the minimum expected deliverables on the contract.

- Threshold requirements are the minimum requirements for the contract. All offers must include these items.

- Objective requirements are the government’s desired specifications for a fully capable system.

- Optional Requirements – Must be priced separately. At the time of contract award, a decision will be made whether to exercise one, two, all, or none of the optional requirements. Options, if exercised shall be integrated into the acceptance test plan outlined in section 3.3.

Threshold Requirements

Threshold Requirements Parameters Specifications Deliverables 1 SA Core Network 3.1.2 Core Network 2 NSA Core Network 3.1.2 Core Network 3 150 subscribers 3.1.2.1 Subscriber Licensing 4 20 simultaneous users bldg. A 3.1.2.1 Licensing 5 20 simultaneous users bldg. B 3.1.2.1 Licensing 6 Remote Admin Workstation - A 3.1.2.4 Admin Workstation 7 Remote Admin Workstation - B 3.1.2.4 Admin Workstation 8 Bldg A gNB with

- n78 RRH

- nTBD RRH

- n260 RRH

- TBD 4G Anchor RRH

3.1.3.1 3.1.3.5 3.1.5.1 gNB with RRH’s

9 Bldg B gNB with

- n78 RRH

- n260 RRH

- TBD 4G Anchor RRH

3.1.3.1 3.1.3.5 3.1.5.2 3.1.5.3 gNB with RRH’s

10 200 SIM Cards 3.1.2.5 SIM Cards

11 2x2 MIMO FR1 RRHs with accessible antenna ports

3.1.5 RRH

12 16ea UE’s (Cell Phones) that are compatible with Keysight NEMO

3.1.3.2 Cell phones

13 VoNR voice calls on 5G SA Network 3.1.2.6 Software licensing 14 gNB RF Config

- Channel BW 10-100 MHz

3.1.4.1 Software licensing

15 gNB Carrier Aggregation – 2CC 3.1.4.1 Software licensing

Objective Requirements

Objective Requirements Parameters Specifications Deliverables 1 8x8 MIMO FR1 RRH’s with accessible antenna ports

3.1.4.1 RRHs

2 gNB Carrier Aggregation – upto 4CC 3.1.4.1 Software licensing

Objective Requirements Parameters Specifications Deliverables 3 4CC FR2 100MHz x 100 MHz 3.1.4.3 Software licensing 4 Beamforming Bldg A & B 3.1.5.1

3.1.5.3 Configuration

Optional Requirements

Optional Requirements Parameters Specifications Deliverables 1 Apple iPhone UE NEMO Support

-Only applies if iPhones are chosen for threshold requirement 12.

3.1.3.2 Software licensing

2 VoNR Support on 5G NSA Network 3.1.2.6 Software licensing 3 Text Messaging support on 5G SA Network 3.1.2.6 Software licensing 4 Text Messaging support on 5G NSA Network 3.1.2.6 Software licensing

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT:

The following government owned equipment is available for this contract

Keysight/Anite NEMO Outdoor Data Server

Keysight/Anite NEMO Outdoor with 4G and 5G licensing to include Qualcomm and Samsung chipsets.

DELIVERY TERMS:

Delivery is FOB Destination. The 5G Technology Wireless Network Testbed is estimated to be delivered 90 days ARO to the address mentioned at paragraph 6.5.

The shipment shall be packaged in such a way to allow splitting of the shipment by building.

Please advise at CDR if all packages need to be delivered to Building A for initial configuration and checkout prior to equipment deliveries to Buildings B or if they should be delivered to the separate buildings.

The contractor shall deliver supplies, all transportation charges paid, in accordance with FAR

52.247-34, FoB Destination (NOV 1991)

Inspection and acceptance will be accomplished by the Authorized Government Representative (AGR) designated below.

Final Inspection and acceptance of all items delivered will be performed at the Delivery

Address as follows:

Naval Research Laboratory

ATTN: TBD

4555 Overlook Ave., SW Washington, DC 20375

PAYMENT TERMS

Payment terms: Payments will be made after Final Acceptance by the Government.

7. PAYMENT TERMS