Solicitation Q and A.docx

Solicitation Q&A

1. Must the 400 MHz to 6 GHz requirement for coverage be satisfied with a single device or can this be satisfied through multiple units with different configurations?

Answer: The overall functionality shall caver all the possible spectrum bends in the 400MHz – 6GHz region. Currently the spectrum is fragmented with multiple users including telemetry, radar, ISM, etc. However, 4G/5G applications are growing and it is very likely more sub-bands will be released later. Also international versions might use a different subset of frequencies than the US. The solution can be composed of multiple units if they act as a seamless system.

2. Does the requirement for “upgradeable to 5G (gNodeB)” apply to the unit procured (i.e., a modular upgrade path?) or can this be satisfied by a separate unit procured in the future?

Answer: The 5G system has different functionalities than 4G. The solution should support in the both 4G and 5G UEs. The eNB and gNB might be composed internally of separate elements but configuration and operation should allow for smooth transitions back and forth.

For example, the government might be a required to test a “smartphone” UE supporting 5G RAN in a non-standalone configuration, later another experiment might require a legacy UE with regular 4G only, and another case will require a newer modem supported by 5G-SA services. Changing the setups should be easy and fast. The interfaces to the user should not change much beside the obvious parameters. This is to reduce the burden on training on the operators.