Booz Allen launches 5G lab in Maryland
Booz Allen Hamilton, a government sector-focused management and technology consulting firm, has launched a new 5G lab in Annapolis, Maryland to support its client work related to 5G integration and deployment.
Booz Allen’s 5G facility will serve as a testbed for cyber resiliency, AI modeling, and IoT applications development, according to release from the McLean, VA-based firm. The lab’s secure test environment includes a 5G standalone carrier-grade network and mobile edge computing to enable enhanced R&D capabilities and testing across devices.
“Both the public and private sector are grappling with 5G, and the initial promises of higher data rates, lower latency, increased capacity, and resulting technology applications have quickly shifted the concern to the underlying security risks. The same technology that improves operations can create new vulnerabilities that impede operations,” said Chris Christou, vice president at Booz Allen and leader of the firm’s 5G portfolio.
The facility will support Booz Allen’s client work in developing 5G strategy and identifying impact use cases; building 5G platforms and apps with secure network architecture and engineering; securing 5G networks, devices, and apps via risk identification, management, and monitoring; and researching adversaries, system vulnerabilities, and countermeasures.
“This complex balance between operability and security is exactly why Booz Allen invested in a testing environment that allows us to research and develop new 5G-enabled platforms and lead customers’ ongoing adoption of new technologies and capabilities, while keeping them secure,” Christou added.
Booz Allen – alongside a number of other firms – was in March 2021 selected by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support 5G integration and testing at five US military locations. The $600-million contract is part of a wider $1.7-billion DoD initiative to accelerate its use of 5G technology and advance private sector technology maturity.
Booz Allen last month spun off SnapAttack, a cloud-based software solution for cyber threat hunting and detection.
