The Naval Postgraduate School Foundation announced AT&T as its 2023 Corporate Partner of the Year during the 18th Annual America’s Heroes Charity Golf Tournament Dinner on June 5. The award recognizes AT&T’s strategic collaboration with the Naval Postgraduate School in support of education, research and applied solutions.
AT&T formalized its collaboration with the Naval Postgraduate School in July 2020 with a three-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). The agreement allows NPS faculty and students, and AT&T representatives to explore and develop “5G at Sea” and edge computing-based maritime solutions aimed at benefiting national defense, homeland security, and industry.
In its third year, the Corporate Partner of the Year Award is presented to a company that has enabled interdisciplinary and innovative collaboration and empowered the NPS community to drive world-changing advancements for defense, industry, technology, climate and more — right now and into the future.
“We are honored to be recognized as ‘Corporate Partner of the Year’ by the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation,” said Lance Spencer, Client Executive Vice President – Defense, AT&T Public Sector. “It’s a considerable vote of confidence and further inspiration in our quest to deliver the benefits of AT&T 5G to our nation’s defense and across the private and public sectors. We are enormously grateful to our collaborators at the Naval Postgraduate School for sharing our commitment to continuous innovation with 5G.”
Under the agreement, AT&T has installed a 5G millimeter wave antenna atop a 50-foot tower at the NPS Beach Lab in Monterey. The antenna supports course and lab work at NPS, facilitates research and development in support of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and enables an all-domain research environment for shared collaboration with the U.S. Navy and other industry partners. AT&T is working with NPS staff to install seven additional 5G antennae on the NPS campus to enable highly secure 5G connectivity in the academic quad and connect to the existing antenna at the Beach Lab.
The Naval Postgraduate School Foundation has supported the AT&T and NPS collaboration by providing more than $450,000 in funding to convert an old county wastewater treatment plant into what is now the NPS Beach Lab where AT&T’s 5G antenna is sited. By leveraging some of the funding provided by the NPS Foundation, NPS was able to institute a $42 million dollar, 5-year funding vehicle to expand collaborative agreements in the development and fielding of autonomous systems and robotics. This funding vehicle enabled the initial SLAMR Defense Network, a consortium of public and private organizations exploring 5G-powered solutions that will connect ships, unmanned systems and sensors at sea. Under the CRADA and as part of the ongoing initiative, NPS, AT&T and Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) are exploring the deployment of a self-powered buoy equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities that will be positioned approximately 5-8 nautical miles offshore in Monterey Bay to connect manned and unmanned aircraft and vessels operating in the littorals.
“AT&T is an exemplar of continued innovation and support for the warfighter and national security,” said Rich Patterson, NPS Foundation CEO and President. “This award is reflective of AT&T’s commitment to enable rapid prototyping and experimentation at the Naval Postgraduate School so that faculty and students can deliver transformative solutions to the Fleet and Force.”
AT&T has held capability briefs and panels on the NPS campus, provided guest lecturers to NPS courses, and supported thesis experiments and demonstrations alongside multiple NPS students. The Company is working with NPS faculty and staff to extend the current CRADA in support of ongoing and future research and solutions.
The Naval Postgraduate School educates strong national security leaders and develops advanced technologies to ensure our military remains the most capable in the world. As a partner in NPS’ mission, the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation connects with industry partners in critical emerging technology areas and invests in NPS research and initiatives that advance defense capabilities, deter and defeat threats, and equip our service members with skills and technologies that keep them safe abroad and protect us all at home.
The Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) does not constitute endorsement of AT&T or its products and services by the Naval Postgraduate School, the Department of the Navy, or the Department of Defense.
The Naval Postgraduate School Foundation is a non-federal entity. It is not part of the DOD or any of its components and has no governmental status.
