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AT&T takes 5G to the high seas AT&T is bringing 5G into open waters. This month, the service provider launched its first 5G cell site at sea, on a buoy, together with the Navy and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey Bay, California. "This collabora on fuels our commitment to developing 5G and edge compu ng solu ons for manned and unmanned naval pla orms that support na onal defense, homeland security, and the mari me community," explained Wes Anderson, president of Public Sector for AT&T, in a statement. Sta oned five miles north of the NPS, Ocean Power Technologies' (OPT) PowerBuoy uses AT&T's 5G technology to transmit weather and oceanographic data to researchers onshore. The buoy is powered by wind turbines and solar panels – which charge lithium iron phosphate marine ba eries – and can be configured to harness wave energy. "Think of the buoy itself as a floa ng self-recharging ba ery pack. The sensors can vary, but currently it collects oceanography, meteorological and contact data for Navy weather models and mari me domain awareness research," David Nystrom, strategic communica on director for the Naval Postgraduate School, told Light Reading in an email. The buoy's 5G connec vity is supported by a low-band 5G RAN and an omnidirec onal antenna that AT&T installed on the buoy. The buoy connects to a cell site at the NPS campus via a terrestrial wireless mid-haul solu on. AT&T's 5G network on the buoy is also available to mariners within a 0.5 mile range, and they can access the network to make 5G calls. "Extending 5G connec vity beyond the reach of tradi onal coastal networks also promises in the future to bring the benefits of high-speed data to mariners limited by cellular, VHF radio and more expensive satellite communica on," according to a blog post by Naval Postgraduate School's (NPS) Dan Linehan. The buoy has a three-point mooring system to anchor the device, and AT&T's onboard technology can compensate for the buoy's small movements in the water. Starlink provides backup satellite connec vity for the buoy as well. "5G technology offers a valuable, low-cost, off-the-shelf solu on for internet access, high-speed data transmission and communica on capabili es," a spokesperson for AT&T told Light Reading, regarding the benefits of using 5G for this offshore research use case. The PowerBuoy is equipped with oceanographic and meteorological sensors, surface radar, a HD/IR camera, GPS, Starlink antenna and AT&T 5G network technologies to deliver weather and mari me-related research data. In the future, 5G mari me networks could use a "mul -hop" system to pass network signals between buoys, ships and the shore via a data link to distribute weather and naviga onal data, explained NPS' Linehan. However, there remain a number of challenges to using 5G for mari me research, including signal propaga on, harsh environmental condi ons and access to reliable terrestrial network infrastructure, added Linehan. Local researchers and academic ins tu ons that study the Monterey Bay – including the University of California at Santa Cruz, San Jose State University and Cal State Monterey Bay – will have access to data collected from the buoy's sensors. In addi on to tracking data such as windspeed, humidity, sea surface temperature and salinity, the buoy has a passive acous c sensor to track tagged great white sharks and other marine species. AT&T said the 5G-equipped buoy will be in opera on 24/7 for at least three years. Ar cle Credit: h ps://www.lightreading.com/5g/at-t-takes-5g- to-the-high-seas Talleycom.com SHEET QUARTER 3 2025