DeepSig And SRS Chosen By DOD FutureG Office To Lead OCUDU: The Open-Source 5G/6G RAN Initiative
Arlington, VA (BUSINESS WIRE) - DeepSig, a pioneer in AI-native wireless communications software, today announced it has been awarded a contract under the National Spectrum Consortium (NSC) Spectrum Forward OTA, on behalf of the FutureG Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). Through this award, DeepSig will partner with leading RAN software developer Software Radio Systems (SRS) to deliver a scalable, carrier-grade RAN software stack for 5G, 6G, and AI-RAN in coordination with the Linux Foundation.
The award supports the Department of Defense’s (DOD) mission to build a secure, resilient, and adaptable open-source platform for 5G and future 6G networks. By accelerating the development of an open-source 5G/6G distributed unit (DU) and central unit (CU) ecosystem, the project will strengthen U.S. capabilities while empowering the government, industry, and research community to drive new wireless innovation and rapidly build and prototype new Next-G capabilities into a common open stack.
“DeepSig is honored to lead this pivotal initiative to accelerate the DOD’s adoption of open source 5G and 6G networks,” said DeepSig CEO Jim Shea. “By combining the strength of the srsRAN community with DeepSig’s AI-native expertise, we will deliver an open CU and DU reference implementation that advances interoperability, security and fuels innovation across defense applications and the broader global wireless ecosystem.”
"For more than a decade, SRS has been committed to building open, carrier-grade RAN software that empowers innovation across government, industry, and academia. With the OCUDU initiative, we are taking the next step by creating the ‘Linux of RAN’ — a neutrally-governed, carrier-grade, and open-source software platform for 5G, 6G, and beyond. By transitioning our proven srsRAN software to the Linux Foundation and partnering with AI-RAN experts DeepSig, we are ensuring a transparent, secure, and sustainable ecosystem that will align public and private sector goals while supporting innovation at scale,” said Paul Sutton, CEO of Software Radio Systems (SRS).
The OCUDU project addresses critical DOD communications challenges by moving beyond proprietary systems that restrict flexibility, slow innovation and create vendor lock-in. The delivered software will adhere to 3GPP and O-RAN Alliance specifications, while providing a modular, hardware-agnostic solution that operates efficiently across diverse deployment architectures.
This award advances the maturity, test, and availability of open CU and DU implementations, two of the most critical enablers of disaggregated RAN architecture. It directly supports the DOD CIO’s directive to expand the use of secure open source software as well as OUSD(R&E)’s strategy to strengthen public-private collaboration in Open RAN. Under this effort, significant investments will be made to expand, harden, and test the OCUDU feature set and capabilities, as well as to engage with a wide range of partners to evaluate and adopt the OCUDU RAN platform. To help accelerate Next-Gen development and deployment on OCUDU, DeepSig will further leverage its experience in AI/ML, Next-Gen, and accelerated computing to optimize RAN performance and efficiency, and to build out key AI-RAN reference platforms using OCUDU to accelerate adoption.
Through the SRSRAN-OCUDU project, DeepSig and SRS are ensuring the DOD and its partners have access to an open, secure and carrier-grade open CU and DU software platform that supports mission-critical defense operations while providing a foundation for diverse global 5G Advanced and 6G development. The initiative also brings the government, industry, and the research community into closer alignment, reinforcing U.S. leadership in secure and interoperable wireless infrastructure and allowing for a faster path for research, development, maturation, and deployment.
Read more about how OCUDU is transforming open 5G/6G development in our full blog post.
About DeepSig, Inc.
DeepSig is a pioneer in AI native wireless communications. Its transformative technology pushes the boundaries of spectrum sensing, wireless performance and network capabilities. Drawing on a unique blend of expertise in deep learning, wireless systems and signal processing, DeepSig’s AI/ML powered software enhances security, efficiency and capacity for tactical and commercial wireless communications in licensed or shared radio spectrum, and in existing 5G Open RAN or AI native next generation networks.
About Software Radio Systems Limited
Software Radio Systems (SRS) is a global leader in open wireless innovation, dedicated to developing high-performance, carrier-grade RAN software that underpins mission-critical deployments across terrestrial and satellite systems. For over a decade, SRS has driven the advancement of open source solutions through its flagship srsRAN project, enabling rapid prototyping, testing and deployment of ground-breaking wireless technology. By championing transparency, interoperability, and collaboration, SRS is helping shape the future of 5G, 6G, and beyond.
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