5G is essential to the future of wireless communications, but in the United States, we’re still dealing with some hurdles to widespread deployment. In Executive Mosaic’s latest video interview, we sat down with Gen. Rob Spalding, CEO of SEMPRE, to learn more about what’s standing in the way of 5G and what can be done to knock those barriers down.
Curious about 5G in the U.S. Navy? Hear Rob Spalding speak on a panel at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit on Aug. 15 to learn more about the Navy’s 5G use cases. Register now to attend.
“Unfortunately, the way we’ve architected infrastructure today has been in a highly centralized manner,” Spalding told Executive Mosaic’s Summer Myatt. “As you can imagine, if you’re highly centralized and you take out that single location that the network’s relying on, then you may have perfectly functioning cell towers around you, but they don’t work.”
“We don’t build centralized networks in the military. We build highly decentralized networks because they’re much more resilient,” he added.
Spalding shared that cellular technology used to be a convenience, but now, it’s “absolutely necessary.” And because of its increasing importance, we need to be building networks that are resilient and secure so that we can rely on them in times of crisis or conflict. Spalding argued that as we look to the future of 5G, we must build more decentralized infrastructure.
In addition to his role as CEO of SEMPRE, Spalding is also a retired U.S. Air Force general and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. His work primarily focuses on U.S.-China relations, as well as economic and national security. Earlier in his career, Spalding was the White House National Security Council senior director for strategic planning.
Meet Rob Spalding on Aug. 15 at the 2024 Navy Summit — register to attend the Navy Summit today!
