The General Services Administration is conducting market research on current and potential providers of open radio access network, or ORAN, products, services and versions, such as virtual radio access and open virtual radio access networks.

Through the RFI, GSA hopes to gain information that could support its efforts to meet the requirements of the National Strategy to Secure 5G and the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2020, the agency said Friday.

The RFI is focused on four main areas, two of which are the identification of ORAN market leaders and risk factors. GSA also wants to evaluate current contract language and provisions as related to the government’s 5G strategy and discover areas in which GSA “should develop additional collateral on our vehicles and products for internal and external consumption.”

In support of this initiative, GSA’s Office of Information Technology Category will work to pinpoint current vendors with multiple award schedule contract awards and/or government-wide acquisition contracts for ORAN and associated services and products.  

The agency’s Office of Enterprise Technology Solutions and Technical Account Management Division will also participate in the research.

GSA will accept responses through 5 p.m. Oct. 31.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is also investing in ORAN. In July, Echostar established a lab for vendor ORAN testing, which was financed by a $50 million grant made through the agency’s Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.

NASA and partners AeroVironment and Aerostar have demonstrated an air traffic management system that could enable aircraft to operate in higher altitudes.

The agency said Friday that the team tested Upper-Class E traffic management, or ETM, by simulating airspace operations in a laboratory setting at its Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

Operating at Upper-Class E Airspace

The demonstration, conducted in the Airspace Operations Laboratory at Ames, used data from multiple air vehicles to create a digital environment in which participants could study the relationship between AeroVironment’s slow fixed-wing vehicle and Aerostar’s high-altitude balloon.

Each aircraft was connected to the ETM traffic management system for high altitude and shared its real-time locations and flight plans with other aircraft. Using this technique, Aerostar and AeroVironment operators were able to coordinate and deconflict without needing approval from air traffic control. The elimination of this step allowed operators to achieve wireless communication relay during the experiment. 

According to NASA, the simulation marks the first time that a traffic management system facilitated diverse high-altitude aircraft operations in the same simulated airspace.

Benefits of Unlocking Higher Altitudes

The Upper-Class ETM was developed in collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration as well as commercial organizations. It is part of NASA’s National Airspace System Exploratory Concepts and Technologies, or NExCT, which aims to integrate and scale air traffic across Upper Class E airspace. 

Today, altitudes of 60,000 feet and above are underutilized due to limitations in aircraft engine and propulsion systems, but recent advancements in aviation technology have made it possible for aircraft and airborne vehicles, such as airships and solar aircraft, to fly higher. Leveraging higher altitudes can provide benefits like improved disaster response and better internet coverage. It could also pave the way for advancements in supersonic air travel.

The Digital Twin Consortium has refreshed the definitions of “digital twin” and “digital thread.”

These changes are intended to better represent the relationship between these terms and key digital engineering principles, the organization said earlier this month.

Dan Isaacs, general manager and chief technology officer of the DTC, said the updates “reflect the evolving landscape of digital engineering” and will help create “a common understanding that bridges multiple sectors and applications over the digital twin lifecycle.”

The new digital twin definition describes the technology as “an integrated data-driven virtual representation of real-world entities and processes, with synchronized interaction at a specified frequency and fidelity.”

According to David McKee, co-chair of the DTC Capabilities and Technology Working Group and lead author of the organization’s definition team, the updated digital twin definition is grounded in physics and “emphasizes synchronization and data, with a model-based approach tied to engineering technology.”

A digital thread is defined as “a bidirectional, dependable and trustworthy interconnected information system that links multiple dimensions, including structure, behavior, space, time and lifecycle stages.”

“Intrinsically linked to the digital twin, the refined digital thread definition highlights critical elements, including seamless, secure data flow across the product lifecycle and all organizations, silos and stakeholders,” McKee said.

These revisions were informed by the 2024 Foundational Research Gaps and Future Directions for Digital Twins report, which was published by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine earlier this year and draws attention to the mirroring capabilities and other attributes of digital twins. 

Through the changes, DTC hopes to “foster greater understanding, more transparent communication for more effective collaboration and accelerated innovation and adoption throughout the digital twin ecosystem,” said Isaacs.

Digital twins are one capability the Defense Department is exploring as it modernizes to meet the demands of today’s shifting national security landscape. Hear experts discuss digital twins and other key technologies at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 23, where public and private sector leaders will weigh in on the Pentagon’s top technology priorities. Access all the insights they have to offer at the 2025 Defense R&D Summit.