The General Services Administration (GSA) is well-known for its work implementing tech solutions across the Federal government, but a GSA official this week praised the work being done at the municipal level to provide 5G services in cities across the country.
“We’ve been working very closely with various cities, but one in particular that’s really paid dividends across the board has been working with the city of Las Vegas,” said Sam Navarro, GSA’s director of the customer engagement division in the Information Technology Category (ITC), speaking during a 5G in Government Forum hosted by Federal News Network.
Navarro said the city has “been able to add smart interfaces into the network” and touted the ability of the city’s first responders to change their patrolling routines based on traffic status. He also said the network has enabled distance learning for students during the coronavirus pandemic.
The view from a city office was more measured. “These systems are very new and are still being tested at this time, so it is rather early to discuss benefits while the trials are underway,” said Jace Radke, senior public information officer for the city of Las Vegas, in an email to MeriTalk.
“The city has been working on several CBRS [Citizens Broadband Radio Service] pilot systems in key locations throughout our Innovation District,” he said.
CBRS is a spectrum sharing regime that enables coordination between military/Federal government users and others who might need access to the radio frequencies. Radke said the city shared the information about the CBRS pilot systems with GSA during a meeting several months ago, and is continuing discussions with the administration as well as other government and commercial entities.
GSA’s Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) communications services contract and multiple award schedules contract are the vehicles by which these services are available, Navarro said.
