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Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund

America’s Wireless Innovation Fund:Securing Our Future

Overview

5G and successor wireless technologies are already transforming our world and have the potential to change even more – revolutionizing how we work, how we live, how we do business, and how we care for our health. From ultra-fast download speeds to AI-managed industrial and commercial systems, the possibilities ​continue to increase.​

However, today’s 5G equipment market​ is highly consolidated, with a small group of suppliers making up most of the marketplace. This lack of competition can reduce supply chain security, ​contribute to​​ ​higher prices, and ​make it challeng​ing​ for new, innovative companies to break into the market.

To address this issue, the Biden-Harris Administration, led by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), is working to catalyze the development and adoption of open, interoperable, and standards-based networks through the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund. Authorized under the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and funded through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, this ten-year grant program will help drive wireless innovation, foster competition, and strengthen supply chain resilience. It will also help unlock opportunities for companies from the United States and its global allies, particularly small and medium enterprises, to compete in a market historically dominated by a few suppliers, including high-risk suppliers that raise security concerns.

The Innovation Fund aims to facilitate the adoption of open and interoperable wireless networks by:

  • Accelerating commercial deployment of open, interoperable equipment;
  • Promoting and deploying compatibility of new 5G equipment;
  • Managing integration of multi-vendor network environments;
  • Identifying criteria to define equipment as compliant with open standards; and
  • Promoting and deploying security features and network function virtualization for multivendor, interoperable networks.

NTIA is excited to lead the work of implementing the Innovation Fund. We will share more details about the program and the timeline for implementation as they become available. If you have questions about the Innovation Fund, please contact us. If you would like, you can subscribe to updates about the Innovation Fund. 

The first awardees for the Innovation Fund's Research & Development and Testing & Evaluation grants have been announced. Visit the Grant Programs page to learn more about these awards and grantees. 

 

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The Innovation Fund Awardee section combines details for federally-funded grant projects and their recipients to enable transparent access to program participation information.

Grant Programs
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The Grant Management section has the details you need to learn more about the Innovation Fund Grant Program and how to apply.

Grant Management
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The News and Updates page connects you to the latest information and details related to program updates and announcements for the Public Safety Wireless Innovation Fund. See press releases, blog posts, remarks, and other updates below.

News & Updates

Related content

Biden-Harris Administration Awards First Grants from Wireless Innovation Fund

August 08, 2023

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded nearly $5.5 million in the first round of grants from the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund. 

The $1.5 billion Wireless Innovation Fund supports the development of open and interoperable wireless networks as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda.

Topics
Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund

Opening Remarks from Alan Davidson Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information

Welcome and thank you all for participating in today’s information session. I’d also like to thank Amanda Toman, the head of our Wireless Innovation Fund, and the rest of the team for their work on today’s event and this important initiative. We are thrilled to share details and answer questions about the launch of the first round of funding from our $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund. As a starting point, we need to support American competitiveness at home and around the world. American leadership and innovation in technology has been critical to our economic and national security for decades. And our success in leading the world in wireless telecommunications is a key component of that.
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