Zero Trust Security and Cohere's US$28m US Military Contract

The US Department of War has chosen Cohere Technologies for a contract worth US$28m to build a Multi-Waveform Radio Access Network prototype for Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC).

The system will combine wireless communications with object detection capabilities using radio signals.

ISAC technology allows mobile networks to transmit data whilst simultaneously detecting physical objects.

The capability was originally planned for 6G networks, but demand has accelerated development timelines ahead of formal standardisation work at 3GPP.

According to Cohere, the urgency stems partly from drone warfare tactics used in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Telecoms vendors are working to deploy ISAC systems before 6G standards are finalised.

Waveform performance in high-speed environments

The Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveform used in 5G networks was not designed for sensing applications.

Cohere has developed an alternative called Zak-Orthogonal Time Frequency and Space (OTFS), which forms the basis of its Pulsone Technology.

The Zak-OTFS waveform operates in high-Doppler environments where objects move at high speeds relative to transmitters or receivers.

Cohere notes Zak-OTFS delivers four times better performance than OFDM for target detection and tracking multiple simultaneous targets.

The waveform can detect objects one quarter the size that OFDM can detect. Cohere states that its link budget properties are superior to existing systems.

The FutureG Office within the Department of War is funding the contract. The work expands on a National Science Foundation VINES Phase 2 project.

Sovereign surveillance across commercial infrastructure

Cohere describes the system as a sovereign, mission-first ISAC capability that uses existing and future commercial 5G and 6G infrastructure for persistent aerial and ground surveillance.

The multi-waveform prototype is designed to detect, classify, track and cue defeat systems against drone threats.

The system operates in commercial spectrum bands. This could make it difficult for adversaries to distinguish sensing activity from normal cellular communications.

Tom Rondeau, Principal Director for FutureG, Office Of The Under Secretary of War for Research & Engineering, says the technology addresses a priority threat.

"ISAC is a mission-first priority for the U.S. Department of War to defend against drone swarms," he says.

"Due to guidance from leadership to execute rapidly, we required a partner with the right technology ready today.

"As a proven innovator with a demonstrated ability to build multi-waveform platforms, Cohere Technologies offered a clear path that we could move on immediately."

Sensing performance in Doppler domains

Tom explains that Cohere's OTFS modulation carries "information directly in the sensing domain, delivering massive communications and sensing performance advantages in high-Doppler environments".

This allows for rapid critical ISAC capabilities while building on an innovate-first posture, demonstrating the tremendous opportunity for innovation brought by the FutureG Open Centralized Unit Distributed Unit (OCUDU) platform.

The OCUDU platform provides an open architecture for the deployment.

"This ISAC contract from DoW represents a major milestone for Cohere and for the future of dual-use wireless technology," says Ray Dolan, Chairman and CEO of Cohere Technologies.

"By combining our Pulsone Technology with conventional OFDM in a flexible, software-defined architecture, we can deliver high-performance sensing that is affordable, scalable and operationally invisible-exactly what is needed to counter the growing threat of sophisticated drone and Unmanned Aerial Systems." 

The system supports both OFDM and Zak-OTFS waveforms within the same platform.

Software-defined multi-waveform architecture

Cohere will develop several components under the contract.

The company will build a multi-waveform physical layer running on an open, extensible software stack that supports both traditional 4G and 5G OFDM and Pulsone Technology.

A mobile test platform will enable bi-static and multi-static sensing configurations.

Cohere will develop what it terms a Layered Inference Sensing system that converts raw Delay-Doppler data into real-time 3D tracks with classification and confidence scoring.

Testing will take place in outdoor environments supporting mono-static, bi-static and multi-static sensing configurations. The system must comply with FutureG OCUDU platform specifications and Zero Trust security requirements.

Further from defence applications including battlefield awareness, border security and critical infrastructure protection, the programme will identify parallel commercial use cases. These could include Advanced Air Mobility, smart city traffic management and public safety applications.

Zero Trust compliance requirements

Under the contract, the work will be executed in collaboration with government technical authorities and programme partners. 

The system architecture must meet Zero Trust security standards as specified by the FutureG programme.

"This ISAC project award validates Cohere's long-term vision of building sovereign, future-proof wireless infrastructure that serves both national security and commercial markets," Ray says.

"We are proud to work alongside the FutureG Office and partners to deliver technology that strengthens our nation's ability to sense and respond in contested environments." 

The system aims to operate covertly within commercial cellular networks whilst providing continuous surveillance capabilities.