By Light Delivers Agile 5G Virtual Training System
Bonnie Nasim, Communications and Knowledge Manager, SignalCraft
"Using the NI Ettus USRP X410 with a customized SC2430, we operated a fully configurable 4G and 5G gNodeB supporting MIMO up to 200 MHz and 5 UEs. This setup allowed for custom frequencies, bandwidths, and standards delivering kilometers of tailored coverage and unique test conditions to better prepare soldiers for real-world challenges in the field."
—Jeff Adelman, Vice President, DoD Programs, By Light
The Challenge
Advancing next-generation training required overcoming the performance and control limits of public 5G systems. The challenge was to build a standalone, defense-focused network offering secure, configurable, and low-latency communication capable of supporting complex virtual environments for realistic, high-fidelity exercises.
The Solution
Engineers developed a 5G training network using an NI Ettus USRP X410 paired with a customized RF conditioning module. With flexible frequency control, precision timing, and enhanced RF performance, the integrated SDR platform provided the adaptability and responsiveness needed to meet rigorous defense specifications for real-world virtual training.
Figure 1 & 2: Integrated x410 and customized SC2430 deployed in the field for virtual Army training system
By Light Delivers Agile 5G Virtual Training System with NI Ettus USRP x410 and SignalCraft SC2430
By Light Professional IT Services, a systems engineering company focused on the defense sector, and headquartered in McLean, VA, is a leading supplier of innovative commercial solutions across a wide range of Department of Defense (DoD) and Federal Agency mission sets. Since its founding in 2002, By Light has grown from a small startup to a workforce of more than 2,000 professionals specializing in enterprise networking, both tactical and strategic infrastructure, as well as advanced modeling and simulation and cyber operations.
As part of a contract with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) under an Operational Transactional Authority (OTA) agreement, By Light was tasked with supporting the development of next-generation Army training technologies leveraging 5G networks. The objective was to explore alternatives to traditional commercial carrier-based solutions—specifically, commercial technologies that could offer greater security, flexibility, control, and customization for DoD applications. These challenges were compounded by significant timing constraints around proof-of-concept delivery. By Light needed to meet those criteria by first identifying a radio platform that could support a wide range of deployment scenarios while enabling tight integration with DoD-specific training environments.
The solution had to be open and adaptable. By Light’s highly skilled team had already been testing various software components in a lab setting but needed a hardware platform that could transition from controlled environments to real-world, demonstrable field applications. This set the stage for a search for a software defined radio (SDR) that could meet those specific technical and operational demands of Army training use cases.
To meet the demanding performance criteria of a 5G-based Army training system and working within strict time constraints, the By Light team selected a solution built around the NI Ettus USRP X410 SDR and the SignalCraft SC2430 NR Signal Conditioning Module (SCM). This combination provided the flexibility of an SDR with the RF performance enhancements needed to meet stringent DoD requirements. Designed to integrate directly with the X410, the SC2430 provided four independent transmit and receive channel pairs in a Time Division Duplex (TDD) configuration. SignalCraft customized the SCM’s hardware and firmware specifically for this application—adding power amplification, spurious filtering, and other features critical to meeting system-level specs.
Crucially, the custom SC2430 SCM solution addressed key limitations of the stand-alone SDR. It provided the power amplification necessary to achieve transmit output levels defined in the requirements and introduced critical filtering capabilities that suppressed unwanted spurious emissions and susceptibility.
Given the rapid development timeline, the team prioritized functionality. The integrated radio and signal conditioning hardware was housed in a custom enclosure mounted on a telescopic mast and deployed on a mobile platform. This approach allowed the team to demonstrate the core capabilities of the system in the field quickly, with plans for physical and power optimization following in subsequent phases, resulting in reduced form factor and other integration activities.
The solution ultimately delivered a flexible, high-performance platform tailored to DoD needs, capable of supporting advanced Army training use cases with 5G connectivity—while staying on schedule under intense time pressure.
Despite a compressed timeline and the need to pivot from an initially planned radio platform by another partner, By Light and SignalCraft were able to successfully deploy a functional 5G network using the NI Ettus USRP X410 paired with the custom SC2430 SCM. The solution was built and operational in time to support a critical demonstration for high-level stakeholders, where delays were not an option.
In field trials, the deployed system supported a variety of scenario-based Army training exercises that relied on high-throughput, low-latency communications—key performance criteria for 5G. These exercises included video and data transfers as well as more complex interactions involving virtualized equipment.
Figure 3: By Light’s Magic Core, a unique protocol stack, deploys five user equipment (UE) training scenarios to fielded soldiers, creating a virtual battlefield for safer, yet immersive, training
One standout example was a virtual mortar simulation in which a mortar crew dropped virtual rounds whose trajectories were calculated and relayed in real time via the 5G network. Fielded soldiers equipped with eye masks experienced the simulation through augmented feedback delivered over the wireless link. This level of interactivity and realism was made possible by the throughput and responsiveness of the SDR-based 5G solution.
Figure 4: A By Light map displays achieved wireless downlink coverage over several kilometers in a controlled environment involving complex interactions and virtualized equipment throughout.
The successful deployment of the 5G demonstration system highlights the effectiveness of the SDR plus RF front end approach in demanding over-the-air conditions. Despite tight scheduling demands, the system met performance expectations, validating both the technical strategy and the team’s execution. This outcome reinforces the viability of agile, software-defined architectures for high-performance, time-sensitive wireless applications.
About By Light
By Light Professional IT Services LLC readies warfighters and federal agencies with technology and systems engineered to connect, protect, and prepare for every next. Delivering mission-ready modeling, simulation, and training with customized trainers and high-fidelity cyber ranges to anticipate the next action and dominate the next outcome, By Light trains cyber-ready workforces and deliver enterprise security from identity to monitoring, to detect, deter, and defeat every next threat.
About SignalCraft
SignalCraft designs and develops innovative high-frequency digital and RF products, offering both off-the-shelf and fully customized solutions. Whether you need rapid deployment or tailored precision, SignalCraft supports innovators across test and industrial sectors.
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