WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded more than $117 million in the second batch of grants from the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund’s second Notice of Funding Opportunity.
The $1.5 billion Wireless Innovation Fund supports the development of open and interoperable wireless networks. Open and interoperable wireless equipment will help drive competition, strengthen global supply chain resilience, and lower costs for consumers and network operators.
“Wireless innovation is a major driver for U.S. competition,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in open and interoperable wireless networks will help secure global leadership and increase competition in the wireless market.”
This batch of awards will support projects focused on open radio unit innovation and commercialization. Applicants were required to partner with a mobile network operator to help produce products that will be commercially viable.
What They’re Saying
A diverse group of stakeholders have offered their support for these grants.
“Our awards today are tackling a major wireless network expense head-on with support to bring more open radio units to market,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. “These projects will shore up the hardware supply chain and create new opportunities for companies from the U.S. and its allies along the way.”
The funding totals $117,369,604 and was awarded to nine projects. So far, NTIA has awarded more than $530 million from the Wireless Innovation Fund.
Funded by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the Innovation Fund will invest $1.5 billion over the next decade to support the development of open and interoperable networks. NTIA will make up to $420 million in grants available on a rolling basis from the second Notice of Funding Opportunity.