Video summary

How To Run Your Own Cell Network - Private LTE and ATAK

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Technology overview (cell network for tactical comms with ATAK)

The video explains options for keeping a distributed team connected when they’re out of earshot, comparing:

  • VHF/UHF two-way radios (e.g., Baofeng; higher-end EF Johnson/Motorola)
  • Mesh / tactical mesh systems
  • Private LTE using phones with SIM cards and an ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit) workflow

Core theme: tradeoffs between voice + limited data (location/text) versus higher data capability, along with the cost/complexity differences.

Communications options compared

VHF/UHF radios

  • Strong for voice and good range
  • ATAK integration can transmit some location info, but data transmission is highly limited

Mesh / tactical mesh

  • Good range
  • Low data throughput, mainly suited for voice
  • Supports basic location data

High-end “radio + proprietary stack” (e.g., Silvus, Harris)

  • Very capable: supports ATAK/tactical planning/location software
  • Can support streaming video and richer team situational awareness
  • Very expensive: cited ~$10k–$15k per person
  • Uses proprietary software

Why LTE is presented as the scalable alternative

Private LTE via existing smartphones

  • Goal: equip large teams quickly at lower cost by using devices people already own (phones)
  • Process:
    1. Install a SIM card into a phone
    2. Phone registers on a pre-programmed network once the server is running
  • SIM cost: mentioned as about $1 per card

Claims about capability and security

  • Uses LTE to provide encrypted voice/data comparable to what high-end systems aim to do (at least for voice/location-style data)
  • Emphasis: major carriers (Verizon/AT&T/T-Mobile/etc.) aren’t typically “hacked over LTE”
  • Main risk is more often data-center / data security, not the LTE radio layer itself
    • (With a caveat to follow good security practices at the organization level.)

DIY mesh/Wi-Fi vs LTE deployment

“DIY mesh” approach (Wi‑Fi-based)

  • Can provide decent range/speed
  • Requires more hardware (routers, power supplies, cabling)
  • More complexity to set up and deploy

LTE approach

  • Simpler for field teams:
    • Deploy server/tower (described later)
    • Insert SIM cards into phones
  • Slightly more time-intensive only if building your own LTE server from scratch
  • If infrastructure is already set up: “slap a card in and turn on.”

Deployment and range expectations (field testing)

  • Range depends on:
    • Elevation
    • Obstructions between the device and tower
  • Field test cited:
    • Using a 12V battery + solar panel powered portable system
    • ~4–5 km range while streaming 720p
    • With a small portable antenna system

Tuning/expansion options

  • Increase power and/or use multiple radios for larger coverage
  • Use point-to-point links or Starlink as backhaul
  • Support coverage across multiple vehicles via distributed devices for better spatial coverage

System architecture (what the “boxes” do)

Simplified mental model

  • Phone ≠ radio
  • The phone talks to the LTE radio, which handles communications between radios and forwards/tethers to phones.

Portable system components described

  • A portable battery box and solar charging setup
  • A box that includes:
    • Server
    • PoE network switch (Power over Ethernet) for powering radios

PoE network switch

  • Provides power over Ethernet to radios
  • Can power up to four radios

Offline vs backhaul

  • Portable system can run completely offline
  • Optional connectivity via Starlink (or another data provider) for backhaul
  • Or connection to an internet/home base if needed

Server options (rugged vs more enterprise-like)

The video shows/mentions multiple server configurations:

  • An older enterprise HP computer converted into an ATAK LTE server
    • Not ruggedized
    • Better for static/vehicle-mounted contexts
  • A more capable server
    • Beefier compute/software capacity
    • More storage
    • Includes networking/switching and cable management

Intended use:

  • Teams operating across multiple vehicles and/or static buildings may benefit from the larger version (more software and resources).

Security discussion (who can intercept)

The speaker frames threat models as two categories:

  1. Nation-states / government-grade adversaries (capable of interception if they choose)
  2. Neighbors / corporate espionage / local adversaries

Claims:

  • A “good hacker” cannot “crack LTE”
  • Carrier networks aren’t typically compromised “over LTE”
  • More often, issues come from endpoint/data center security
  • Recommends strong operational security and data management at the organization’s base of operations

Extending the network to other devices

  • The speaker says they’re developing pieces to connect devices via LTE to the server (details not disclosed yet)
  • General principle:
    • Any device that works with major carriers (Verizon/AT&T/T-Mobile/Sprint) could be added using a SIM provisioned on the private network

Example use case:

  • Stationary antenna at a ranch/town: connect cameras, drones, phones, etc., to communicate privately with a base station.

Portability:

  • Server can run at home/ranch and be taken to another location (e.g., camping) to reconnect children’s phones and enable view/communication.

Interoperability between different LTE servers (“federated servers”)

  • Question raised: what if two teams have LTE setups but aren’t on the same protocols/standards?
  • Mentioned concept: federated servers
    • One server acts as a primary, others as secondary
    • Combined automatically through programming/software solutions
  • Status: described as a research phase, so details are limited

Does it replace radios/mesh?

Direct answer: No

  • “Two is one and one is nine”: keep voice comms (often independent of ATAK/LTE)
  • Phones can potentially act as a backup/secondary using software-defined radio
  • But the video emphasizes you still need radios as a redundancy layer

Voice/text functionality (how comms work here)

  • Phone-number-style calling:
    • Not currently provisioned as normal phone calls between users
  • Communications modes described:
    • Push-to-talk voice via ATAK
    • Text messaging through ATAK
  • Video implication: voice and messaging are handled inside the ATAK workflow

Where to learn more (guide/tutorial pointers)

The speaker directs viewers to:

  • novasystems.tech

In the “Info” section (with brief summaries and documentation links) for:

  • Open5G server
  • OpenTAK / OpenATK (subtitles mention “open tax server,” likely related to an Open5G/OpenTAK-style stack)

Recommendation:

  • Read through the linked documentation.

Main speakers / sources

  • Nova Systems (novasystems.tech) — described as the organization building/deploying the system
  • Software referenced as sources/components:
    • Open5G server
    • OpenTAK / OpenATK (“open tax server” per subtitles)
  • Equipment/stack examples mentioned:
    • Silvus, Harris
    • Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile
    • ATAK and related tactical planning/location software

Original video