ABOUT THE DIN

Spectrum Scanning for 5G Mobile Private Network: Dynamic Interference Detection and Avoidance

Cognitive Advantage

About the Company

Cognitive Advantage is an Australian veteran-owned small business keeping warfighters connected. Its Edge Spark® products unify satellite, cellular, edge compute and mesh radio technologies into low-signature units that are fast and easy to set up, even in high-pressure situations. The company supplies tactical and special communications solutions with through-life support to multiple branches of the ADF. Edge Spark® Tactical 5G is currently fielded by the ADF.

Project Objective

The Edge Spark® Tactical 5G solution uses deployable, ruggedised small cells to generate on-demand 5G mobile private network coverage. In contested and congested spectrum environments, the ability to dynamically detect and avoid interference is critical for operational continuity. The intern will investigate techniques for band scanning, channel quality quantification and channel switching, develop a software-defined radio (SDR) prototype implementation, and test it against real Edge Spark® hardware in a field environment. Successful outcomes will be considered for inclusion in the product roadmap.

Project Tasks

• Phase 1 — Week 1 (Onboarding): Team onboarding; familiarise with Edge Spark® hardware/software stack, 5G network architecture and the SDR development environment.
• Phase 2 — Weeks 2–4 (Research): Investigate dynamic interference detection and avoidance techniques; implement band analysis, visualisation and quantification approaches. Output: band analysis software tools.
• Phase 3–4 — Weeks 4–8 (Lab development): Develop SDR-based dynamic interference detection and avoidance prototype; implement channel selection optimisation. Output: channel optimisation software tools.
• Phase 5–6 — Weeks 9–12 (Integration and field testing): Integrate software into Edge Spark® product; conduct field-based testing with the R&D team; evaluate and report. Output: integrated tools, field test results and final evaluation report.

Intern Skills

• Strong problem-solving ability; broadly familiar with computer systems.
• Understanding of telecommunications, RF engineering or physics is a bonus — but candidates from other fields who want to apply research skills to a new domain are actively welcomed.
• Capable of working both independently and collaboratively; enthusiastic to learn new skills quickly.
• Australian nationals only.

How to apply

Eligible students (Australian citizens) apply via the online application form and submit a CV and motivation letter by 6 September 2026.