Mission Critical Broadband for Professionals
LTEflash
PUBLISHED BY MCCRESOURCES
Zetron announces new remote command-ancontrol suite
About the successful integration of TETRA with LTE
Prepare for the mobile broadband revolution
2013 Issue 1
1
Featured articles... A compilation of news, messages and interesting articles about Mission Critical and Public Safety Broadband
03
Zetron announces new remote command-andcontrol suite
04
LTEtra Node - a LTE/TETRA solution
05
Etelm e-TBS - Mission Critical Communications over LTE
08
LTE for Public Safety in Europe according to NSN
09
TCCA advises timescales for Critical communications Services over LTE
11
What do you know about SALUS?
13
Prepare for the mobile Broadband revolution
16
Will LTE broadband replace public-safety, missioncritical LMR voice systems in 3-5 years? LTEflash - 1
Zetron TETRA Console Systems:
At the Heart of What You Do For over 30 years, Zetron console systems have been
Zetron TETRA Console Systems give you: Support for small to large centres
Scalability;
Reliability and high availability.
resources,
over 20,000 public safety, rail,
emea@zetron.com or call +44 1256 880 663 www.zetron.com LTEflash - 2
Zetron Announces New Remote Command-and-Control Suite Zetron is announced and provided live demonstrations of its new Remote Command-and-Control Suite running on tablet PCs at the APCO Conference and Expo that was held on Aug. 18-21, 2013, in Anaheim, California. The suite allows public-safety agencies to deploy remote, temporary, backup and mobile operations quickly and securely, wherever and whenever such operations are needed. The Remote Command-and-Control Suite allows agencies to run Zetron’s Advanced Communications System (Acom) System, MAX Dispatch, MAX Call-Taking, and Mobile CAD on tablet PCs at remote locations. This is a major breakthrough for public-safety agencies that were previously limited by the constraints imposed by older technologies and the time, equipment, and costs required to deploy them. By contrast, the Remote Command-and-Control Suite allows agencies to deploy remote, temporary, backup and mobile operations quickly and securely, wherever and whenever such operations are needed. The suite also fully supports interoperability, allowing dispatchers to connect to multiple radio channels simultaneously, make telephone calls, and patch calls to radio users. “Whatever the customer’s situation demands ―whether it’s on-site dispatch for a major incident, remote call-taking during a natural disaster, or a need to push incident information out to first responders on scene―Zetron’s Remote Commandand-Control Suite can be utilized effectively in that mobile environment,” said Zetron V.P. of Product Management and Marketing, Kathy Broadwell. “And it does so without sacrificing any of the features or functionality that are available inside the control room. By capitalizing on wi-fi and LTE technologies, Zetron is able to give customers the flexibility to move their command and control outside the control room to wherever they need it to be.”
LTEflash - 3
a LTE/TETRA solution Rohill, specialized in the development, production and sales of professional mobile communication infrastructures recently announced two pilot installations of its LTEtraNode system (a LTE/TETRA solution). To demonstrate their innovative communications solutions to international users Rohill has teamed up with two telecommunication operator companies. The pilots will be based upon public LTE to be integrated with TETRA networks and serve the mutual needs of mission critical and broadband of the blue light user groups. One pilot will be hosted in Europe where the other one will be located outside. Further details will be communicated in separate announcements. As one of the leading providers of critical communication Rohill has successfully integrated TETRA with LTE from Huawei and AlcatelLucent and is working on integration with two further LTE platform suppliers. Besides integration with public LTE, Rohill is also working on private LTE solutions subject to availability of frequency spectrum and commits itself to support all leading LTE equipment providers. “After the Critical Communication World exhibition in Paris this year
we have received a very positive feedback and many inquiries for our innovative LTEtraNode solution. Rohill has been leading this industry and two years ago on Budapest Critical Communication World we have introduced LTE integration and have maintained our technology leading position in the mission critical wireless industry since then. Rohill sees heterogeneous network solutions as the future for country wide mission critical communication networks. For this Rohill fully supports open network and modern IP switching technology on carrier grade platforms. The strong advantage for the user is an integrated solution for voice and data according the TETRA feature set with support of broadband data applications. We are excited to make the next step now and work on two pilot installations in 2013 to integrate our solutions with private and public operator-based LTE networks� says Bert Bouwers, CTO of Rohill. The LTE/TETRA solution enables the mission critical end user to access the same data capacity and capabilities that already have been successfully introduced for public networks. This together with equipment that meets the mission critical requirements in relation to the availability, reliability and encryption makes it an interesting solution for customers. The LTEtraNode solution and future developments will not only aim for the public safety market but for the whole enterprise market like
transportation, utilities, oil & gas and industry. TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) communication standard is widely used and deployed for mission and business critical voice communications. TETRA provides significant advantages compared to other radio systems, such as the voice quality, the communication features (trunking, priority/ preemption, encryption, recording, etc.) and its interoperability capabilities. Private Mobile Radio (PMR) network users increasingly would like to utilize critical communications-specific broadband applications to improve quality of response and to improve efficiency. LTE (Long Term Evolution), also known as 4G offers much higher uplink and downlink data rates lower latency (allowing a call setup time which is better than what can be achieved by the TETRA standard) and high-speed mobility compared to other access technologies. These features make the technology suitable for building the next-generation mission critical communications networks and applications. The networks are capable of delivering highbandwidth and demanding applications such as video-based situational awareness, monitoring and interventional applications.
LTEflash - 4
Etelm E-TBS - Mission Critical Communications over LTE TETRA has been very successful in delivering mission critical voice with simultaneous narrowband data services for emergency services and other sectors, and as with all successful technologies the price has decreased over time, whilst the level of functionality has increased. However significant changes are taking place in the professional mobile radio industry driven largely by the demand for high speed data services, and the fact that in many major regions the Public Safety community has declared their interest in adopting LTE as the standard for broadband mobile data services.
that of the commercial mobile networks; giving access to smart communications and advanced mobile applications.
The requirements of professional users for business critical data services and associated applications has increased dramatically over the last 10 years, the expectations of most professional users now is that their communications should retain the mission critical functionality and resilience, but also give access to high speed mobile data applications and services, similar or better than
ETELM of France, critical communications infrastructure providers for more than 30 years, has released the world’s first gatewayfree TETRA basestation, designed to operate seamlessly over LTE networks. The e-TBS allows both TETRA and LTE technologies to coexist on the same LTE Backbone network Evolved Packet Core [EPC].
Professional communications users will need to arrange commercial agreements with Mobile Network Operators [MNO’s] for their data services, and MNO’s are now looking to implement Professional Services over commercial networks. This represents a new demand for MNO’s and requires a significant change to the security and services offered to the traditional commercial mobile telephone user.
The e-TBS is the first TETRA Basestation to fully integrate to the LTE EPC using the LTE standard S1 connection. This ensures that both Mission Critical TETRA services and LTE Business Critical Services can be rolled out on the same backbone network and both types of services can be retained by users. The user benefits by retaining Mission Critical, Life Safety communications plus the advanced capability of LTE mobile broadband data on the same core network.
LTEflash - 5
The benefits that the e-TBS brings to the market include: •
•
• •
• • •
Existing TETRA networks can be expanded and all subscriber equipment retained. There will be low cost migration and integration of narrowband and broadband technologies. Low population areas can be serviced through the narrowband network. There is always a network coverage solution where wideband frequency spectrum is limited. Existing software applications and control centres can be retained. Existing Backhaul may be integrated and form part of the LTE Core e-TBS Mobility Management
The e-TBS enables LTE and TETRA subscribers to communicate seamlessly without any change to the subscriber terminal device hardware, in addition the system allows existing Emergency Control Centre Applications to be retained and used for communicating to TETRA and LTE subscriber fleets. This allows MNO’s to offer both professional services and business critical services over a single, fully integrated network architecture using standard subscriber equipment. The e-TBS basestation provides full TETRA functionality over the LTE EPC Core, it is a fully distributed technology so no additional hardware is necessary to implement a national scale TETRA over LTE system. The TETRA basestation has it’s own software control system allowing automatic conversion of LTE numbering to TETRA and vice versa. The system allows MNO’s to easily add TETRA services to their LTE network at relatively low costs since much of the LTE infrastructure is being utilised
TETRA cannot offer broadband mobile data services and it was never designed to achieve broadband data speeds, so users must look to other technologies to ensure they have access to enhanced data services and applications to meet the growing need for operational and service efficiency. Professional Users worldwide are no looking to LTE to provide high speed mobile data services, however there are serious technical and commercial considerations that are currently under review to ensure that implementation of high speed data applications is not at the expense of mission critical/life safety functionality. The e-TBS offers a fully distributed, fully integrated solution to meet the needs of professional users critical voice communications whilst giving access to fully integrated high speed mobile data. Although LTE standards are addressing the need for PTT, Group Call and direct mode (talk thru) functionalities, it will be some time before technology implements these features and the level of added value mission critical services implemented over the last 15 years by TETRA is still several years away from being standardised in LTE and implemented in user equipments. It appears therefore that no single technology offers both mission critical services and high speed broadband mobile data, so a solution such as e-TBS allowing both technologies to co-exist on the same network allows MNO’s to install both technologies over the same network.
LTE Core as the LTE eNodeB and the same cell site infrastructure and power supplies can be used. Obviously due to the wider coverage area offered by TETRA compared to LTE the number of cell sites requiring the e-TBS will be approximately 5 or 6 times fewer than LTE eNodeB’s. This allows existing TETRA Users to retain their TETRA subscriber fleet and completely update their TETRA infrastructure to latest technology fully integrated to LTE. What about TETRA2 – TEDS ? TETRA 2 or TETRA Enhanced Data Service [TEDS] does not provide a significant improvement in data, although 500KB/s is theoretically possible, the realistic data speeds of 100KB/s are still way below the expectations of most Users; this does not compare with LTE speeds and would be outdated as soon as the system is installed. TEDS was conceived by large TETRA vendors seeking to leverage additional business from existing users by upgrading infrastructure, adding cell sites and changing subscriber equipment. Most Users now realise that with the advent of LTE for professional use TEDS is no longer viable for most professional users seeking to implement broadband speed, mobile data services; and now that products such as e-TBS bring TETRA critical services into a single LTE network then it is difficult to justify the cost/ benefits of any TEDS upgrade.
The deployment can be rapid as the TETRA service is using the same
Best of Both Technologies
LTEflash - 6
MNO or Private Systems Commercial Mobile Network Operators[MNO’s] are important to the implementation of next generation professional mobile communications. There is much debate from users and the traditional professional radio market as to whether MNO’s can provide services for professional users – these questions are related mainly to network resilience, security, functionality and network priorities over and above that of the commercial user. Network Resilience can easily be implemented based on the redundant architecture capabilities of the LTE EPC. The priority requirements involve technical and commercial arguments, however one would foresee that Users and MNO’s would be able to establish suitable Service Level Agreements to ensure that communications for Emergency Services are retained for any emergency incident. Security can be managed over the LTE core and within subscriber devices within Virtual Networks over the EPC. The functionality level however is reliant upon LTE standards and manufacturers of LTE infrastructure and subscriber equipment to introduce new features – the consensus is that the process will take 7 – 10 years for these services to be introduced at anything like the functionality level offered by TETRA. In most cases MNO’s are looking towards the Emergency Services market as the first adopters of LTE for professional use, however as the technology is deployed in this sector, the demand for service provision to other professional users will grow and the business model for operators becomes compelling. As TETRA technology cost and functionality has decreased, users in transportation, utilities, oil and gas, and commercial have all deployed TETRA systems – and these users represent additional customers to support the business case for MNO’s to deploy professional VPN services in parallel to their commercial services.
Current and Future Control Centre Applications Etelm’s view is that the future for professional communications technology is to allow applications to be developed in a similar way to Apps in the commercial sector for Android and iPhone systems. So Etelm has a fully open, license free API allowing it’s users and independent developers to connect existing or new applications directly to the e-TBS system. This opens up a significant advantage to Users by ensuring that their existing Control Centre applications can be retained, avoiding costly changes and operator training, whilst allowing an open platform for future control centre applications at a much lower costs than they have been accustomed to in the past.
The design of the LTE Core and built in mobility management lends itself well to this approach and with the e-TBS this enables integration between subscriber and control centre devices. Long Term Evolution Whilst the professional radio community is understandably looking towards LTE and will probably move to broadband in the future but, however there will remain a requirement for narrowband systems in parallel for several reasons :
1
2
3
4
Broadband systems are not so efficient as narrow band ones (in term of spectrum) for low rate services – typically, the edge effect of LTE cell reduces this efficiency as narrowband systems coverage is larger than broadband ones and as it is more and more difficult to implement new radio sites, it could be that, in some case, broadband could not be deployed for rural areas. Broadband infrastructure is more expansive than narrowband – mainly due to the coverage problem – and narrowband may survive for commercial reasons, where low rate services are sufficient. Mission Critical/Life Safety voice services are essential and it will be several years before LTE can offer an equivalent level of mission critical audio.
e-TBS is the perfect way for MNO’s to manage this situation, when Users need to preserve TETRA fleets with mission critical voice/low rate data services, and integrate these systems into a single broadband LTE communications system
Article written by Paul Ward, Director Etelm
LTEflash - 7
LTE for Public Safety in Europe according to Nokia Solutions Networks Today’s mobile broadband services pervade our everyday lives as consumers and open many possibilities to enhance public safety agencies daily and special field operations. Yet adding broadband to existing private mobile radio (PMR) networks is not feasible as TETRA is essentially a narrowband solution offering mainly voice services. Other challenges are the European Union’s desire that law enforcement and emergency services should be able to communicate and cooperate across borders. Agencies and governments attempt to protect these heavy investments, meaning that new solutions are needed that can meet all these challenges while delivering the benefits of mobile broadband. Three different strategies for European agencies 1.
Some customers consider using a commercial LTE network. Although this is a quick and easy option, commercial networks lack the security that PMR-using agencies demand.
2.
For some countries it could economically make sense to build a dedicated Public Safety LTE network which would provide the highest level of security but require replacement of the legacy TETRA infrastructure. Unfortunately there is no imminent agreement on a European-wide frequency and scarce available spectrum.
3.
Another option is combining the existing narrowband TETRA control core infrastructure, with its sufficient voice quality and a customized feature set, with the real time broadband capabilities of a commercial LTE network. This gives the benefits of a fast rollout, step-by-step development and the flexibility to take advantage of special deployments at short notice by acting as a Virtual Mobile Network Operator (MVNO).
A market leading offer NSN helps meet these challenges by offering an LTE portfolio that bridges the divide between commercial and public safety. Based on commercial off-the-shelf hardware, Nokia Solutions and Networks offers scalable, stable solutions that are fully standardized and interoperable and which currently benefit millions of users around the globe. Thales is our key partner for serving Public Safety projects in Europe. Leveraging its Security expertise, Thales delivers secure resilient LTE solution for Public Safety, from applications and devices up to integration services. Combining its exceptional international footprint and innovation capabilities, Thales is uniquely positioned to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements for customers worldwide.
LTEflash - 8
Timescales for Critical Communications over LTE Despite the ongoing roll-out of consumer LTE networks, LTEbased data services for mission critical communications will not be available until 2018 at the earliest, and acceptable quality voice services over LTE for mission critical users are not expected until at least 2020. These timescales have been published by the Critical Communications Broadband Group (CCBG), a Working Group of the TETRA & Critical Communications Association (TCCA).
Implementation of critical mobile communications services over LTE demands standardisation both from 3GPP and ETSI. The TCCA CCBG is contributing to these standardisation processes to ensure global consensus for critical mobile communications standards that fully meet users’ requirements while allowing a migration and interoperability strategy for existing technologies in different regions. Tony Gray, Chair of the CCBG, said: “As part of the TCCA, we have over 20 years’ experience in supporting the creation of mission critical communications standards, demonstrated by the global success of TETRA technology. As the world moves to LTE, it is essential that the communications industry operates in a coordinated and coherent way to bring to maturity standards relevant to Public Safety and other critical users. We are working to ensure that such requirements are incorporated into the LTE standards effectively.” Phil Kidner, CEO of the TCCA, said: “Achieving industry synergy is crucial to ensure uninterrupted availability of mission critical communications services. LTE is currently designed for commercial use. There is no viable replacement on the horizon for the current technologies employed by critical
communications users. The work of the CCBG will help to ensure that LTE standards develop to enable a broadband data-only bearer that will initially complement, but not replace, existing critical voice services.” There are currently four key areas to be addressed within the LTE standards to enable a suitable foundation for critical communications services. These are Group Communications System Enablers for LTE (3GPP GCSE_LTE); Proximity-based Services (3GPP ProSe); Public Safety Networks Resiliency , and the Push-To-Talk (PTT) voice application standard over LTE and its evolution toward multimedia (voice, data, video, etc.) group communications. The CCBG and its partner stakeholders around the world have achieved a significant breakthrough in having the first two of these accepted by 3GPP as Work Item Descriptions (WIDs) that will be incorporated into Release 12 of the 3GPP LTE standards specification, planned for publication at the end of 2014.
LTEflash - 9
Group Communications System Enablers for LTE are designed to address the 3GPP standards evolutions needed to support group communications of various media (voice, video, messaging, etc.) over LTE. They are based on input requirements provided by the major international Public Safety and critical communications user organisations including APCO, EUTC, LEWP-RCEG[1], NPSTC, PSCE, UIC and others. Proximity-based Services are designed to address both critical communications and commercial requirements for direct mode or proximity (‘device-to-device’) services on LTE. Critical Networks Resilience is an additional area of weakness in existing LTE network design. Compared with current critical communications technologies, there is no capacity for ‘graceful degradation of service’ should the connection between the base station and the core network be lost. The objective is to include this evolution in Release 13 of the 3GPP LTE standards specification, planned for publication at the end of 2016. Although the first commercial LTE deployments are operational, these are for data-only services. The consumer voice evolution for LTE is still under discussion. Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Push to talk over Cellular (PoC) is a group communication service defined for 2G/3G networks built on top of 3GPP IMS specifications. This does not provide an adequate solution for the delivery of mission critical voice group communications and a new critical mobile communications application standard has to be produced for new multimedia group communications services. This is expected to be incorporated into the LTE standards post 2020.
TCCA joins 3GGP for critical work LTE is set to offer increased interoperability between critical communications systems and ubiquitous networks based on 3GPP specifications, without compromising on the highest standards necessary for the secure operation of mission critical voice and data services. Several new features are being worked on in 3GPP, which has led to a high degree of participation from public safety groups and now sees the TETRA and Critical Communications Association (TCCA) being approved as the latest Market Representation Partner in 3GPP. At the detailed level, the TCCA’s Critical Communications Broadband Group will work closely with 3GPP, on Spectrum, Architecture, User requirements and on strategic case studies. The TCCA has set out a plan for its members service evolution, for data and voice for LTE, with four sequential steps identified: 1. Upgrade existing Mission Critical V+D services until LTE readiness & maturity 2. Uptake of Non Mission Critical data with commercial LTE 3. Build Mission Critical Data LTE networks 4. Migrate Mission Critical Voice In his proposal to 3GPP, Phil Kidner, the TCCA Chief Executive promised that “The Association will bring a European and global input to 3GPP for critical communications”. The formal signing of the 3GPP Partnership Agreement will take place at the next meeting of the Partners, in Fukuoka, Japan on the 30th October.
LTEflash - 10
What do you know about Salus? Security And InteroperabiLity in Next Generation PPDR CommUnication InfrastructureS SALUS is a FP7 research project aimed to design, implement and evaluate a next generation communication network for Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) agencies, supported by network operators and industry, which will provide security, privacy, seamless mobility, QoS and reliability support for mission-critical PMR voice and broadband data services
The main goal of SALUS is to design, implement and evaluate a next generation communication network for Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) agencies, supported by network operators and industry, which will provide security, privacy, seamless mobility, QoS and reliability support for mission-critical PMR voice and broadband data services.
http://www.sec-salus.eu
LTEflash - 11
Critical Communications Solutions
Reliability Availability Safety
TETRA - P25 - LTE - CAD
www.teltronic.es
LTEflash - 12
Prepare for broadband IS YOUR PUBLIC SAFETY ORGANIZATION READY FOR THE 4G TRANSFORMATION? We’re about to see a transformation in public safety communications. Next generation 4G wireless broadband systems will enable access to media-rich information from anywhere at anytime, thus delivering more real-time access to information, better collaboration and enhanced situational awareness. Public safety organizations can start preparing themselves by asking five questions to ensure their specific needs will be met before they begin deploying a next generation network.
WHO ARE THE END USERS OF THE NETWORK? Identifying the end users and their needs is the first step in understanding system design requirements. First responders such as police, fire and EMS are the primary target of these public safety broadband networks and have perhaps the greatest need for the new services that will be enabled by mobile broadband. First responders in the field and their commanders will benefit with anywhere, anytime access to information, delivering the information they need to make better decisions.
video security systems or speed enforcement detectors. These machine-to-machine devices serve as force multipliers and free up invaluable first responder human resources.
accessing mug shots of potential suspects and supporting license plate recognition systems, the possible applications for public safety broadband networks are almost endless.
But other potential users of the network exist as well. Many agencies would like to share the network resources and extend service to other government departments such as administration and public service. The productivity improvement in these areas could offset some of the costs of the network making the systems more affordable.
But it is important to remember that different applications put different demands on the network. Some applications are very bandwidth intensive, while others are short bursts benefitting from the very low latency that LTE introduces to public safety applications. For instance, email attachments and content-rich database queries tend to place high bandwidth demands on the network while other applications, such as location or voice, require very low delay. Real-time video, requiring both high bandwidth and short delay, is perhaps the most demanding application on a network.
HOW WILL MY PUBLIC SAFETY ORGANIZATION USE THE MOBILE BROADBAND NETWORK? From sharing video transmissions with the command center to
Additional “users” could also be unmanned devices – such as parking meters, traffic sensors,
LTEflash - 13
the mobile revolution That means that municipalities that want to give their first responders access to real-time video as they are headed toward a crime scene will need to build much more robust 4G networks than those that want to support applications that are less taxing on the network, such as license plate recognition systems. Understanding what applications will be used and how they will be used is critical to designing a system that can effectively support the required traffic demands.
“WHAT LEVEL OF SERVICE DOES MY ORGANIZATION NEED TO SUPPORT?
capacity requirements throughout the desired service area. Existing networks will be maintained to support existing mission-critical voice, while the new broadband networks can be deployed to support new mobile services. Even when public safety broadband systems are widely deployed, narrowband systems will still play a key role in first responder communications as they have for decades. LTE systems will complement the narrowband systems, enriching the operational experience with the best of both worlds – the reliability and security of mission critical voice services augmented with rich multimedia information delivered over a broadband network.
The applications and devices that first responders use can also impact the minimum acceptable service level that the mobile broadband network must support. High bandwidth intensive applications such as live streaming video require a better signal. In-building coverage or high bandwidth at the cell edge will likely require more aggressive system design with more sites. In addition, service levels may need to dynamically change throughout the day. An officer filing a report may not need priority access, but that same officer later dispatched to a hostage incident may need high priority access to download criminal records. The ability to dynamically adjust prioritization by user, application, incident or agency allows public safety organizations improved assurance that the most critical needs of the moment are served.
HOW WILL THE 4G NETWORK COEXIST WITH OTHER NETWORKS? Most public safety agencies have already invested in a narrowband mission critical communication system and want to get the most out of that investment. The good news is that deploying a LTE network does not require the removal of existing wireless voice or data networks. LTE networks can overlay and interoperate with narrowband data networks and other wireless broadband networks such as WLAN to balance coverage and
The advent of interoperable public safety LTE networks nationwide will make it possible for law enforcement officials to use advancements in video and other technologies to do their jobs better than ever before. Public safety organizations that take the time to ask themselves the right questions will be the best positioned to take advantage of the crime-fighting broadband communications tools.
Article from MOTOROLA eZine Insights
LTEflash - 14
News Update Public Safety LTE will be the highest growth market for first responder communications "The Global First Responders C3i and emergency response market will grow at a CAGR 14.7% from 2012 - 2019. The Asia Pacific market was worth USD10.08 billion in 2012 and is expected to grow to USD23.69 billion in 2019," said Subhranshu Sekhar Das, Business Unit Leader, Security Practice, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific. Frost & Sullivan's three big predictions in the area of first responder community are: 1. 2.
3.
Public safety LTE will be the highest growth market for first responder communications. Software-defined radios and cognitive radios will emerge as the next generation technologies for public safety communications competing with land mobile radio, although LMR will probably remain in use for a long time. Public safety software solutions, especially CAD and RMS will have significant growth. The total public safety software market will reach USD17.83 billion in revenue by 2019.
Impact on Biometric Technology The smart cities and smart infrastructure trend is gaining more traction. The merging of intelligent technology and infrastructure is promising for biometrics and border control. This trend also underlines the creation of intelligent transportation hubs that provide excellent connectivity with other cities. More information will be accessible digitally, which implies that new technology will be implemented in cities and in infrastructures. This indicates that more biometric solutions can be used, for instance, in surveillance or eGovernment systems. According to Richard Wong, Director, Public Sector Practice, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific, infrastructure investments over the next decades are set to increase significantly. He says, "Although Western markets (North America and Europe) are still likely to generate the highest revenue, there is vast market potential in Africa, the Middle East and the APAC region. The most important infrastructural investments for the border control and biometrics market will probably be road/rail and air/seaports with an estimated USD1,590 billion set to be invested in airports and seaports from 2005 to 2030."
LTEflash - 15
Will LTE broadband replace public-safety, mission-critical LMR voice systems in 3-5 years? By Marlin McEwen Recently there has been considerable discussion whether and when public safety can rely on voice for mission-critical communications over the planned nationwide, public-safety broadband Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Having been active in law enforcement and public safety for over 50 years, I have experienced a variety of technology and operational transitions, including a number of those in public safety communications. During my career, I have seen the introduction of different frequency bands, trunked radio operations, and digital radio. In each of these cases, the new communications tools that resulted have supplemented existing operations, with both used together side by side, often indefinitely. As new capabilities have been introduced, it has been important to ensure that the new technology or approach meets public safety's needs in the stressed environment in which we operate, before abandoning systems already being used. The same will hold true as we move down the path of implementing the FirstNet nationwide, public-safety broadband network now being planned, based on LTE technology. The broadband network will offer public safety new tools to help accomplish the mission and, for many years, will supplement—rather than replace— public-safety land mobile radio. In the case of public safety broadband LTE, various technical experts debate when this network will include the technical capability for public-safety-grade "missioncritical voice" and when that capability will be incorporated into the LTE standards. These are important factors. Historically, networks based on commercial standards have not supported direct-mode talk-around communications between two or more first responders or group calls among multiple responders that are essential operational requirements for public safety. The nationwide public-safety broadband network will need those capabilities, if it is ever able to meet the threshold
technology requirements for mission-critical voice operations. In a recent article in Urgent Communications, one writer said “The LMR people are trying to push for a slow evolution, but that’s just a business strategy—it’s not based on reality.” This kind of thinking ignores the history and evolution of public-safety communications that I personally have witnessed. I can assure you that the experts in public-safety communications who have examined this issue carefully are not being driven by the LMR industry. Public-safety agencies across the country have dedicated time and resources to continually improve their land-mobile-radio systems, so they provide the coverage and operational capabilities for voice required in a given locality, region or state. Rather than focusing only on the technology capability of the new broadband network, public safety must examine the overall picture, including technology capability, standardization, degree of coverage and operational capabilities, as tested in the stressed public-safety environment. The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC), together with the APCO Broadband Committee, examined this issue extensively and NPSTC issued a paper on April 15, 2013, titled “Why can’t public safety just use cell phones and smart phones for their mission critical voice communications?” The paper is primarily addressed to local, tribal, state and federal officials and concludes that “Local, tribal, state, and federal public officials are urged to not abandon or stop funding their public-safety voice LMR systems until such time as it can be demonstrated that broadband can safely and adequately provide public safety with the missioncritical requirements currently provided by LMR.” Based on my many years of experience in public safety communications, I wholeheartedly endorse this conclusion. Harlin McEwen serves as chairman of the Communications & Technology Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), a position he has held for more than 35 years. He is a career law-enforcement officer and executive who has served in all ranks of law enforcement from patrol officer to chief and in all levels of government—local, state and federal. He is a recognized expert in the field of publicsafety communications and is a Life Member and Honorary President of the IACP, as well as a Life Member of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and the Association of Public-Safety Communications OfficialsInternational (APCO). McEwen also serves as chairman of the FirstNet Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) and is a member of the governing board of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC). LTEflash - 16