Wireless Service Task Force Emerging Wireless Services Report September 1995 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the ndings conclusions and recommendations of the Wireless Services Task Force W STF of the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee NSTAC concerning emerging wireless services and their relationship with National Security and Emergency Preparedness telecommunications The primary areas addressed at the direction of the Industry Executive Subcommittee IES include cellular wireless priority access and a scoping effort covering land mobile radio specialized mobile radio mobile satellite service MSS personal communications service PCS and mobile wireless access to data networks This paper summarizes the results of the Task Force investigations provides an overview of the variety of systems existing or being developed and implemented discusses some of the current issues of concern and recommends a number of follow on actions The Federal Government is often called upon for support in operations such as responding to major disasters Therefore the Government is interested 1n the emerging mobile wireless communications technologies which could assist in meeting these emergency support requirements The Government is particularly interested in mobile wireless communications services that appear to the user to be universally interoperable and available using common devices Among the principal Government concerns with these emerging communications technologies are 1 the absence of universally compatible interfaces and control standards for the various types of digital wireless services and 2 many different wireless networks are evolving independently creating potential interoperability problems The WSTF formed subgroups to conduct in-depth reviews The subgroups were the Cellular Priority Access Service CPAS Subgroup to work with the Government to achieve call-by- call priority access service for cellular radio and four scoping subgroups to address the four areas noted earlier MSS PCS and mobile wireless access to data networks This report includes a compilation of the subgroup reports covering the ve wireless subgroups CPAS MSS PCS and mobile wireless access to data networks The Task Force reviewed the results presented by each of the subgroups and where a consensus was reached developed a comprehensive list of conclusions and recommendations The Task Force has completed its scoping task and has concluded that these emerging wireless technologies could provide signi cant capabilities to communications support It has identi ed a number of areas that need further work by both Government and industry entities and has provided recommendations for resolution by the Government These recommended actions address areas where the NSTAC could assist the Government However in most of these cases the Government priorities are not clear to the Task Force When Government priorities have been established the NSTAC should be called upon by the Government to assist in their resolution as appropriate Finally the Task Force concluded that A uniform nationwide ubiquitous CPAS capability would bene t Federal State and local users and appears feasible in the near future Industry and Government have successfully addressed many issues that are necessary for CPAS implementation although technical administrative and regulatory issues remain - Continued Government and NSTAC involvement in support of the CPAS implementation process is important as is continued inclusion of a wide array of CPAS stakeholders in the implementation process telecommunications capabilities could bene t from a joint industry-Government investigation of the use of new wireless technologies in operations It would be bene cial for Federal State and local representatives to collaborate on issues involved in new and evolving wireless technologies The efforts of the Of ce of the Manager National Communications System OMNCS to update Emergency Support Function of the Federal Response Plan are commendable It is important to continue to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA to strengthen the partnership with other annexes having a natural co-dependence with and for representatives of those disciplines to participate in training currently being planned To exploit these emerging wireless technologies the Task Force recommends that the Government De ne and establish uni ed policies and requirements for wireless services in support of activities at Federal State and local levels Identify issues inherent in emerging technologies to include providing orientation to newly involved entities Identify interoperability and security constraints inherent in emerging wireless technologies and determine alternative solutions e internetworking Identify approaches to providing end to-end network privileges for users associated with these new technologies priority access Government Emergency Telecommunications Service GETS etc Foster international agreements and licenses for wireless technologies to support global emergency response efforts Continue support to the joint planning processes such as was undertaken within the CPAS Subgroup Federal Law Enforcement Working Group Federal Wireless Policy iv Committee FWPC Federal Wireless Users Forum FWUF Government Wireless Focal Point National Performance Review National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee N STAC and the Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee PSWAC - Establish an office that aggressively involves all NCS organizations State and local Governments and the telecommunications industry to test evaluate demonstrate train and exercise the application of wireless technology in support of operations The Government should continue its CPAS implementation efforts coordinating with Federal State and local Governments industry groups and emergency management associations to gain broad consensus on regulatory administrative and technical issues and nalize a comprehensive strategy for CPAS implementation TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE 1 Introduction 1 1 1 Purpose 1 1 2 Background 1 1 3 Government Activities 4 1 4 Approach 4 2 Cellular Priority Access Service 7 2 1 Overview 7 2 2 Service Description 8 2 3 Service Administration 8 2 4 Conclusions 10 2 5 Recommendation 10 3 Land Mobile Radio Specialized Mobile Radio 11 3 1 Overview 11 3 2 Regulatory Factors 12 3 3 Issues 13 3 3 1 Digital 13 3 3 2 Ubiquitous 14 3 3 3 Interoperability 14 3 3 4 Transparency 15 3 3 5 Security 15 3 3 6 Priority Access 16 3 3 7 Government Emergency Telecommunications Service Compatibility 16 3 4 Conclusions and Recommendations 16 4 Mobile Satellite Service 19 4 1 Mobile Satellite Service Overview 19 4 2 M33 Discussion 20 4 3 M83 Issues and Concerns 21 4 3 1 Digital 21 4 3 2 Ubiquitous 21 4 3 3 Interoperability and Air Interface Standards 22 4 3 4 End-to End Compatibility 23 4 3 5 Transparency 23 4 3 6 Security Privacy 24 SECTION 4 3 13 Priority Access Government Emergency Telecommunications Service Compatibility New Service Offerings FRP International Coordination Demonstrations Training and Exercises 4 4 Recommendations 5 Personal Communications Service 5 1 PCS Technology Overview 5 2 PCS Issues 99999999 5 3 PCS Proliferation of Local PCS Service Providers Unlicensed PCS Federal Procurement Plans Interoperability and Air-Interface Standards End-to-End Compatibility PCS Cellular and Satellite System Compatibility Priority Access Government Emergency Telecommunications Service Compatibility Security ecommendations 6 Wireless Mobile Access To Data Networks 6 1 Mobile Wireless Data Overview 6 2 Discussion - 6 3 Mobile Wireless Data Issues 6 3 1 11th 3 3 3 3 6 3 6 Proliferation of Wireless Data Service Providers Interoperability Priority Access CDPD Availability Security Unlicensed PCS 6 4 Mobile Wireless Data Recommendations 7 Conclusions 8 Recommendations Appendix PAGE 233333 LII-PI- Hm LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1 Emerging Wireless Service Concept 6 2 Personal Communications Service Channel Plan 32 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1 LMR and Features for 13 2 Systems Providing M83 21 3 Characteristics of Systems Providing M88 22 4 Air-Interface and Voice Characteristics 24 5 Ground Stations for Systems Providing M88 27 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1 PURPOSE This report presents the ndings conclusions and recommendations of the Wireless Services Task Force W STF of the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee NSTAC concerning emerging wireless services and their relationship with National Security and Emergency Preparedness telecommunications The primary areas addressed at the direction of the Industry Executive Subcommittee IES include cellular wireless priority access and a scoping effort covering land mobile radio specialized mobile radio mobile satellite service MSS Personal communications service PCS and mobile wireless access to data networks This paper summarizes the results of the Task Force investigations provides an overview of the variety of systems existing or being developed and implemented discusses some of the current issues of concern and recommends a number of follow-on activities 1 2 BACKGROUND The Federal Government is often called upon for support in operations such as responding to major disasters Therefore the Government is interested in the emerging mobile wireless communications technologies which could assist in meeting these emergency support requirements The Government is particularly interested in mobile wireless communications services that appear to the user to be universally interoperable and available using common devices Among the principal Government concerns with the emerging communications technologies are the absence of universally compatible interfaces and control standards for the various types of digital wireless services and 2 many different wireless networks are evolving independently creating potential interoperability problems In 1991 the Office of the Manager National Communications System OMNCS noted that certain developments in the evolving wireless digital telecommunications industry might affect the ability of the national telecommunications infrastructure to provide required support to users particularly with regard to interconnection with the Public Switched Network PSN Among the principal near-term concerns were 1 the ability of evolving wireless digital telecommunications to support data facsimile and secure-voice when low-bit rate voice compression is used 2 the current absence of industry-wide acceptance of interface and control standards regarding wireless digital services and 3 the fact that several different types of wireless services are evolving largely independent of each other creating potential interconnectivity problems Working in conjunction with NCS member organizations the OMNCS presented the issue to the 113 8 of the President's NSTAC The IES accepted the Government's request to address the issue and in March 1991 established a Task Force with instructions to 0 Scope the issues regarding wireless services so that industry and Government can best ensure maximum uniformity transparency and interconnectivity of emerging digital mobile and PCS for communications - Consider speci c standards and technical issues relative to access points interfaces PSN- generated control signals and digital network timing and In the course of its work the WSTF reviewed the status of North American wireless systems including cellular telephone systems mobile satellite systems air-to-ground telephone systems and personal communications networks PCNs The Task Force found that 1 the emerging wireless technologies would not support in a standardized manner some of the critical Government telecommunications security requirements e Secure Telephone Units STU-111s and 2 the requirements had not been clearly communicated to the standards community and telecommunications industry Upon receipt of the Task Force ES recommendations the NSTAC made the following recommendations to the President - The Government should establish a focal point supported by the National Security Agency NSA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST to address and monitor wireless digital interface issues - The Government should formulate policies at a high-level to ensure needs are taken into account in all wireless digital service acquisition activities The STAC also directed its IES to deactivate the Wireless Services Task Force until the Government focal point is established The Secretary of Defense as Executive Agent for the NCS directed that the recommendations be immediately implemented by the Manager of the NCS including the establishment of a Government focal point to address digital wireless issues In 1992 and 1993 pursuant to direction of the IES the NSTAC Plans Working Group instructed the reactivated Task Force to - Support and provide industry perspective to the Government wireless services focal pomt - Continue and extend the earlier NSTAC investigation into wireless services supporting - Survey the evolving wireless services environment - Recommend actions to be taken by industry and Government to enhance wireless services to support - Explore methods for incorporating priority access into wireless systems for use 0 Determine the potential for emerging wireless technologies to complement existing communications support in the Federal Response Plan FRP 0 Develop methods for resolving wireless standards issues In a report to the IES completed in January 1994 and subsequently approved by the and NSTAC the Task Force made the following recommendations to the Government Continue to pursue implementation of a single nationwide priority access capability for users which is Transparent to the user for PSN access -- Interoperable across service boundaries Composed of multiple levels of priority consistent with Telecommunications Service Priority TSP categories and criteria Developed using the NSTAC Government-industry collaborative process 0 Expand the FRP planning process to Include representatives of the US telecommunications industry - Encompass an all-hazards approach making more effective use of wireless technologies and services Include national disaster response programs TSP Telecommunications Electric Service Priority jointly developed by industry and Government Incorporate all agency-speci c telecommunications response plans into a single plan that will be utilized in emergency situations Expand the NCC role to provide active support for the FECC in a multi-vendor wide-spread geographic-area disaster response situation Periodically update the FRP - Deve10p and implement in coordination with the cellular telecommunications industry a nationwide process to enable immediate activation of users' cellular telephones prior to arrival at a disaster location Continue efforts to de ne establish and unify policy and requirements for wireless servrces On 2 March 1995 the IES instructed the reactivated Task Force to 0 Continue Wireless Services Task Force support to Federal Government efforts to implement Cellular Priority Access Service CPAS Provide advice assist in dealing with standards and other industry bodies support CPAS implementation activities with users and service providers and participate in joint meetings - Determine the implications and scope the future Task Force involvement in the following emerging wireless systems and report PCS Mobile wireless access to data networks 1 3 GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES As a result of the recommendations of the original Task Force in November 1991 the OMNCS was identi ed as the Federal Government s focal point for addressing and monitoring wireless digital interface issues Further the OMNCS in conjunction with other Government agencies the Department of Commerce's NIST the Department of Defense the NSA the General Services Administration GSA and the Federal law enforcement community established the Federal Wireless Users Forum FWUF The objectives of the FWUF are to 1 educate Federal Government users about wireless telecommunications 2 identify the wireless telecommunications needs of Federal Government users 3 facilitate an information exchange between wireless user groups standards organizations manufacturers and service providers to ensure that Government user needs are met and 4 support the interoperability of emerging wireless services and equipment through increased participation in the formulation of Federal policy support of standardization efforts and other appropriate activities Subsequently the interagency Federal Wireless Policy Committee FWPC was established chaired by a representative of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration NTIA with the NCS providing the FWPC vice-chair The FWPC is a committee of high- level representatives of the major Federal agencies the National Association of State Telecommunications Directors NASTD and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Of cials APCO The objective of the FWPC is to provide high-level guidance and direction for the development and implementation of Federal Government wireless policy The FWPC has four subcommittees with the following areas of responsibility policy standards and requirements privacy and security and acquisitions The FWPC in conjunction with the Defense Information Systems Agency and Defense Information Technology Contracting Of ce DITCO issued a Request for Information RFI with respect to the acquisition of wireless services with the aim of achieving a common wireless services procurement contract which can be used by Federal State and local agencies 1 4 APPROACH The WSTF formed subgroups to conduct in-depth reviews The subgroups were the CPAS Subgroup continuing from the previous NSTAC cycle to work with the Government to achieve call-by-call priority access service for cellular radio and four scoping subgroups to address the four areas noted earlier MSS PCS and mobile wireless access to data networks The results of the Task Force were based on brie ngs research the membership expertise and meeting discussions The Government provided the secretariat staff function through the OMNCS The Appendix lists the Task Force members subgroup Chairpersons key secretariat staff personnel and other signi cant industry contributors to the effort This report includes a compilation of the Subgroup reports in Sections 2 through 6 covering the ve wireless subgroups CPAS MSS PCS and mobile wireless access to data networks The Task Force reviewed the results presented by each of the subgroups and where a consensus was reached developed a comprehensive list of conclusions and recommendations The resulting Task Force conclusions and recommendations are listed in Sections 7 and 8 The several emerging wireless services covered in this report are illustrated conceptually in Figure 1 They all share the common attribute of providing a communications capability to users through the use of mobile terminals which can be used to communicate with other mobile terminals directly or through a relay station network or provide a means of communicating with terminals connected through wireline facilities From an perspective the emerging wireless services provide exibility in movement as well as access in remote areas by removing the tether of a wireline connection Satellite Relay Switch Voice Band Data 2 Packet Data MSC Pager Satellite PDA Ground Station a Support Vehicle Microcells Facsimile Handsets LAN Local Area Network LMH - Land Mobile Radio MSC - Mobile Switching Center MSS - Mobile Satellite Service PDA Personal Digital Assistant PCS - Personal Communications Service PSDN - Public Switched Data Network including the Internet PSTN - Public Switched Telephone Network - Specialized Mobile Radio - Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio Figure 1 Emerging Wireless Serv1ce 3 Telephone Facsimile Host Computer information Data Service SECTION 2 CELLULAR PRIORITY ACCESS SERVICE 2 1 OVERVIEW The NSTAC WSTF established the CPAS Subgroup in July 1994 to investigate technical administrative and regulatory issues associated with the deployment of nationwide CPAS capability The CPAS Subgroup s effort to de ne standardize and encourage CPAS deployment was prompted by recent emergency situations in which disaster response operations were hindered by cellular network congestion caused by extraordinary demand for mobile communication services Recent signi cant events include the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995 the Pittsburgh plane crash in September 1994 the Northridge earthquake in January 1994 and Hurricane Andrew in August 1992 Federal State and local of cials responding to those disaster situations frequently encountered blocking of their cellular call attempts and were forced to redial repeatedly to gain access to the cellular system This resulted in significant delays in critical communications affecting disaster response The WSTF CPAS Subgroup meetings provided a forum for government and industry organizations to de ne scope and address the many dif cult issues related to this topic It also provided a platform for developing a comprehensive CPAS implementation strategy The subgroup participants are attempting to provide guidance and assistance to the OMNCS and other Federal Government organizations in their efforts to attain a nationwide cellular priority access capability in support of telecommunications The OMNCS in a letter from the President in January 1995 was tasked to develop a capability to provide users with priority access into wireless communications systems In addition to using cellular networks during regional and national disaster response activities local emergency management teams also use cellular communications when responding to less drastic situations such as auto collisions and forest res Each State and local jurisdiction therefore has a stake in the development of a CPAS capability However rather than having each jurisdiction require its cellular providers develop unique priority capabilities as pending legislative and regulatory action in some States would do the development of a nationwide approach was recommended This approach would increase the likelihood that users anywhere in the nation could gain access to cellular telephone networks during disaster situations especially as disaster response teams moved from location to location The CPAS initiative has been supported by equipment manufacturers and cellular service providers representatives from standards organizations and industry associations Federal and State Government agencies and emergency management associations It will be essential for the Federal Government in its role as Project Manager to continue to interact with and seek input from those stakeholders to ensure a broad base of support for a nationwide ubiquitous CPAS capability The CPAS Subgroup has written a report covering its ndings conclusions and recommendations to date The CPAS report is being issued as a separate document from this WSTF report The CPAS report represents work in progress on administrative technical regulatory and implementation issues Included in the document are suggestions to OMNCS in its role as Project Manager to increase the probability of a nationwide deployment 2 2 SERVICE DESCRIPTION CPAS is a call-by call priority scheme for cellular communication systems providing priority handling of call attempts originating from quali ed cellular users As planned CPAS would mitigate the problem of blocked cellular calls with minimal incremental effect on nonpriority calls The CPAS capability has the following characteristics based on requirements outlined by the Federal Government - Uniform implementation nationwide - Priority access from the mobile station to cell sites Employment of a nonpreemptive priority queuing-based technique Multiple priority levels Access via standard commercially available handsets User identi cation based on mobile identi cation number electronic serial number Invocation via a two-d1 git feature code Support for both voice- and circuit-switched data applications In addition CPAS is expected to evolve and include the following additional feature characteristics in the future - Automatic roaming support - One-time user registration - Priority egress from the mobile switching center Compatibility with the Government Emergency Telecommunications System GETS The CPAS Subgroup suggested that CPAS be phased in across the nation with priority deployment in high-risk areas The OMNCS has identi ed these areas and included them in a list of metropolitan statistical areas requiring CPAS within 1 year of the award of the Federal wireless services procurement contract In addition priorities could be provided to commercial customers at carriers' discretions as long as priority levels assigned to such subscribers were below authorized user priorities 2 3 SERVICE ADMINISTRATION The CPAS Subgroup determined that CPAS would require a structured management and administration system to ensure that priority assignments are issued only to authorized users The subgroup addressed a number of key administrative issues such as whether to implement a centralized or decentralized management structure what entity to assign the administration of a cellular priority access system what authority would provide oversight what criteria should be used to assign priority access what speci c operational procedures would be required to ensure the continued viability of the system and what legal and regulatory framework would be the best service enabler The CPAS Subgroup concluded that it would be desirable to centralize priority access administration within one Federal Government of ce Centralized administration would ensure uniform and consistent application of rules procedures and quali cations and would provide a single point of contact for information and problem resolution Centralized administration would also simplify priority access procedures for cellular service providers The subgroup also concluded that the OMNCS would be a logical choice to administer CPAS because it already supported the telecommunications requirements of the 23 Federal agencies and has experience in administering telecommunications priorities through the TSP System The TSP System construct has a number of attributes that could apply with minor modi cation to CPAS and eliminate the need to establish nearly duplicate support capabilities including the regulatory and oversight structures and a management information system In addition it would leverage administrative duties and staf ng to cut administrative costs CPAS authorization criteria will have ve priority levels assigned according to the user's function mission and needs The criteria should favor State and local rst-responder leadership by qualifying them for one of the highest priority levels Development of a draft of those criteria has taken considerable effort involving a range of stakeholders It is planned that approval of those criteria and other signi cant issues will be obtained through the Federal Communications Commission FCC rule making The OMNCS plans to circulate draft CPAS rules before of cially ling the petition with the FCC in December 1995 Because of the extensive outreach program the OMNCS plans to conduct comments on the petition should be supportive and an FCC ruling is expected within 12 months of ling Though the FCC would need to rule that CPAS does not violate the Communications Act of 1934 the TSP System sets a precedent for priority treatment in the PSN and for FCC oversight of CPAS The subgroup however noted the possible impact of the FCC 5 wireless 9-1-1 docket on CPAS implementation and recommends that the OMN CS continue to monitor this proceeding Present CPAS technical plans do not include an automatic priority for all 9-1-1 calls The CPAS administrative of ce would determine users' priority levels The specifics of how the request and response would be structured and transmitted to the various parties involved are now in progress The use of an authorizing agent who would be appointed by the states and who would serve as a regional or vocational intermediary between the user and the CPAS administrative office appears to have real merit Successful CPAS implementation will require users and service providers to agree on capabilities administration authorization and use The OMNCS is developing an outreach program to open a national discourse on CPAS and includes a needs analysis a service de nition an administrative and regulatory plan and an implementation road map The intention of this effort is to ensure that the CPAS capability will truly meet the needs of the nation and it is supported at the grassroots level 2 4 CONCLUSIONS The WSTF CPAS Subgroup has come to the followingconclusions - A uniform nationwide ubiquitous CPAS capability would bene t Federal State and local users and appears feasible in the near future Industry and Government have successfully addressed many issues that are necessary for GPAS implementation although technical administrative and regulatory issues remain Continued Government and NSTAC involvement in support of the CPAS implementation process is important as is continued inclusion of a wide array of CPAS stakeholders in the implementation process 2 5 RECOMMENDATION The Government should continue its CPAS implementation efforts coordinating with Federal State and local Governments industry groups and emergency management associations to gain broad consensus on regulatory administrative and technical issues and nalize a comprehensive strategy for CPAS implementation 10 SECTION 3 LAND MOBILE MOBILE RADIO 3 OVERVIEW LMR is a generic term used to describe a variety of radio communications services which provide radio communications between a land mobile terminal and a base station or between mobile terminals including one-to many or one-to-one communications The base stations usually act as a relay between mobile terminals but provisions exist to permit direct mobileuto mobile communications in some instances The LMR concept of operation was illustrated generically in Figure 1 In the case of LMR mobile terminals are served by a base station and multiple relays to extend the coverage area and provide a mechanism to make connections to the public switched telephone network PSTN or public switched data network PSDN Principal users of LMR systems include the military services Federal law enforcement agencies and other Federal departments and agencies State and local public safety and other service agencies business organizations and utilities Typically the FCC issues licenses to individuals or organizations to operate an LMR system on specific radio frequencies The Federal Government is currently the largest user of LMR systems LMR services are attractive for communications supporting disaster situations because they are generally not dependent on the PSTN which may be damaged or congested with commercial traf c The LMR systems may also be damaged in a disaster but when operational they can normally provide a connection to the PSTN when necessary There are two types of LMR systems conventional and trunked The difference between conventional LMR systems and trunked radio systems is that users of conventional LMR systems operate on an assigned frequency in their designated geographic area whereas with trunked systems the channels are pooled for automatic channel-sharing by numerous users on a demand-assignment basis thus making more ef cient use of the radio spectrum A major difference between trunked radio and cellular radio operation is that trunked radio users can be grouped together into talk groups A user can address a talk group by selecting the designated group and pushing a talk button on the terminal to address the entire talk group versus cellular radio operation where a user enters the telephone number of the called party and the cellular system sets up an end-to end connection between the two users SMR was created by the FCC as a special LMR service to provide land mobile radio communications on a commercial basis to users who could themselves have been licensed to have their own private LMR service Two distinct sets of frequencies have been set aside in the 800 and 900 frequency bands by the FCC for commercial SMR operations These SMR systems are operated by private dispatch carriers to provide land mobile communications services on a commercial basis The SMR licensee may permit automatic interconnection of mobile users to the PSTN and local telephone companies are required to offer interconnection arrangements to SMR operators Enhanced SMR ESMR systems are improved versions of SMR using digital technology When deployed they will 1 provide higher quality voice service 2 facilitate handooff ll between stations and 3 provide additional capabilities such as data services closed user groups and privacy At least two companies are in the process of implementing commercial ESMR systems One company has ESMR systems operational in a few areas such as California using Time Division Multiple Access TDMA -based equipment deveIOped by Motorola called the Motorola Integrated Radio System MIRS Another company is implementing ESMR systems based on the frequency-hoppin multiple access technology with the rst operational system in Philadelphia Extensive efforts have been expended by user groups standards bodies and LMR suppliers to arrive at a single-point standardized solution for the new generation of LMR systems The focal point for this effort is a standardization program called APCO Project 25 conducted by the APCO the NASTD and the Federal Government The effort has resulted in the speci cation of a conventional air interface for non-trunked LMR systems to provide radio compatibility between next generation conventional digital LMR radios These efforts do not however address the interoperability needs of the systems that are being developed for commercial applications An important initiative of the National Performance Review NPR is attempting to make Public Safety LMR a viable telecommunications solution This initiative called NPR-Information Technology 04 NPR-H04 calls for establishing a National Law Enforcement Public Safety Wireless Network for use by Federal State and local Government entities As envisioned this network should meet the digital ubiquitous interoperable transparent and secure DUITS requirements for telecommunications 3 2 REGULATORY FACTORS The FCC has published its intent to re-farm much of the spectrum to reassign frequencies among users throughout the spectrum in order to make better use of all frequencies At the present time individual communications channels assigned to Federal and public safety LMR users occupy 25 ldlohertz kHz of bandwidth per channel In order to increase the number of available channels it is desired to reduce this bandwidth by a factor of two in the late 19905 to 12 5 kHz with a goal of achieving a further reduction to 6 25 in the future The migration cost-effectiveness issue is closely related to bandwidth since many of the several million users of LMR systems may nd it necessary to replace or modify their existing 25 systems at least once during the next 10- 15 year period and possibly twice The FCC in a notice of proposed rulemaking last fall docket 93-144 indicated the possibility of designating a contiguous 10 segment with the 800 band currently divided into 200 channels for licensed SMR use An additional 4 of non contiguous spectrum 80 channels would also be provided to accommodate traditional SMR systems such as those used by radio dispatch operators If the FCC implements its wide area SMR licensing program existing SMR systems currently operating in those frequency bands would face relocation The FCC is addressing what type of relocation programs to implement and whether it should be mandatory voluntary or compensatory It is also identifying spectra to satisfy the systems supplanted by the wide-area licenses 12 The FCC and NTIA have created a Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee PSWAC to prepare a nal report to advise the NTIA and the FCC on operational technical and spectrum requirements of Federal State and local public safety entities through the year 2010 This committee is charged to resolve the issue of suf cient contiguous spectrum in an optimum band for the implementation of the NPR-H04 initiative to meet the needs of public safety entities The proper allocation of radio spectrum for a nationwide wireless network will be a major factor in meeting the telecommunications requirements 3 3 ISSUES A number of potential issues concerning the use of are summarized below The Federal telecommunications procurement initiatives and the Government s functional requirements for DUITS wireless services are important factors for consideration although they are initially being applied to cellular radio type services The Government requirements for wireless services include voice data facsimile paging and imagery The Government is exploring alternatives to purchasing and owning wireless communications equipment as demonstrated by the FWPC effort to establish a leasing strategy for future wireless procurements The potential features are discussed beginning with the features identi ed in the FWPC DUITS requirements statement and the capability of each system type LMR and to provide those features is summarized in Table 1 Table 1 LMR and Features for ystem Feature stems 3 3 1 Digital In order to be able to take advantage of the many features of the emerging wireless technologies such as the capability to easily the communications the Government objective is to obtain systems which are based on the most modern digital technology Currently both existing LMR and SMR systems are primarily analog-based systems but digital-based systems are beginning to emerge Therefore the availability of digitally-based systems for future Government use is not expected to be a major issue or concern 13 3 3 2 Ubiquitous In support of communications the Government objective is to be able to use their wireless terminals anywhere in the U S and not be limited to speci c geographic areas Currently there are a few Federal LMR systems which have frequency allocations across the entire nation These frequency allocations are generally assigned to designated groups on a regional basis and controlled locally so there is limited capability for users in one area to travel to another area and still be able to use their terminal equipment These systems are generally not available for users involved in emergency support roles There appear to be limited opportunities to take advantage of the Federally allocated LMR frequencies in support of emergency preparedness situations However the NPR-H04 initiative provides an opportunity to bring the Federal LMR systems together with the State and local Governments to support telecommunications In the case of a few providers have plans to expand their new digital systems nationwide but they are currently only available in a few isolated areas Closely related to ubiquity is the issue of intemperability which is discussed below 3 3 3 Interoperability There is currently a very large Government inventory of LMR equipment There is signi cant evidence that it is not well organized to support emergency response activities although it has been used in such cases For example the Department of Defense and the US Forest Service both have some LMR equipment set aside for use in emergencies Of particular concern is the lack of interoperability between LMR systems from different manufacturers as well as the apparent lack of guidance and procedures for utilizing LMR systems for communications support in emergency response activities With the completion of the APCO Project 25 Common System Standard for Digital Public Safety Communications and its adoption by the Federal Government as an interim Federal Standard interoperability between LMR systems and equipment from various manufacturers used for support will be more likely There is also concern about the emerging wireless systems since the various systems are being developed independently of each other without the bene t of formal standards efforts There are a number of factors related to interoperability which could be considered to assist communications support development For example even if terminal and air-interface standards are adopted if the systems operate on different frequencies there will still be a lack of interoperability between systems Terminals with frequency selection capabilities might reduce this lack of interoperability in LMR systems Another possibility is the Government acquisition of base station equipment that can be transported to disaster recovery locations as part of the emergency communications suite to provide the necessary interconnectivity between systems Reasons cited for lack of interoperability for systems include the diSparate radio frequency allocations by the FCC and NTIA Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee IRAC and the limited frequency agility capability of existing equipment due to both regulations and hardware software limitations of the past With resPect to Government agencies for example the IRAC generally allocates frequencies to a particular Government agency and then that agency parcels out those frequencies to individual groups within that 14 organization Further the frequency bands available to Federal agencies do not necessarily have any relation to the frequency bands assigned for local and State public safety emergency and law enforcement entities and in many cases are speci cally assigned to different frequency bands The WSTF could in support of the NPR-1104 initiative undertake an investigation of the spectrum utilization and its impact on future communications support for emergency response efforts There are a number of related factors such as determining the potential for using the same frequencies for military tactical entities outside the continental U S adoption of a frequency band that is internationally agreed for emergency support functions or allocation of a frequency band for use by all emergency response entities only within the US This endeavor could be coupled into the future efforts of the advisory committee being set up to address frequency spectrum for public safety and law enforcement A number of Government users are moving to implement wireless data systems which are separate from the LMR systems that handle their voice traf c One of the reasons for this divergence is that the requirements for data transfer tend to be less stringent than for voice particularly regarding response time requirements A common system for voice and data raises the need for full-duplex operation and a means to establish priority for use of the channels An issue of potential concern to the WSTF concerning the implementation of wireless data networks for LMR is the lack of standards for such systems and the consequent lack of interoperability which may result from these uncoordinated activities The NPR-1104 initiative could also be a solution for LMR data systems 3 3 4 Transparency Transparent network interworkin is one of the Government objectives speci cally identi ed as one of the DUITS requirements It is expected that emerging wireless services will support applications that rely on existing wireline networks such as the PSTN the Integrated Services Digital Network ISDN or packet-switched networks These applications include G3 facsimile and point-of-sale transactions which are currently supported by V-series modems over the existing wireline networks The Government requirement is for these services to be transparent to the user across the wireless access services and the intervening wireline networks Network interworkin may be necessary to support transparent operation of these applications through the emerging wireless access services including 3 3 5 Security Security is another one of the Government objectives speci cally identi ed as one of the DUITS requirements Government security requirements for LMR systems are currently being addressed by Federal participation in the APCO Project 25 standards process Government and industry should work together to address security requirements for systems There are several aspects to the Federal security interests including con dentiality integrity authentication availability and accountability Most of the Federal security requirements are the same as those which are important to the normal business user although additional security requirements for Federal users have also been identi ed such as maintaining con dentiality of the addressees The Government objective is for wireless networks to support any user- provided security function application-specific transparently through the network As noted above there is a requirement for using existing analog-based over the emerging 15 digital wireless communications systems to preserve the con dentiality of end-to end communications Further there may be a need to ensure that the next generation of STUs are compatible with the emerging networks Government use of the new commercial systems could be affected by the security capabilities of such systems as well as their capability to support the use of Government furnished security devices 3 3 6 Priority Access Gaining access to a cellular radio channel during disaster situations has been shown to be a signi cant problem therefore industry and Government are working together to develop a cellular priority access service for users The Government as previously recommended by the WSTF should have a uniform nationwide priority access for local State and Federal agencies during emergencies when local wireless networks become congested A nationwide approach was recommended to ensure effective implementation of the wireless priority treatment Priority access for LMR systems is not an issue because the LMR systems are owned and Operated by individual entities and priority access is a mandatory requirement for APCO Project 25 systems However service would be provided by commercial providers and access could be a problem for users in disaster recovery operations Something similar to the Priority Access and Channel Assignment PACA standard should be evaluated for networks This is a particular concern because currently there are no standards groups addressing priority issues 3 3 7 Government Emergency Telecommunications Service Compatibility There are a number of issues associated with compatibility with the GETS which might be addressed by a NSTAC entity such as the relationship between GETS and priority access to radio channels However the Government should rst clarify its requirements for GETS interactions with systems 3 4 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS This initial scoping effort determined that the Government is a heavy user of LMR systems and that there are emerging potential service providers of services which might be used for communications These LMR and systems are primarily proprietary systems that allow communications between groups of users as well as connection to the PSTN and serve as an alternative to cellular radio systems However the APCO Project 25 standards program and the planned NPR-ITO4 National Law Enforcement Public Safety Wireless Network for use by both Federal State and local Government entities will make LMR a viable telecommunications alternative APCO Project 25 addresses LMR user needs for data security for voice and data applications as well as priority access The subgroup recommendations and issues for consideration are 1 Continue the planned NPR-1104 National Law Enforcement Public Safety Wireless Network for use by Federal State and local Government entities 16 2 Support the PSWAC which is to advise the NTIA and the FCC on operational technical and spectrum requirements of Federal State and local public safety entities through the year 2010 3 Complete the APCO Project 25 standards program and support adoption of Federal LMR standards 4 Determine the functional requirements for a gateway to provide interoperability between commercial systems using different access schemes 5 Investigate spectrum utilization for and its impact on future communications support for emergency response efforts 6 Determine the potential interactions of GETS and the use of for communications support 7 Determine the need for standards for data over MR systems and the mechanisms to achieve industry consensus 8 Identify requirements for including security interfaces in equipment 9 Determine a priority access methodology for use which is in concert with the cellular priority access service currently being addressed 17 SECTION 4 MOBILE SATELLITE SERVICE 4 1 MOBILE SATELLITE SERVICE OVERVIEW M53 is attractive for communications supporting disaster situations because it extends mobile communications out of the local area M88 is used in the wireless communications context as a generic term for telecommunications capabilities enabling a user equipped with a mobile terminal to communicate with others another mobile portable or stationary terminal or a PSTN subscriber via one or more satellite relays and their associated rip-links cross- -links and down-links This capability 15 based on advanced technology that permits single channel communication links via satellites in low earth orbit LEO medium earth orbit MEO highly inclined elliptical orbit HEO or earth orbit GEO using low-powered terminals that may be handheld vehicle-mounted or stationary Current systems providing MSS use geostationary satellites suitcase and briefcase-size terminal equipment Technological advances primarily on the spacecraft have led to plans for a variety of LEO MEO and HEO satellite-based systems that will allow for the use of smaller and even handheld terminals Figure 1 includes the M88 concept of mobile subscribers being served by satellite to communicate with others through a ground station connected to the PSTN or PSDN Existing GEO satellite system terminals are used for voice and data involving land and sea vehicles aircraft marine-based platforms and remote data collection sites Future systems for MSS will support low-powered handheld devices for a variety of services including both voice and data transmission These systems are being developed to support real-time voice and data Systems providing MSS will include several different types of communications channels including circuit-switched channels for full period voice and data users store-and- forward packet channels for transmission of small quantities of data with limited delivery time constraints and interactive packet data channels for time-critical applications These communications channels can be used' in a number of different ways including voice services with a mobile telephone capability similar to cellular telephone but with a much wider coverage area in this case a gateway station is interconnected with the PSTN and communicates with the mobile terminal s through the satellite position vehicle routing control paging message or facsimile delivery and emergency message applications Future systems providing MSS are expected to have an inherent position-locatin capability to satisfy national regulatory requirements Systems providing MSS are separated into three categories for discussion purposes GEO satellite systems big LEO systems and little LEO satellite systems The big LEO category includes both MEO and HEO satellite systems With respect to the proposed LEO satellite systems little or small LEO satellite systems have been de ned as those systems operating in the radio frequency band below 1 and are limited to two way data transfer and location-determination services Big or large LEO satellite systems cover all types of services and operate in the frequency band between 1 and 3 GEO and big LEO systems will offer data services as well as two-way circuit-switched digital voice between a mobile user and the a private network or another mobile user 19 Several of the signi cant systems providing MSS existing and planned which will be available in the near term are listed below in Table 2 A subset of these systems was selected for more detailed investigation as they have received FCC licenses and are in operation or close to operation The selected systems are listed in Table 3 along with the services they will provide terminal types and the estimated initial operating capability time frame The INMARSAT GEO system has been operational for several years It was originally intended for maritime coverage but now also provides land mobile and aeronautical services Mobile Satellite MSAT will provide MSS for North America including maritime service in coastal waters American Mobile Satellite Corporation AMSC recently launched the rst MSAT satellite into orbit and will initiate service in the Fall of 1995 The big LEO systems are planning to provide global coverage subject to agreements with numerous foreign governments and their telecommunications entities The little LEO ORBCOMM system has also launched its rst two satellites and is planning to begin limited service capabilities this year as well 4 2 M88 DISCUSSION A major advantage of systems providing MSS over purely terrestrial telecommunications systems is the ability to deliver a range of services in regions lacking adequate terrestrial telecommunications The terrestrial telecommunications in a region may be limited due to the geographic location the consequence of a disaster situation or the lack of a reliable terrestrial infrastructure For example AMSC and Qualcomm currently provide MSS from GEO satellites to mobile users with transportable ship air or land-based terminals INMARSAT services include circuit switched telephone telex and facsimile data connections for maritime and land applications voice data automatic position and status reporting for aircraft and two-way communications position reporting and eet management for land transport Both AMSC and Qualcomm provide two-way real-time messaging and positioning data between trucking and maritime eets and their operation centers M88 is desirable for communications support in a variety of different scenarios A number of systems will provide MSS-enhanced communications mobility through the use of vehicular transportable and handheld terminals A major advantage of M85 is that it provides out-of-the-area communications over long distances and on a global basis MSS also can provide an alternative to the local telecommunications infrastructure while allowing operation with the local facilities when they are available by connections made through a satellite ground station and the MSS provides enhanced exibility to the support elements by not requiring installation of ground assets in the disaster area being served MSS could be used in several different types of disaster situations such as in a metropolitan area where there has been significant damage to the infrastructure cases where communications are needed in a remote area where there is no telecommunications infrastructure forest or in an international situation where no telecommunications infrastructure exists or where the local infrastructure is incompatible with US equipment For example the National Disaster Medical System has six INMARSAT terminals which have been used in disasters such as Hurricane Andrew to provide out-of the-area communications Further discussion of these scenarios and potential for use of M58 is described in reference 1 20 Table 2 Systems Providing MSS Category System Satellites Major Organization GEO INMARSAT 4 COMSAT Mobile Communications U S signatory to INMARSAT an international consortium MSAT 3 AMSC Qualcomm Big LEO Aries LEO 48 Constellation Communications Ellipse HBO 24 Ellipsat Corporation Globalstar LEO 48 Loral Qualcomm Satellite Services LCD 10 COMSAT Mobile Comm Investor in LCD Global Comm Ltd Iridium LEO 66 Motorola Iridium Odyssey MBO 12 Little LEO ORBCOMM 36 Orbital Sciences Corporation Stamet 24 Starsys Global Positioning Vitasat 2 Volunteers in Technical Assistance 4 3 M85 ISSUES AND CONCERNS A number of issues and concerns with the use of an M83 are summarized below The Government's functional requirements for DUITS wireless services are important factors and are also addressed The Government service requirements include voice data facsimile paging and imagery The Government is exploring alternatives to purchasing and owning wireless communications equipment through the FWPC effort to establish a leasing strategy for future wireless procurements The potential features are discussed in relation to each of the systems providing MSS beginning with the features identi ed in the FWPC DUITS requirements statement 4 3 1 Digital To take advantage of the many features of emerging wireless technologies such as the capability to easily communications the Government objective is to obtain systems which are based on the most modern digital technology All the existing or planned systems providing MSS are based on digital technology so there is no issue concerning this Government requirement 4 3 2 Ubiquitous To support communications the Government objective is to be able to use their wireless terminals anywhere in the US and not be limited to Speci c geographic areas The major advantage of utilizing M83 is the wide geographic coverage provided through satellite coverage versus the limited geographic areas that are served by terrestrial wireless systems 21 Table 3 Characteristics of Systems Providing MSS System Services Terminals IOT Voice Hsmata pos Transportable vehicular maritime Operational aeronautical Voice LS data pos Transportable vehicular maritime 1995 200 miles from coast aeronautical LS data pos Transportable vehicular Operational Globalstar LEO Voice LS data pos Handheld transportable vehicular 1993 Iridium LEO Voice LS data pos Handheld transportable vehicular 1998 Odyssey MEG Voice LS data pos Handheld transportable vehicular 1999 LOG MEO Voice LS data pos Handheld transportable vehicular 1998-2000 maritime aeronautical ORBCOMM Data communications Handheld transportable vehicular 1996 Little LEO 2 4 - 4 8 kbps messaging two way paging remote monitoring pos either Doppler or GPS Key HS high speed LS low speed less than 9 6 kbps pos positioning 4 3 3 Interoperability and Air-Interface Standards The various systems to provide MSS are being developed independently of each other without the bene t of a Standards Forum At a meeting February 1995 on MSS interoperability organized by the Jet Propulsion Laboratories and NSA representatives the commercial entities involved in the development and implementation of the M88 systems were reported to not be ready to discuss interoperability issues with each other at this point in time It is therefore unlikely that there will be any direct interoperability between any of the systems which will be elded in the next few years All the systems supporting voice communications will however interconnect with the PSTN allowing connectivity to end users of other systems A number of systems providing MSS accommodate portable terminals that can access cellular radio systems as an alternative to connection through the satellite s As a rule the M58 systems will operate on frequency bands which are separate from those allocated for cellular and emerging PCS systems so a user of an M88 will require one of these dual-mode terminals in order to be able to connect directly to another competing wireless system The majority of the systems providing MSS will use dual-mode terminals that will automatically attempt to complete a call request through a terrestrial wireless system before using the M88 capability 22 While the systems providing MSS may not have over-the-air interoperability the subgroup believes that the advantages of out-of-the area communications and ubiquitous coverage achieved through systems providing MSS outweigh the direct interoperability limitations There are other ways to achieve functional interoperability For these systems as well as many other wireless systems the will be the common standard interface There should be no reason that users of one system could not communicate with users of another system In some cases an applique that would have the same interfaces as the could be used to provide the functional interoperability The subgroup is concerned however that the Government has no overall interoperability architecture for the use of M88 in supporting functionsEnd-to End Compatibility Different technologies used for MSS rely on different low-bit-rate voice processors raising another interoperability issue end-to end compatibility The MS Ss which include voice services will permit interconnections through the PSTN which relies on 64 or 32 pulse code modulation PCM or adaptive PCM techniques The connection through the PSTN is essentially transparent to the user but there is a concern with regard to the intelligibility of an end-to-end voice connection between different MS 83 For example could a government user of a system which utilizes a variable rate voice processor communicate intelligibly through the PSTN with a user of another system which might utilize half-rate coding based on a different voice processing algorithm Ongoing end-to-end compatibility tests are showing very poor performance and there is concern about the immct of inherent delays in the satellite-based systems including round-trip satellite and voice processor processing delays The dual-mode terrestrial handset capabilities data transfer rates and voice encoding techniques for the several satellite-based systems are listed in Table 4 While end-to end compatibility is an inherent industry problem which should be resolved through the marketplace it remains a potential concern for users In a disaster situation where the terrestrial communications are unavailable users might have extensive requirements for mobile-to-mobile communications There is concern that the Government has no program underway to test and evaluate the end-to-end compatibility and to ensure that communications needs will be met by these systems 4 3 Transparency Transparent network interworkin is one of the Government objectives speci cally identi ed as one of the DUITS requirements It is expected that emerging wireless services will support applications that rely on existing wireline networks such as the PSTN ISDN or packet- switched networks These applications include G3 facsimile and point-of-sale transactions which are currently supported by V-series modems over the existing wireline networks The Government requirement is for these services to be transparent to the user across the wireless access services and the intervening wireline networks Network interworking may be necessary to support transparent operation of these applications through the emerging wireless access services such as MSS There is concern that the Government 23 Table 4 Air-Interface and Voice Characteristics Access Dual-mode Handset Data Mode Voice System Type Terrestrial mode Rate Processor FDMA Not applicable 2 4 - 64 4 8 IMBE - 16 MSAT GEO FDMA AMPS 2 4 - 4 8 4 8 IMBE Globalstar LEO CDMA AMPS CDMA 1 2 9 6 9 6 CELP Iridium LEO AMPS 2 4 4 8 VSELP FDMA Odyssey MEO CDMA AMPS CDMA TDMA 1 2 - 9 6 4 8 I-CO AMPS 2 4 - 4 8 4 8 Key AMPS Advanced Mobile Phone System CELP Code-Excited Linear Predictive coder decoder FDMA Frequency division multiple access IMBE Improved Multi-Band Excitation coder decoder Time division multiple access VSELP Vector Sum-Excited Linear Predictive coder decoder has no program underway to evaluate the ability of M88 to support these devices and to develop where appropriate technical alternatives and interworking functions to support communications requirements 4 3 6 Security Privacy Security including privacy is another one of the Government objectives speci cally identi ed as one of the requirements Government security requirements for systems providing MSS are important issues and industry and Government should work together to address them There are several aspects to the Federal security interests including con dentiality integrity authentication availability and accountability Most of the Federal security requirements are the same as those which are important to the normal business user although additional security requirements for Federal users have also been identi ed such as maintaining con dentiality of the addressees The Government objective is for wireless networks to support any user-provided security function application speci c transparently through the network There is a requirement for using existing analog based over the emerging wireless communications systems to preserve the con dentiality of end-to-end communications Further there is a need to ensure that the next generation of STUs digitally based STU are compatible with the emerging networks providing M58 The MSS providers are generally fully aware of the potential fraudulent use of their systems based on the problems experienced by the cellular radio providers Therefore they are building their systems with mechanisms to provide both privacy and authentication capabilities 24 The protection needs differ for many users Many such as the medical community may only need a good privacy system for the majority of their communications Others particularly those with national security responsibilities require full security Some users may also need end instruments that will allow different levels of security for individual calls A particular concern is the physical size of current Government secure telephones such as the which does not lend itself to mobile operations as envisioned in emergency Situations There is also concern that there does not seem to be an overall security privacy architecture available for providing secure voice and data capabilities over emerging wireless technologies such as MSS There should be a road map for both the Government and industry for security and privacy in the use of these systems Finally there is concern about the export controls on some of the privacy systems This could be a hindrance to support capabilities where allied nations are involved 4 3 7 Priority Access Gaining access to a cellular radio channel during disaster situations has been shown to be a signi cant problem therefore industry and Government are worlcing together to develop a cellular priority access service for users The Government as previously recommended by the WSTF should have a uniform nationwide priority access for local State and Federal agencies during emergencies when local wireless networks become congested A nationwide approach was recommended to ensure effective implementation of the wireless priority treatment There are a variety of different priority schemes available for the different systems providing MSS but they are each unique in their designs without any standard method for assignment or application and they do not interact with the PSTN It is expected that priority access could be even more important in an M88 environment There could be severe congestion with M88 in a disaster or crisis situation as there are a limited number of communications channels An approach similar to the PACA standard for cellular radio systems should be evaluated for M88 The CPAS based on the PACA standard which is currently being promulgated for cellular systems might be used as a guide for developing an M88 priority scheme Since MSS relies heavily on the PSTN there is a need for a priority scheme that not only provides access to the radio channel but also ensures end-to-end service on a priority basis The priority issue is a particular concern because there is no standards group currently addressing MSS Priority for MSS could be the subject for further NSTAC investigation As an alternative to priority access at least as an interim measure the Government may want to reserve MSS capacity for day-to-day communications as well as for use in crisis and disaster support activities without impacting commercial Government Emergency Telecommunications Service Compatibility There are a number of issues associated with MSS compatibility with the GETS including priority access to radio channels as discussed above The Government however needs to clarify its requirements for GETS compatibility with MSS Speci cally the Government 25 should de ne the service desired and the action an M88 would be required to take when a GETS user dials the 710 area code GETS compatibility and priority access and egress for MSS are areas that the NSTAC might address further An MSS speci c service might be hypothesized that provides priority access to a radio channel utilizes Signaling System #7 to provide priority treatment through the PSTN and provides priority egress through the system providing the MSS 4 3 9 New Service Offerings A number of new service offerings are being made available through the emerging systems providing MSS These include talk groups conference net radio position location broadcast and direct terminal-to terminal communications In particular the use of talk groups or conference capability is viewed as an important requirement for communications terminals supporting activities where a group of users geographically separated are engaged in a common goal or activity This type of operation is typically available on systems used on the Department of Defense's ultra high frequency UHF satellite systems and could be useful in communications support provided by MSS Position location service which could provide information on the exact location of each user could have utility in missions Direct broadcast where a common set of information is made available to all mobile users could also have value in providing status information on a disaster The use of these capabilities in the M88 selected to support communications should be considered by the Government The OMNCS should make these capabilities known to the members of the NCS and should make the Government needs known to the M88 suppliers 4 3 10 A potential concern with M88 is the reliability or availability of the service in disaster situations For instance the ground-entry points or satellite ground stations may be limited in number placed in a vulnerable location and have limited access to the PSTN Further the control channel from a ground station to the satellite for network control is a potential limiting factor The ground entry points for the systems providing MSS are noted in Table 5 There is concern that some of the systems providing MSS may have only single ground stations without full backup and would be affected if the ground station is in the disaster area There is also concern about the access to gateways for MSS Redundancy should be provided through diverse routing and backup systems Redundancy of the ground station access might be provided through dedicated Government links to the ground stations For instance direct connectivity directly from the Federal Telecommunications System FT S 2000 01' Defense Switched Network to the M88 gateway stations could be provided for enhanced accessibility 26 Table 5 Ground Stations for Systems Providing MSS System U S Ground PSTN Access Network control Station center s Locations INMARSAT GEO Niles Canyon CA PSTN PSDN London England Santa Paula CA private networks Southbury Staten Island NY San Diego CA Not applicable San Diego CA MSAT GEO Reston VA PSTN PSDN Saddle Creek CA Alexandria VA private networks RF terminal Globalstar LEO 9 in U S Multiple gateways 6 worldwide Iridium LEO Multiple gateways PSTN or private 2 in U S Odyssey NEED 2 in U S PSTN or private 2 in U S I-CO MEO 2 in U S PSTN PSDN 2 in U S private networks ORBOOMM NY AZ WA GA PSDN or private Sterling VA Little LEO multiple regional control centers 4 3 1 I FRP Another issue of concern is the Federal guidelines for the use of communications as covered in the FRP In 1994 the WSTF recommended that the communications annex to the FRP Annex 2 ESP be revised to Encompass an 'all-hazards approach making more effective use of wireless technologies and services The use of the new emerging technologies such as MSS should be covered in The FRP including pertinent annexes - Communications and Health and Medical Services should be periodically reviewed and updated to strengthen the consistent use of wireless services for communications support 4 3 12 International Coordination The Government may be required to support missions throughout the world Many of the peacekeeping missions are being performed' 1n countries where local national laws and regulations are observed The MSS providers of global service have or may have operating agreements with foreign entities to allow them to provide service to countries around the world It is not apparent however that these agreements would allow the Government to use M88 in performing missions It would be desirable for the Government to obtain the required agreements and licenses for use of M83 in advance of any operational need The WSTF could consider the issue of whether or how the M88 operator agreements might be adjusted to accommodate global emergency response efforts 27 4 3 13 Demonstrations Training and Exercises The use of these emerging MSS systems brings forth a new paradigm for The multiplicity of systems providing MSS with new capabilities and affordable pricing will provide the Government with voice data and imagery services to meet needs However as discussed above there are still major issues that need to be resolved before the use of M88 can provide the full potential for support These issues should be resolved and the Government should take advantage of these new systems providing MS S It is important to introduce these new technologies to the users through demonstrations training and exercises The NCS should be moving to take advantage of these new systems Although the OMNCS has developed a plan for some experiments we believe that the scope of the effort should be expanded Speci cally the Task Force believes that the OMNCS should produce a comprehensive plan that would involve all members of the NCS in demonstrating training and exercising with MSS alternatives to support various scenarios The NCS should have an aggressive program to test and evaluate service offerings to take full advantage of the capabilities that the M38 offers 4 4 RECOMMENDATIONS This initial scoping effort determined that many systems providing MSS are currently available There will soon be more capabilities and within the next three or four years there will be a proliferation of providers of M88 This effort also determined that there is a need for this service for communications support However there are de ciencies that need to be overcome to ensure that MSS can ful ll needs This scoping effort determined that there are numerous areas that need to be addressed by the Government as soon as possible since there is such a long lead time in the development of systems which can provide M88 and plans are currently being for these systems The areas that should be addressed include the following items 1 Development of an M85 interoperability architecture 2 A program to test end to end interoperability 3 A program to test transparency and develop alternatives 4 Development of an M58 security architecture 5 Development of an M58 priority access capability 6 Determination of users' needs including new services 7 A program to address the reliability and access of M83 gateways 8 An effort to review and update as required ESP #2 and other ESFs with the focus on M83 28 9 An effort for achieving international agreements for the use of M85 for 10 Establishment of a program for demonstrations and exercises using M88 The following issues related to the use of M85 for support are candidates for future NSTAC efforts 1 Determine the need for standards for voice and data over systems providing M88 and the mechanisms to achieve industry consensus 2 Identify requirements for including security interfaces in M88 equipment 3 Propose a priority access methodology for MSS use which is in concert with cellular priority access service 4 Explore interactions of GETS and the use of M53 for communications support 29 SECTION 5 PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE 5 1 PCS TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW PCS is an emerging telecommunications concept currently in the development and early implementation stages Ambiguities exist in the de nition of PCS because of the lack of agreement among members of the community on exactly what PCS is and the number of diverse approaches and initiatives under consideration for providing model capabilities The FCC de ned PCS as family of mobile or portable radio communications services for individuals and business that may be integrated with a variety of competing networks The Standards group has proposed a de nition of PCS as - a set of capabilities that allows some combination of terminal mobility personal mobility and service pro le management and de ned a PCS system as a collection of facilities which provide some combination of terminal mobility personal mobility and service pro le management Generally it is the industry consensus that with PCS the emphasis will be on providing communications on a person-to-person basis rather than via the station-to-station mode of operation provided by most current telecommunications networks Implementation of PCS will probably require that each individual having access to PCS be assigned a personal number When fully deployed in mature con gurations PCS is expected to provide users with freedom from the constraints of wireline access to the PSN by providing direct connectivity to and from the PSN from diverse locations for different applications via a single small portable telecommunications device PCS is expected to support wireless connections to Private Branch Exchanges PBXs Local Area Networks LAN 5 mobile public telephone service facsimile isirervice and other connectivity for various voice and data applications as was illustrated in 1 gure 1 The FCC has allocated spectrum at 2 for PCS including 120 of spectrum for licensed broadband PCS and 30 for unlicensed PCS devices as well as 3 of spectrum at 900 for narrowband PCS The spectrum allocation is illustrated in Figure 2 PCS is considered by some to be the next generation of cellular at a higher frequency range and cellular providers are currently in the process of converting to digital cellular systems which will provide capabilities similar to those being promised through PCS The PCS Subgroup addressed the broadband PCS which is expected to primarily provide wireless voice as well as data communications tlmough radio coverage of geographic areas divided into microcells small areas of coverage to permit the use of low power devices and frequency reuse The FCC recently auctioned several of the frequency bands for wideband PCS which will lead to a series of mobile voice services options for support The wideband PCS licensees include Ameritech Wireless BellSouth GTE Macro Communications Paci c Telesis Mobile Services PCS Primeco AirTouch Bell Atlantic NY NEX US WEST SBC Communications and Wireless Co Sprint TCI Cox Cable Communications Pioneer 31 900 900 Narrowband 1850 1885 1890 1895 1910 1920 Unlicensed 30 30 30 10 10 10 Broadband 111110001 10 lsochronous 10 10 Unlicensed Narrowband 3 1930 MTA MTA BTA BTA BTA BTA 1850-1865 1930 1945 1870-1885 1950-1965 1895-1910 1975-1990 1865-1870 1945-1950 1890-1895 1970-1975 1910-1920 1920-1930 2390 2400 900-901 930-931 940-941 Figure 2 PCS Channel Plan 32 1990 2400 Unlicensed preference licenses have been set aside for Omnipoint Cox Enterprises and American Personal Communications Additional auctions for frequency allocations for designated entities are planned for later this year The SMR providers are also implementing new digital systems which have integrated voice data capabilities Currently these systems are limited to a few geographic areas although a few service providers have announced plans to expand their networks across the nation and could eventually compete with PCS and cellular systems This proliferation of different digital wireless services including PCS cellular radio SMR and M88 could cause confusion during disaster responses and delay or inhibit the provision of services to users unless the Government has a coherent plan for utilizing these new emerging technologies and services 5 2 PCS ISSUES A number of potential issues concerning the use of PCS were discussed as summarized below A major concern with respect to possible WSTF recommendations and follow-on actions however was a lack of understanding of the planned use of PCS by the Government to support users 5 2 1 Proliferation of Local PCS Service Providers The members concluded that there will be two types of service providers for PCS based on the auction process of the FCC for wideband PCS licenses One group will comprise major telecommunications companies or consortiums which will provide service on a regional or national basis The other group will include companies which meet the FCC guidelines for small business The regional PCS licensees will likely have been involved in efforts in the past and have substantial knowledge of processes allowing them to be able to easily incorporate basic planning into their network operations However it is expected that the other group primarily local PCS providers will have little or no understanding of telecommunication functions Therefore the Federal Government and private industry should work together to educate these new PCS service providers about the importance of maintaining state-of-the-art capabilities 5 2 2 Unlicensed PCS Unlicensed PCS 3 including wireless PBXs and wireless local area networks were discussed The group concluded that while unlicensed PCSs would be useful in command and control environments there is no need for priority on self-contained systems such as PBXs and no need for further investigation of these services 5 2 3 Federal Procurement Plans The members discussed Federal telecommunication procurement initiatives and supported the Government's requirements for DUITS wireless services It was noted that the Government is no longer interested in owning wireless communications equipment and that the FWPC 1s 33 working to establish a leasing strategy for future wireless service procurements The subgroup agreed that the Government should work to maximize purchasing exibility so that it could procure services from the best quali ed vendor as wireless technologies advance In that way the Government could avoid purchasing equipment for PCS that might soon become outdated although recognizing that leasing charges are normally designed by the service provider to ensure recouping the cost of the equipment 5 2 4 Interoperability and Air-Interface Standards The subgroup discussed the several different air interface standards that have been proposed for PCS Although the user community should be cognizant of industry's effort to nalize PCS technical standards the subgroup agreed that it was more important for the Government to make cost-effective procurement decisions The subgroup agreed that air- interface standards would ultimately be determined by the marketplace and that the Government should recognize it as a near-term problem and be prepared to deal with it through the procurement process The Federal Government must be prepared to lease or buy multi mode wireless phones that are capable of supporting operations Another possible solution discussed is for the Government to enter short-term contingency contracts with existing wireless service providers 5 2 5 End-to-End Compatibility The subgroup discussed the issue of end-to-end compatibility between different PCS technologies which rely on different low bit rate voice processors For example could a Government user with a CDMA phone with variable rate voice processor communicate intelligibly with a user with a TDMA phone operating with a half rate coder with a different voice processing algorithm Further will PCS implementations permit the use of Government-owned secure-voice terminals The subgroup agreed that end-to-end compatibility is an inherent industry problem that will eventually be resolved in the marketplace 5 2 6 PCS Cellular and Satellite System Compatibility The subgroup discussed the possibility that a multimode phone would be developed to provide contiguous service in different network environments including PCS cellular radio and M88 It was agreed that the issue might be resolved through a Government lease of wireless handsets rather than purchasing handsets Leasing would maximize the Government's purchasing exibility and enable it to upgrade its wireless communication capabilities as wireless technologies progress 5 2 7 Priority Access Gaining access to a cellular radio channel during disaster situations has been shown to be a signi cant problem Therefore industry and Government are working together to develop a cellular priority access service for users It is expected that priority access will also be required in a PCS network environment The subgroup agreed that while PCS priority access was not an immediate concern it was an issue that should be dealt with as the industry continues to grow A member noted that PCS networks might be deployed gradually 34 beginning with macrocells and eventually including microcells The same member suggested that there could eventually be a congestion problem with PCS networks not in terms of accessing voice channels but in terms of accessing the PSTN The subgroup agreed that somethingsimilar to the PACA standard should be deployed for PCS networks It is understood that the PACA standard agreed for cellular systems is also being considered for PCS networks Additionally the subgroup agreed that future PCS priority access standards should also consider issues associated with switch congestion as well as congestion in voice channel access 5 2 8 Government Emergency Telecommunications Service Compatibility The subgroup discussed issues associated with PCS compatibility with the GETS The subgroup agreed that the Government needs to clarify its requirement for GETS compatibility Speci cally the Government should de ne the service desired when a GETS user dials the 710 area code Several other GETS compatibility questions were posed including how the Signaling System Number 7 SS7 would be used in a GETS environment and what services would be supported Additionally the subgroup discussed the possibility that SS7 could support priority egress in a GETS environment The subgroup agreed that priority egress would be counterproductive to operations because it could cause significant congestion in the wireline portion of the network The subgroup identi ed this area as one which the NSTAC might productively address In particular it was suggested that the WSTF might hypothesize a speci c PCS application that utilizes SS7 combining priority access wireline priority treatment and priority egress 5 2 9 Security The subgroup agreed that the Government must de ne speci c security requirements so that PCS service providers would be able to provide end-to-end Industry and Government should work together to ensure that the third generation of digital STUs would be compatible with emerging PCS networks The Government needs for security are recognized but the subgroup does not foresee any need for WSTF action in this area Note that veri cation authentication reliability and survivability were each considered and discussed as possible issue areas but were dismissed because the commercial market is expected to demand an adequate level for these capabilities 5 3 PCS RECOMMENDATIONS The use of PCS for support is an area the Government is just beginning to address This initial scoping effort determined that there is a proliferation of potential service providers for PCS However since it is such a broad area the capability of the WSTF to focus on speci c issues requires that the Government provide information regarding the planned use of the emerging PCS for telecommunications support Therefore the WSTF recommends that the FWPC and the FWUF address this area in their deliberations and return to NSTAC with particular problems for consideration 35 One area identi ed for consideration for potential future NSTAC work is the possible investigation of priority treatment for users of PCS 36 SECTION 6 WIRELESS MOBILE ACCESS TO DATA NETWORKS 6 1 MOBILE WIRELESS DATA OVERVIEW The Federal Government is interested in obtaining mobile wireless access to data services in support of operations which appear to the user to be universally interoperable and available using common devices Mobile wireless access to data networks is de ned as a communications capability providing a mobile data terminal user with access to a data network via wireless means from unspeci ed locations Wireless data communications services include data transfer capabilities from wireless terminals similar to those available to non-wireless data terminal equipment over land lines These services typically employ the standard X25 interface protocol for connection to X25 public data networks In one con guration currently in use information entered by users at originating wireless terminals is transmitted over a national packetwradio network to a network end station where it is then transmitted by the end station to the designated receiving terminal Terminals can be anything that connects to an X25 network from a keypad and display to a laptop computer pocket computer or handheld terminal Wireless data communications networks are designed for short bursty interactive data transmission In addition they can accommodate multiple host connections and have a store- and-forward capability There are several companies that currently supply wireless X25 data services in competition with data services available through cellular radio systems Currently wireless data systems are also being implemented which include a capability to support Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol Another type of service is provided by wireless local area networks WLAN WLAN is a LAN in which connectivity is provided by radio as opposed to wire permitting the interconnection and communication between a group of computer workstations primarily for the sharing of resources such as data storage devices and printers WLANs cover short distances generally less than 1 kilometer usually within a single building complex Different data transfer rates are possible and shared centralized data storage access may be provided There are a multitude of existing and emerging services which might be used to provide mobile access to data services for support as was illustrated in Figure 1 Currently the typical method to provide mobile wireless access to data networks or information systems is through analog based cellular systems which can be used to provide circuit-switched access through a modem attached to a cellular telephone or through a radio equipped with a modem Data rates of up to 14 4 are possible with enhanced modems for radio applications Another method being implemented to carry data over cellular systems is through cellular digital packet data CDPD CDPD makes use of the unused capacity of the cellular system by inserting packets of data in idle voice channels or reserved channels CDPD is being promulgated by the cellular service providers and is in the process of implementation across the nation CDPD operates at 19 2 kbps but throughput is limited to less than 14 due to overhead data necessary to provide reliable data transfer over the air Standards organizations are also 37 working on developing standards for data transmission over the emerging digital cellular systems both TDMA- and CDMA-based systems There are currently two existing nationwide mobile packet data service providers Ram Mobile Data and Ardis These service providers have extensive coverage across the nation and their systems operate at data rates between 8 and 19 2 kbps with throughput from 2 to 3 kbps Ram uses the Mobitex standard developed by Ericsson AB while Ardis uses a proprietary protocol developed by Motorola and IBM so the hardware designed for one network will not work with the other Last year the FCC auctioned several frequency bands for narrowband PCS including both national and regional licenses which will lead to another series of mobile wireless data access possibilities The narrowband PCS licensees include PageMart PCS Development MobileMedia PCS Advanced Wireless Messaging AirTouch Paging Lisa-Gaye Shearing Insta-Check Systems Ameritech Mobile Services and Benbow PCS Ventures At least one service provider plans to launch a narrowband service with a throughput of up to 25 kbps It is anticipated that the new services will include mobile wireless access for laptops with Personal Computer Memory Card International Association PCMCIA card adapters personal digital assistants PDAs and paging devices capable of receiving and sending short messages The FCC has also authorized frequency spectra in multiple bands for unlicensed device Operation These bands will be used by low power devices and will include operation of WI ANs and wireless PBXs which will nd use in support of disaster eld of ces and or medical support facilities SMR providers are also implementing new digital systems which have integrated voice data eet dispatch and paging capabilities Currently these systems are currently limited to approximately 4 8 throughput and available in only a few areas although service providers have announced plans to expand their networks across the nation There are also numerous mobile satellite services being proposed for deployment utilizing a variety of different technologies For example in October 1994 the FCC granted a license to a company to build and operate a little LEO system The LEO system is being planned to provide store-and forward message capability in support of both handheld and vehicle- mounted mobile terminals 6 2 DISCUSSION Wireless interoperability for wireless data can be de ned as the capability to communicate between two given terminals or systems at least one of them utilizing a wireless access method over a variety of facilities without the user needing specialized adapters or operating procedures Wireless data interoperability can be addressed at different interface points and for different services Interfaces of concern include the user service application terminal-to mobile radio terminal interface the air interface the radio base station-to-mobile switch terminal interface the mobile switch-todandline switched network interface and the landline network- to-terminal or data service interface Wireless data services for use could include packet-switched data circuit-switched data facsimile location position determination and 38 paging as well as connections As noted above these wireless data services might be provided through a multitude of different systems including cellular radio PCS SMR mobile satellite systems wireless data networks and paging networks When a wireless service connects an user terminal to another user terminal or service through a land- line switched network a number of different networks may be involved such as the PSTN PSDN including the Internet the Defense Information System Network or the FTS 2000 The FWPC requirements statement identi es the need for terminal mobility with service availability regardless of geographic location the function being served or the network being utilized When responding to an emergency situation the user requires the use of a terminal device for a given service or application function regardless of where the emergency occurs Transparency is an implied feature of interoperability Transparency implies that user actions remain the same regardless of the geographic location or intervening networks and the techniques or mechanisms used to provide the particular wireless service do not require that the Government user know the details of the underlying technologies As an example there are a number of data transfer mechanisms available for cellular radio systems each with its own capability for interoperability In the case of existing analog cellular radio systems a modem can be used to connect a computer directly to a cellular telephone achieving a circuit-switched data connection through the PSTN In digital cellular systems however special interworking functions must be provided by the cellular carrier or value-added server to achieve such a service through the PSTN Further CDPD is currently being deployed and will accommodate packet data services In all three of these cases however the user must use different equipment hardware and software to connect to the cellular system potentially limiting the roaming capability of the user 6 3 MOBILE WIRELESS DATA ISSUES A number of potential issues concerning the use of mobile wireless access to data services were discussed as summarized below A major concern with respect to possible WSTF recommendations and follow-on actions however was a lack of understanding of the planned use of mobile wireless access to data services by the Government to support users 6 3 1 Proliferation of Wireless Data Service Providers There are numerous service providers currently offering or planning to offer mobile wireless access to data networks These include the existing cellular providers existing mobile data service providers service or equipment providers for the unlicensed frequency bands set aside for data applications narrowband PCS licensees SMR service providers and the M88 entrants It also includes companies that will be bidding on the narrowband PCS frequency allocations for designated entities which may be entering the telecommunications business for the rst time The new service providers may not be familiar with programs and telecommunications functions Therefore the Federal Government and private industry must work together to educate these new service providers with respect to maintaining capabilities 39 6 3 2 Interoperability There are a number of interoperability issues arising from the introduction of new technologies in emerging mobile wireless data access systems with a variety of air-interface techniques and network interfaces The emergence of so many different systems most based on different designs makes it very dif cult for the Government to ensure that equipment obtained to support functions will be interoperable However end-to-end compatibility necessary for voice terminals may not be as critical in mobile wireless data since most mobile wireless data communications are expected to be between a terminal and a database or server rather than terminal-to-terminal Whether or not interoperability is a problem for users will depend on the Government plans for utilizing these new services However without standards being developed and implemented including service descriptions there is concern about the availability of mobile wireless data services to support Government requirements 6 3 3 Priority Access Gaining access to a cellular radio channel during disaster situations has been shown to be a signi cant problem therefore industry and Government are working together to develop a cellular priority access service for users In recent disasters wireless access to data networks has proven to be reliable and survivable while experiencing some local congestion However because of the limited experience and use of data networks for functions it is unclear whether wireless access to these networks during disasters will be a problem and further investigation may be warranted 6 3 4 CDPD Availability In the case of CDPD there is an issue of availability of the service in times of stress since CDPD relies on the availability of unused frequencies in the cellular radio band In theory CDPD should function even when the network is fully loaded because it uses idle channels between calls However the throughput can be signi cantly degraded in disaster situations especially when priority calls are in queue since that means the cell serving that area is fully loaded with voice calls Therefore there is a concern that CDPD would not be available at the times it is needed to support emergency situations 6 3 5 Security Security is certainly a concern for users However additional information concerning the use of mobile wireless data communications services is needed before NSTAC can identify which wireless security issues to address 6 3 6 Unlicensed PCS As noted above the FCC has authorized the operation of unlicensed services devices in designated frequency bands Some of the facilities utilizing this option are wireless LANs and wireless PBXs It is likely that emergency response centers will use these wireless data systems in support of disaster response operations Wireless LANs for example are easier to set up on-the-fly and are more easily transportable than wired LANs However no speci c 40 issues were identi ed for the WSTF to address in this area that are different from those noted for licensed wireless data communications 6 4 MOBILE WIRELESS DATA RECOMMENDATIONS The use of mobile wireless access to data facilities for support is an area the Government is just beginning to address This scoping effort determined that there is a proliferation of potential service providers of mobile wireless data services Some of these providers have proprietary systems which are not interoperable with any others while some utilize standard systems that allow a user to connect to systems of multiple service providers It was noted that this is a growing complex area and there are a number of potential issues arising from the use of mobile wireless access to data networks services However since it is such a broad area the capability of the WSTF to focus on specific issues requires that the Government provide information regarding the planned use of the emerging wireless data networks for telecommunications support Therefore the WSTF recommends that the FWPC and the FWUF evaluate current and planned uses of wireless data technologies including any specific problems they would like addressed and provide the NSTAC with that information for consideration 41 SECTION 7 CONCLUSIONS The Task Force has completed its scoping task and has concluded that these emerging wireless technologies could provide signi cant capabilities to communications support It has identi ed a number of areas that need further work by both Government and industry entities and has provided recommendations for resolution by the Government These recommended actions address areas where the STAC could assist the Government However in most of these cases the Government priorities are not clear to the Task Force When Government priorities have been established the NSTAC should be called upon by the Government to assist in their resolution as appropriate The Task Force Subgroups came to a number of conclusions from the issues considered Some of these conclusions apply to all the emerging technologies such as concerns over priority access for users low-bit-rate voice processor compatibility and the proliferation of service providers unfamiliar with concerns Other conclusions were technology-speci c such as concerns over MSS gateway security and congestion at PCS switches As a highlight it was concluded that MSS has an advantage for certain uses as it provides out-of-the-area communications over long distances and on a global basis MSS has the ability to deliver a range of services in regions lacking adequate terrestrial telecommunications because of location results of a disaster or lack of reliable terrestrial infrastructure MSS removes users' dependence on the local telecommunications infrastructure while allowing operation with the local facilities when they are available through connections made through a satellite ground station and the The implementation of the NPR-H04 National Law Enforcement Public Safety Network is expected to provide law enforcement and public safety an integrated wireless wireline network that meets the functional requirements of the user community As envisioned the network will incorporate spectrally efficient technologies support interoperability enhance the safety of law enforcement public safety personnel and be secure Network planning and development will be sensitive to individual agency issues such as priorities and privacy will provide virtual autonomy and non-interfering operations and will include exibility to expand and extend capabilities Cooperative and coordinated system development efforts between multiple agencies will relieve the effects of diminishing resources such as funding and radio spectrum and will result in numerous cost and quality-of-service advantages This network will provide telecommunications and can be interconnected to an MSS user via a gateway 43 Based on its review of the issues involving emerging wireless services the Task Force came to the conclusions described in the following paragraphs for some of the important issues discussed by the several subgroups 1 Multiple Service Providers Ubiquity The rapid introduction of new service providers and new capabilities has both positive and negative aspects The availability of these new systems and capabilities means that the users will have multiple systems to choose from in selecting the telecommunications to serve various functions However it also means there is an urgent need for more coordinated planning due to these multiple providers and new services becoming available It now becomes even more important that the many NCS organizations coordinate their efforts to accommodate the wide variety of potential support missions and the multitude of existing and emerging wireless capabilities available It was concluded that with the proliferation of new service providers some will have little or no understanding of telecommunications functions and a need to educate these new service providers is anticipated A related concern with the proliferation of service providers is the ubiquity of service across the nation This arises from the need for users to move to a disaster site which is far removed from their normal location In the case of LMR for example there are a few Federal systems which have frequency allocations across the entire nation However these frequency assignments are generally given to designated groups on a regional basis and controlled locally so there is limited capability for users in one area to travel to another area and still be able to use their LMR terminal units It was concluded that the Government should address the functional requirements for a gateway to provide interoperability between systems and evaluate the spectrum utilization for its impact on future communications support for emergency response efforts 2 Interoperability The Government need for interoperability and the potential of multiple air interface standards has been recognized for some time as a problem The issue was discussed in all four scoping subgroups The problem of interoperability already exists with LMR systems used for functions and it is expected to be a problem with the other emerging wireless services MSS PCS and mobile wireless data In the case of M58 it is unlikely that there will be any direct interoperability between any of the systems which will be elded in the next few years The emergence of so many different systems most based on different designs makes it very dif cult for the Government to ensure that equipment obtained to support functions will be interoperable It was generally agreed however that air-interface standards would ultimately be determined by the marketplace The Government should recognize it as a near-term problem and be prepared to deal with it through the procurement process Note that in October 1994 the Task Force issued a report on interoperability which provided a number of suggestions for Government actions to alleviate interoperability concerns with the use of emerging wireless systems for support 3 End-to-End Compatibility The proliferation of emerging wireless systems raises the issue of end to end compatibility While connection of users through the PSTN is essentially transparent to the user there is concern with regard to the intelligibility of a voice connection between different wireless access systems when the two wireless access techniques rely on different low-bit-rate voice processors In a disaster situation users might have extensive requirements for mobile-to-mobile communications It was concluded that end to-end compatibility is an inherent industry problem that will eventually be resolved in the marketplace but the Government should be cognizant of the problem and take the necessary steps including close cooperation between NCS agencies to prevent interoperability problems through the procurement process 4 Reliability Availability The Task Force is concerned with MSS systems reliability or availability of the service in disaster situations The ground entry points may be limited in number placed in a vulnerable location or have limited access to the PSTN Some of the M88 systems may have only single ground stations without full backup and would be adversely affected if the ground station is in the disaster area It was concluded that redundancy of ground station access should be provided through diverse routing and backup systems including dedicated Government links to the ground stations for enhanced accessibility 5 Priority Access The need for priority access for cellular systems has been demonstrated numerous times as noted earlier It is also a concern for the emerging wireless services and was addressed by all the Task Force Subgroups If the Government acquires SMR services from a commercial entity priority access becomes an issue for users of this service in disaster recovery operations It is also anticipated as a problem for M83 in support of users since there is only a limited number of channels available to serve the entire nation Further the M88 relies heavily on the PSTN so there is a need for a priority scheme that not only provides access to the radio channel but also ensures end-to-end service on a priority basis In the case of PCS and mobile data access the impact or need for priority is not as clear For instance with the introduction of many small radio cells for PCS the channel access limitation may be moved from the air interface into the PSTN itself or to the access into the PSTN Therefore it was concluded that with respect to the emerging wireless services there is a need to further examine priority access needs and options similar to the ongoing joint Government-industry investigation into establishing a cellular priority access service for use In the case of mobile wireless data access there is an issue of availability of a particular data access service in times of stress namely CDPD since it relies on the availability of unused frequencies in the cellular radio band In theory CDPD should function even when the network is fully loaded because it uses idle channels between calls However the throughput can be signi cantly degraded in disaster situations especially 45 when priority calls are in queue since that means the cell serving that area is fully loaded with voice calls It was concluded that CDPD should not be relied upon to support emergency situations but other service options should be evaluated to support user data communications requirements 6 Security There are several aspects to the Federal security interest including con dentiality integrity authentication availability and accountability The Task Force recognizes that the protection needs differ for many users Many such as the medical community may only need a good privacy system for the majority of their communications Others particularly those with national security responsibilities require full security perhaps even to the compartmented level One speci c Government objective is to utilize wireless networks to support each user- provided security function application-speci c transparently through the network A related concern of the Government is the use of existing analog-based STU-111s over the emerging wireless communications systems to preserve the con dentiality of end- to-end communications Further there is a need to ensure that the next generation of secure telephone units digitally based are compatible with the emerging networks The Task Force concluded that there should be a road map for both Government and industry for security and privacy in the use of these emerging wireless services for support 7 GETS Compatibility A number of issues associated with the compatibility of GETS with both cellular radio systems and the emerging wireless services were identi ed The compatibility and the interoperation of priority access schemes for the over the-air interface and the wireline networks was a central theme in all the subgroup discussions It was concluded that the Government needs to clarify its requirements for GETS compatibility Speci cally the Government should de ne the priority services desired and any need to transfer GETS-related signals directly to the wireline service provider when a GETS user dials the 710 area code in a call request It was also concluded that GETS compatibility with priority access and egress for emerging wireless systems is an area that should be explored further 8 Federal Response Plan Another issue of concern is the Federal guidelines for the use of communications as covered in the FRP In 1994 the WSTF recommended that the Communications Annex to the FRP Annex 2 be revised to Encompass an 'all-hazards' approach making more effective use of wireless technologies and services The use of the new emerging technologies such as MSS should be covered in The FRP including pertinent annexes - Communications and - Health and Medical Services should be periodically reviewed and updated to strengthen the consistent use of wireless services for communications support 46 9 The Task Force concluded as noted above that there is an urgent need for more coordinated advanced planning due to the multitude of providers and new emerging wireless services becoming available It is now even more important that the many NCS organizations coordinate their efforts to accommodate the wide variety of potential support missions and the multitude of existing and emerging wireless capabilities available In the case of utilization is reduced in part due to disparate radio frequency allocations by the FCC and and the limited frequency agility capability of existing equipment Frequency coordination and allocation processes should be evaluated as well as procurement practices to ensure maximum use of available wireless facilities This endeavor could be coupled into the future efforts of the advisory committee and set up to address frequency spectrum for public safety and law enforcement entities The Government has initiated a process for obtaining uniform wireless services through an Request for Comment RFC issued by DITCO but there is still concern that the full extent of the emerging wireless services are not being sought for users since the initial RFC does not speci cally include MSS In the case of M58 which is important in communicating with users at inaccessible locations it may be useful for the Government to consider reserving capacity for day-to day communications which could then be preempted for use in crisis and disaster support activities It was concluded that the Government does not have an overall architecture for the use of M88 systems in support of which should cover among other things interoperability requirements The Government may be required to support missions throughout the world where local national laws and regulations are observed It was concluded that the Government should be coordinating with other Governments and international bodies to obtain the required agreements and licenses for emerging wireless communications particularly MSS to support global emergency response efforts in advance of any operational need 10 Regulatory Issues There were a number of regulatory activities which arose during the Task Force deliberations It was concluded that CPAS would require approval by the FCC including authorization of the criteria for precedence levels and their assignment based on the user's functions mission and needs The potential impact of the FCC's wireless 9-1-1 docket on CPAS implementation was also noted and activities on this docket should continue to be monitored The Subgroup also noted that the FCC is taking actions which might affect the use of spectrum for users The FCC is promulgating the reduction of channel bandwidth from 25 per channel through a transition of 12 5 per channel and eventually migrating to 6 25 over the next several 47 11 12 years which would impact the procurement plans of Federal and public safety users The FCC is also considering additional designation of contiguous segments of bandwidth in the 800 band for licensed SMR use This would require relocation programs which might also impact users It was concluded that the Government should closely monitor the regulatory actions in this area as they could have direct impact on procurement programs for communications systems Standards A number of standards issues were identi ed concerning existing and emerging wireless services Extensive efforts have resulted in speci cations for a conventional air-interface for non-dunked LMR systems to provide radio compatibility between next- generation conventional digital LMR radios but these do not address the interoperabi- lity needs for the digital trunked radio systems that are being developed for commercial applications In the case of M88 the various systems are being deveIOped independently of each other without the bene t of a Standards Forum It is unlikely therefore that there will be any direct interoperability between MSS systems which will be elded in the next several years For PCS multiple air-interface standards have been proposed and several are being or about to be approved It was concluded that the Government should work to maximize its purchasing flexibility so that it can procure services from the best quali ed vendor as wireless technologies advance without purchasing equipment that might soon become outdated There are numerous service providers offering or planning to offer mobile wireless access to data networks A number of these mobile data access systems include proprietary system designs making it dif cult for the Government to ensure that equipment obtained to support functions will be interoperable However it was concluded that end-to-end compatibility necessary for voice systems may not be as critical for mobile wireless data applications since most wireless data communications are expected to be from a mobile terminal to a host server and associated database rather than terminal to terminal It was noted however that without standards being developed and implemented there is concern with the availability of uniform mobile wireless data services for users CPAS The WSTF CPAS Subgroup continued to pursue a nationwide cellular priority access service which is a call by-call mechanism that provides priority handling of call attempts The Task Force reaf rmed the conclusions that - A uniform nationwide ubiquitous CPAS capability would bene t Federal State and local users and appears feasible in the near future 48 Industry and Government have successfully addressed many issues that are necessary for CPAS implementation although technical administrative and regulatory issues remain - Continued government and NSTAC involvement in support of the CPAS implementation process is important as is continued inclusion of a wide array of CPAS stakeholders in the implementation process Finally the Task Force concluded that - telecommunications capabilities could bene t from a joint industry- Govemment investigation of the use of new wireless technologies in operations While the industry members on the task force identi ed a number of issues for consideration the joint industry-Government process would focus both parties' efforts on the most important issues and allow both Government and industry to move forward in addressing the most critical problems 0 It would be bene cial for Federal State and local representatives to collaborate on issues involved in new and evolving wireless technologies Because telecommunications involve a range of environments users and requirements an adequate cross-section of users including representatives from the distinct areas of national security and emergency preparedness is necessary for effective consideration 0 The efforts of the OMNCS to update of the Federal Response Plan are commendable It is important to continue to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA to strengthen the partnership with other annexes having a natural co-dependence with and for representatives of those disciplines to participate in training currently being planned 49 SECTION 8 RECOMMENDATIONS The subgroups evaluated multiple issues and each subgroup made many recommendations to the Task Force The Task Force reviewed these recommendations and assimilated them into a succinct list by combining individual items when warranted by the similarities Many of the recommendations apply to all the emerging technologies such as priority access for users and interoperability concerns To exploit these emerging wireless technologies the Task Force recommends that the Government De ne and establish uni ed policies and requirements for wireless services in support of activities at Federal State and local levels Identify issues inherent in emerging technologies including providing orientation to newly involved entities Identify interoperability and security constraints inherent in emerging wireless technologies and determine alternative solutions e internetworking Identify approaches to providing end to end network privileges for users associatec with these new technologies priority access GETS etc Foster international agreements and licenses for wireless technologies to support global emergency response efforts Continue support to the Joint planning processes such as undertaken within the CPAS Subgroup Federal Law Enforcement Working Group FWPC FWUF Government Wireless Focal Point NPR-ITO4 NSTAC and the PSWAC Establish an of ce that aggressively involves all NCS organizations State and local Governments and the telecommunications industry to test evaluate demonstrate train and exercise the application of wireless technology in support of operations The Government should continue its CPAS implementation efforts coordinating with Federal State and local Governments industry groups and emergency management associations to gain broad consensus on regulatory administrative and technical issues and nalize a comprehensive strategy for CPAS implementation 51 APPENDIX TASK FORCE PARTICIPANTS SECRETARIAT PERSONNEL AND INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTORS 53 Task Force Members Dr Al Dayton Co-Chair Mr Jim Bean Co-Chair Mr Myron Proefrock Mr Randy Schulz Dr Ahmed Nagia Mr Jack Taylor Mr Tim Rodgers Dr John Edwards Mr Quent Cassen Mr Ed Planco Mr Peter Hadinger Dr Dan Wiener Mr Jon Lofstedt COMSAT GTE Wireless Bellcore CSC InterDigital MCI NTI Rockwell Sprint TRW UNIS YS US WEST Subgroup Chairs Wm Mr Randy Schulz CPAS Bellcore Dr Ahmed Nagia CSC MSS Dr Al Dayton COMSAT Mr Mark Epstein Qualcomm PCS Mr Myron Proefrock Wireless Mr Ed Planco Sprint Mobile wireless data Mr Myron Proefrock Wireless Secretariat Eam'mnams Role thamzm Mr Shawn Pindell Action Of cer OMNCS Mr David Toy Technical Support MITRE Ms Victoria Anderson Meeting Summaries BAH Mr David Haviland Meeting Summaries BAH Mr Matt Howard Meeting Summaries BAH 55 Other Industry Contributors 2 Mr Jim Young Mr Herb Taylor Mr Alireza Shahnami Mr Robert Ephraim Mr Neil Sehgal Mr Jack Oslund Mr Gary Bennett Mr Don Goodwin Jr Mr Michael Hirsch Mr Peter Pappas Mr Nick Gorham Mr Ben La Pointe Mr J William Bell Mr Dennis Wasco Mr Anton Reut Mr Mark Epstein Mr Mike Bayly Mr Ken Laretto Mr Tony Can'ino Mr Gene Estes 56 2 Aerospace AMSC APCO Bellcore Cellular One COMSAT Mobile Ericsson GEOTEK GEOTEK IVANS Motorola Motorola NENA NEXTEL ORBCOMM Qualcomm Securicor Sprint Stanilitc Unisys LIST OF REFERENCES References Cited 1 2 3 Federal Response Plan Emergency Support Function April 1992 FCC Of ce of Engineering and Technology June 1994 Towards National Security and Emergency Preparedness Digital Services NSTAC Wireless Services Task Force Report September 5 1991 Other References 1 7 8 National Security and Emergency Preparedness Panel Report on 1992 Hurricane Experiences National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee N STAC May 1993 Of ce of the Manager National Communications System Request for Advice Letter Regarding Services 29 November 1993 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 Conference Report of the Committee on the Budget House of Representatives 103rd Congress Session August 4 1993 The National Irtfonnation Infrastructure An Agenda for Action September 1993 The Robert T Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Act Public Law 93- 288 amended 1n 1988 Report of the Federal Response Planning Task Force June 1993 Proceedings of the Federal Wireless User's Forum Workshop May 17- 19 1993 Proceedings of the Federal Wireless User's Forum Workshop September 27-29 1993 9 Current and Future Functional Requirements for Federal Wireless Services In the United 10 11 12 States Federal Wireless Policy Committee 12 August 1994 Personal Communications Services Applications and Unique Capabilities for Users dated December 1994 Considering Nextel What Wireless Users Need to Know Wireless for the Corporate User Volume 4 No 2 1995 Mobile Satellite Services Applications and Unique Capabilities for Users OMNCS dated November 30 1993 57 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 ENHANCED SATELLITE CAPABILITY ESC Mobile Satellite Services Experiment Guide OMNCS dated May 1994 Wireless Services Interoperability White Paper WSTF October 26 1994 Direct Satellite Telephony Offers Terrestrial Linkage SIGNAL April 1995 pp 26 29 Space-Based Telephone Service Nears Reality SIGNAL April 1995 pp 31-33 Limited Resources National Interests Shape Global Personal Communications SIGNAL April 1995 PP 35-37 Survey of the Mobile Satellite Communications Industry MITRE Technical Report 92B0000059 April 1992 A draft proposed American National Standard on Personal Communications Terminology Document Working Group T1P1 3 undated Memorandum Opinion and Order GEN Docket No 90-314 FCC 94-144 Adopted June 9 1994 released June 13 1994 Wireless Data More Than Wishful Thinking Data Communications March 21 1995 IT 04 Establish a National Law y orcement Public Safety Network in Accompanying Report of the National Performance Review-Creating a Government That Works Better Costs Less-Reengineering Through Information Technology September 1993 pp 29-31 58 AMPS AMSC ANSI APCO ATIS CDMA CDPD CELP CPAS CTIA DITCO DUITS ECSA ESF ESMR FCC FDMA FEMA FRP FRWG FTS FWPC FWUF GEO GETS GLOSSARY Advanced Mobile Phone System American Mobile Satellite Corporation American National Standards Institute Association of Public-Safety Communications Of cial Alliance for Telecommunications Indusz Solutions Code Division Multiple Access Cellular Digital Packet Data Code-Excited Linear Predictive coder decoder Cellular Priority Access Services Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association Defense Information Technology Contracting Of ce Digital ubiquitous interoperable transparent and secure Exchange Carriers Standards Association Emergency Support Function Enhanced Specialized Mobile Radio Federal Communications Commission Frequency Division Multiple Access Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Response Plan Funding and Regulatory Working Group Federal Telecommunications System Federal Wireless Policy Committee Federal Wireless Users Forum Earth Orbit Government Emergency Telecommunications Service Gigahertz Global Positioning System General Services Administration Global System for Mobile communications Highly Inclined Elliptical Orbit High Speed Industry Executive Subcommittee Improved Multi-Band Excitation coder decoder Intelligent Network Internet Protocol Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee Interim Standard 59 ISDN LAN LEO LMR LS MEO MIRS MSAT MSC MSS MTSO NASTD NCC NCS NII NIST NPR NSA NSTAC NTIA OMNCS PACA PBX PCMCIA PCN PCS PDA PIN POS PSDN PCM PSN PSTN PSWAC RFC RFI Integrated Services Digital Network Information Technology Kilobits per second Kilohertz Local Area Network Low Earth Orbit Land Mobile Radio Low Speed Medium Earth Orbit Megahertz Motorola Integrated Radio System Mobile Satellite Mobile Switching Center Mobile Satellite Service Mobile Telephone Switching Of ce National Association of State Telecommunications Directors National Coordinating Center National Communications System National Information Infrastructure National Institute of Standards and Technology National Performance Review National Security and Emergency Preparedness National Security Agency National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee National Telecommunications and Information Administration Of ce of the Manager National Communications System Priority Access and Channel Assignment Private Branch Exchange Personal Computer Memory Card International Association Personal Communications Network Personal Communications Service Personal Digital Assistant Personal Identi cation Number Positioning Public Switched Data Network Pulse Code Modulation Public Switched Network Public Switched Telephone Network Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee Request for Comment Request for Information SMR SS7 STU TCP TDMA TSP UHF VHF VSELP WLAN WSTF Specialized Mobile Radio Signaling System Number 7 Secure Telephone Unit Transmission Control Protocol Time Division Multiple Access Telecommunications Industry Association Telecommunications Service Priority Ultra High Frequency Very High Frequency Vector Sum-Excited Linear Predictive coder decoder Wireless Local Area Network Wireless Services Task Force 61