scf mission critical stakeholder workshop presentation ... communications with time constants under...

Simon Forge SCF Associates Ltd All rights reserved 2014 1

A study on the use of commercial mobile networks and equipment for "mission-critical" high-speed broadband communications in specific sectors SMART 2013/0016

Stakeholder Workshop

Simon Forge Robert Horvitz Colin Blackman

Simon Forge SCF Associates Ltd All rights reserved 2014 2 Simon Forge SCF Associates Ltd All rights reserved 2014 2

AGENDA

! The key questions this study must answer

! Options for future Mission Critical networks

! Requirements for each sector

! Solutions – for and against


The study must evaluate the practical value of commercial mobile networks and equipment for "mission-critical" high-speed broadband communications in the 3 sectors of - PPDR, Utilities and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) by answering 2 two key questions:-

1)  To what extent and at what cost (in financial & non-financial terms) can commercial cellular networks provide the functionality, coverage, bandwidth and reliability needed by “mission-critical” communications for PPDR, ITS and Utilities?

2) To what extent can the economies of scale of global mass markets for commercial equipment be exploited to reduce the investment and operational costs for the provision of "mission-critical" high-speed broadband communications?

Key questions this study must answer


Public Safety Data Applications

Source: Mobile Broadband & the Future of Public Safety Networks from a Tetra Operator Perspective, Pat Kelly, TETRA Ireland, 11 April 2013 at the Radio Communications Experts Group in Dublin - http://m.eu2013.ie/media/eupresidency/content/documents/Presentation-8.-15.50-Mobile-Broadband1.pptx

Mission Critical/ Security

Level

HIGH

LOW LOW Data capacity & Speed required HIGH

Trend


•  Total spent on TETRA+TETRAPOL infrastructure = €13.975 Billion •  Annual opex for TETRA+TETRAPOL network operations = €1.353 Billion •  1.57 Million TETRA+TETRAPOL terminals

•  24,450 TETRA+TETRAPOL base stations

•  Average cost of TETRA/TETRAPOL infrastructure per user terminal = €7,150 (not including user subscriptions or any operating expenditure)

Europe has already invested heavily in its Mission Critical Infrastructure in the EU, to date


Dedicated Commercial

Equipment (networking &terminals)

Network operation

& ownership

In the study we examine 5 Scenario options

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 4 (Hybrid, eg

TETRA voice, +Commercial

LTE data)


Options for future Mission Critical networks (2015 – 2035)

1.  Dedicated specialised networks using specialised equipment only

2.  Commercial networks using commercial equipment only

3.  Dedicated specialised networks using commercial equipment

4.  Hybrid solutions involving dedicated specialised and commercial networks

5.  Common multi-purpose network for use by all three sectors simultaneously

Potential contender TETRA for voice & narrowband data in dedicated bands, govt owned /operated (GO-GO)

Dedicated/hardened LTE network in own spectrum, owned/operated by govt., public enterprise or PPP (GO-GO, or GO-CO)

Voice on TETRA (GO-GO) plus broadband data on resilient LTE for (GO-CO, or CO-CO)

Resilient LTE on 1+ commercial networks, no extra spectrum, owned/ operated by MNOs: CO-CO (option: dedicated spectrum)

?Resilient LTE on 1 or more commercial networks, with extra spectrum, govt owned but MNO operated (GO-CO)?


Spectrum options are among the key variables

Licence Exempt bands • ISM – for specialised utility and GSM-R • Wi-Fi •  Blue Tooth • White Spaces

Dedicated • 700 MHz – the next WRC-15 decision? and bandwidth? – eg 2x10MHz? • 400 MHz (previously TETRA) • VHF – not always used - and bands available • Above 1GHz – eg 5GHZ? • Lower UHF below 350MHz?

Share with commercial operators • LTE bands by country


Requirements – What are the differences between the 3 sectors?

• PPDR – must respond for safety of life (mission critical) but also everyday emergency operations for fire, police and medical emergencies • Utilities – everyday operation involves perfect resilience in communications with time constants under 10ms to run national high voltage electricity transmission, load dispatch and distribution as well as national gas pipelines – so dedicated (fixed?) networks? • ITS – what is mission critical differs across rail and road


Requirements - Wireless broadband for public safety - PPDR

Vehicle repeater systems

On & off street coverage

In-building coverage

Large building (thick walls, plus underground floors)

Tunnel coverage

Transceiver site Local fibre

Mobile signal

Wireline

Voice

Broadband Data

Fire

Police

Medical

Wide area coverage

Source : WARN Washington DC


Brandenburg State project uses broadband data over commercial 3G mobile networks from vehicles as comms centres

Interaktiver Funkstreifenwagen

expansion slot for TETRA, anticipates new BDBOS network


Differentiating the PPDR Requirements

POLICE

• Primary need is for reliable, secure, authenticated, low-latency voice functionality for: -

- Priority levels, DMO, PTT for dynamic user groups

- Dispatching & control room monitoring/support

- Mobile local hubs & control centres, including for UAV / AGA

- Tactical channels; ambience monitoring; investigative tool links

• Primary broadband needs: -

- Video for recordings & real-time streaming

- Future : video/sensors/remote control for UAVs & robots ; possibly video legal documents- witness testimony; arraignment, etc

• Secondary data needs (could be narrow- or wideband)

- Administrative actions, forms & reports.


FIRE • Rapid dispatch

• Voice & data links from fire-ground to control room & databases:

- Access to building plans, HAZMAT/flammable materials databases

• Data links needed for infrared cameras, motion sensors, RC robots/scouts, etc • Radio signals should penetrate buildings :

- Some brigades slow to give up legacy networks that work- analogue/VHF

• Handsets must be:

- Usable with gloves & face masks on; - Heat & water resistant; - Reliable DMO/proximity service; - Automatic reporting of 3D location + vital signs of fire-ground personnel; - Intrinsically safe in explosive atmospheres • Volunteers important in many Member States, especially in rural areas:

- Called to duty by pager or cellular; more medical/rescue calls than fire.


•  Rapid dispatch

•  Broadband applications for emergency care increasing rapidly:-

!  Imagery for telemedicine and paramedic guidance

!  Remote testing, diagnosis

!  Vital signs monitoring at accident/ disaster scene

!  Initial diagnosis for preparation of arrival in hospital in ‘golden hour’ – emergency operation/ intensive care ready on arrival

!  Sonar scans for remote areas to replace central CT scans

•  Phone-patching through control centre

•  DMO less important as on-site personnel usually within voice range

•  Comms needs low packet latency, symmetric upload/download.

MEDICAL EMERGENCY/AMBULANCE Requirements


Offshore Wind farm Solar farm

Fossil fuels generation

Waste Recycling combustor

Energy Wireless Data

HEP feed

Intelligent substation

Smart Buildings

Smart Homes with electricity feed-in and water heating

Load dispatch centre

The smart electrical utility data grid for distributed energy sources may also be re-used by gas and water utilities via overlays at the final premises distribution to the consumer, but each utility requires dedicated sensor networks for its upstream supply management

Battery storage for grid stabilisation with renewables


UTILITIES Requirements !  Mandatory to have resilient, reliable, delay-less networks for the “critical infrastructure” - high voltage electricity lines, transnational gas pipelines, LNG ports, nuclear power plants, even for routine comms: - Fixed line networks may be first choice, with radio only as backup !  Main communication needs are for fault alarms & a steady trickle of quantitative data on production & distribution, with network health:

- Broadband not urgent need (cost matters more than bandwidth)

- Need mobile voice for maintainers/repairers & dispatchers

- Video for access control & remote monitoring at sensitive sites

!  Most other utility communications can be considered either routine or “business critical” rather than “mission critical”.


• Society’s need for electricity is continuous while short-term gas & water interruptions may be more tolerated ELECTRICITY

• Electric power outages have cascade effects on other vital services (eg commercial cellular, broadcasting & Internet) so response times must be fast even if lives are not in immediate danger

• Radio used increasingly for control via smart grid with smart meters -in future, decentralised power generation will require constant active network & voltage management

• Smart grids more likely to develop in license-exempt spectrum than relying on commercial cellular (a SIM card per device expensive)

Differentiating among the utilities

GAS, WATER-SEWAGE !  Infrastructures more often buried so radio’s role in management

limited:-

!  Water utilities use narrowband slow-speed radio for SCADA

!  Gas utilities use radio (voice & sensors) for security and to manage repairs


Intelligent Transport Systems, ITS use of ICTs for transport & navigation systems Note: study limited to ground transport - road & rail

eCall if accident


ITS requirements

• Mission critical here means accident/injury prevention • Main value of radio is to facilitate routine operation, smooth traffic flow • Many diverse applications & emerging/futuristic concepts – eg today:-

•  Train & mass transit operation •  Fleet tracking by satellite /

mobile triangulation •  eCall accident alert by vehicle •  Synchronised traffic signals •  Pollution sensors •  Real-time mass transit

passenger information •  GPS navigation •  Traffic management & speed

monitoring with fuel saving

•  RFID toll collection •  Zone access controls

(congestion charges, truck exclusion times, etc)

•  Parking space management •  Radar (short-range for parking &

for vehicle speed measurement) •  Variable message signs •  CCTV •  Number plate recognition •  Stolen vehicle/load tracking

• A few use GPRS now, so LTE could support - but cheaper alternatives • Many different frequency bands are already allocated (some exclusive, some shared/license exempt)


Differentiating within ITS: GSM-R:

• Railways would gladly use this technology for 20-30 more years – but if commercial cellular phases out GSM, that might not be possible

• GSM-R is voice-centric but uses GPRS for rail traffic management:

- Driverless trains & passenger info services need sensors more than video

- Not much foreseeable need for broadband, except for passenger entertainment (separate from train control)

• European Commission 2011 Transport White Paper : by 2050, most medium-distance passenger & freight transport should go by rail, not road:

Implies increased train density and more reliable train movement authorisation

So long as network is reliable, does not have to be dedicated, or railway owned or operated.


Dedicated Commercial

Equipment (networking &terminals)

Network operation

& ownership

In the study we examine 5 Scenario options

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 4 (Hybrid, eg

TETRA voice, +Commercial

LTE data)


Option 1 - Dedicated specialised networks using specialised equipment only

For immediate/medium term only TETRA-TEDS as sector-enhanced LTE still in development:-

• Highly suited to PPDR requirements for group working with control rooms

• Reliable voice network with fast calling

• Spectrum allocations already harmonised across Europe for emergency services

• Long-lasting equipment - long amortisation/depreciation cycle

• TETRA offers narrowband data while TEDS brings wideband enhancement

• Emergency service users may influence design & evolution.

FOR AGAINST • Data bandwidth is limited, so applications are voice & slow data

• Expensive option – and payback longer (may be most expensive)

• Limited number of infrastructure & terminal equipment suppliers

• PPDR oriented - many features are not essential for non-PPDR use

• If managed on a commercial basis, users may become captives

• Inter-system interface, ISI, has never worked at a European level – not a seamless network in which any terminal can work on any network when authorised - as originally conceived in 1995.


Option 2 - Commercial networks using commercial equipment only

• Lower costs than dedicated networks as re-use existing infrastructure, including spectrum

• Can support broadband applications with mission critical impact

• Larger market/ volume production runs

= lower costs for outside plant & handsets

•  Mission critical sectors have access to latest technology as the commercial networks upgrade

• Easier inter-service and transborder interworking and roaming

• Special sector requirements can be implemented as “apps”

• Mission critical personnel can bring their own devices if they are registered, identified, authorised and authenticated.

FOR AGAINST

• Need expensive hardening

• Higher frequencies = more base stations = more expense

• During a crisis, public usage may congest the network, blocking access by emergency services

• No capacity for a single cell to cope with a sudden influx of large numbers of priority users

• No DMO ; call set up time too long

Technical:


Option 2 - Commercial networks using commercial equipment only – AGAINST 2

• MNOs could be required to agree to stringent contract conditions – eg guarantees on stability of operation, restrictions on change of ownership, high penalties for SLA infringement, rapid legal redress, etc – which they may refuse, resist, or seek to compensate in other ways

• PPDR wants long contracts, but MNOs unlikely to want beyond 5 years

• Perception that MNO business strategies will continue to favour the mass market – so no real “free ride” for mission critical on commercial synergies

• Migration from current networks likely to be costly - as need to maintain overlapping but quite dissimilar TETRA and LTE networks, perhaps for years.

Legal and business relationships – effective trust:


Option 3 - Dedicated specialised networks using commercial equipment

• Many sector-specific needs can be implemented as “apps” rather than in hardware or standards

• Commercial handsets will cost less than “bespoke” terminals

• Handsets may have a faster replacement cycle to take advantage of hardware improvements

• Initially, “hardened” network components likely to be more expensive than TETRA/TETRAPOL. But as development of LTE equipment with PPDR software/hardware progresses, prices will fall – perhaps steeply – as there will be a Europe-wide or even global market.

FOR AGAINST

• Standard terminals may not satisfy the unique requirements of these sectors, particularly PPDR, & may need to be upgraded - ruggedised and modified (eg current touch screens impractical for fire fighters wearing gloves).

• Similarly, standard commercial network elements and siting must be ruggedised so UPS, HVAC, physical and logical security, alternative routing etc must be added

• For ITS, this option may be too complex and expensive.


Option 4 - Hybrid solutions involving both dedicated specialised and commercial networks

•  Exploit the latest technology suitable for each use (“horses for courses”) on a pragmatic availability basis.

• Support for voice, high speed video, graphics and database access.

• More flexibility – support for all 3 sectors

- Eg use specialised apps on standard commercial devices via broadband

• Might be less costly than fully hardened commercial broadband network or dedicated broadband network with commercial technology

• Include ad hoc deployable units, for emergencies, disaster recovery, temporary events, etc., to cover incident sites - “communication hubs”

• Could act as migration path to next generation mission critical (ie a phase).

FOR AGAINST •  Dual mode terminals necessary – e.g. for TETRA and LTE –or must carry 2 devices

• Commercial network coverage for broadband may be too limited

• Likely to be be more costly than an all-commercial network (in monetary terms)

• Users may encounter different levels of resilience between commercial and dedicated

•  Harder to plan / apply Standard Operating Procedures

• Interfacing of 2 dissimilar networks adds costs and operating difficulties.


Option 5 - Common multi-purpose network for use by all three sectors simultaneously

• Could be cheaper than dedicated networks for each industry/ sector

• Traffic patterns & location coverage needs may be different enough that the various user groups complement one another – ie for efficient use of resources

• Interworking between services could be made more straightforward

• Market for network equipment and terminals would be much larger

• Urban & rural landscapes less cluttered with radio towers (latest Directives).

FOR AGAINST • The 3 sectors’ functional, coverage and bandwidth requirements are so different there might have to be (cost) compromises such that no sector’s needs are well served.

• ITS and utilities are already using license exempt mesh networks – a very different architecture than what PPDR wants: a 2-sector solution might work better than a 3-sector.

• Spectrum requirements across the 3 sectors would be difficult to meet using a single band or even a low number of bands

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