lte serving public safety businesscase july 2013v2

July 2013

Ken Rehbehn, Principal Analyst, [email protected]

LTE Serving Public Safety: Live Pilots Deliver Real-World Experience

Business Case

COMPANIES MENTIONED

Amdocs, Apple, AT&T Mobility, Cisco, FirstNet, Google, Harris Corporation, IPWireless, Mechdyne, Motorola Solutions, NetMotion Wireless, Nokia Siemens Networks, RACOM, Raytheon, Reality Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LTE Mobile Broadband Benefits Extend to Public Safety 2

Methodology 2

Mobile Broadband Spectrum Dedicated for Public Safety Communications 3

Interoperability: The Keystone of Public Safety Communication Success 4

The 2012 Republican National Convention: LTE in Support of a National Special Security Event 5

The Big Game: LTE in Support of America’s Most Popular Sporting Event 6

Iowa State Demonstrations: LTE in Support of Fire and EMS 7

Conclusions and Recommendations 9

Further Reading 10

The Bottom Line

Highlights• A new U.S. public safety broadband network is being built. The U.S. has

commenced an ambitious project to deliver public safety first responders a national interoperable mobile broadband data network. Using freed analog television spectrum and supervised by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), the project creates a new national network based on Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards for LTE.

• Limited pilot networks are operating in advance of FirstNet deployment. Early experience has been gained through the deployment of limited pilot networks authorized by the FCC. This experience yields insight into network deployment challenges, multivendor interoperability, application capability and public/private network roaming.

• Pilot networks yield useful experience. As FirstNet designs and builds the new national network, pilot deployments continue to be useful opportunities to expand operational experiences and gain insight into key issues, including site hardening, provisioning, interoperability and more. FirstNet should leverage the agile pilot process for additional opportunities supporting major public events during the next two years. The experience gained through a variety of different pilot configurations will yield a rich set of data to help inform near- and long-term FirstNet direction.

As the U.S. embarks on its ambitious effort to build a nationwide LTE network for public safety first responders, important lessons are already available from pilot deployments around the country. Pilots at the 2012 Republican National Convention and 2013 Super Bowl and an LTE demonstration in Iowa show the value of flexible video delivery from the heart of unfolding incident scenes. Just as important, they show that interoperable LTE public safety deployment is a reality today.

LTE Serving Public Safety: Live Pilots Deliver Real-World Experience July 2013

© Copyright 1997-2013, Yankee 451 Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

LTE Mobile Broadband Benefits Extend to Public Safety

Apple’s iPhone introduction in 2007 reset expectations for mobile broadband network users. Unlike previous poorly designed handsets and limited browser software that forced users to make do with sluggish Internet access, the iPhone was a new device offering a fresh approach to mobile network access that captivated consumers. Subsequent waves of network and device innovation, including the addition of potent 4G LTE technologies, have made mobile Internet access an integral part of daily personal and business activities.

Public safety operations are also increasingly embracing the power of high-speed mobile Internet connectivity through commercial service providers. But relying on commercial networks brings limitations that are a concern to public safety officials. For one, commercial networks do not provide priority Internet access for public safety subscribers. In addition, commercial networks may not support mobile broadband capabilities throughout a jurisdiction, while network resilience—leveraging backup power generation, site security and redundancy—in the face of disaster may be questionable. To this end, the “good enough” approach to cellular network builds falls short for public safety agencies that rely on hardened, stringently designed land mobile radio networks for mission-critical voice needs.

Federal legislation passed in 2012 promises a new national 4G LTE network serving the needs of America’s first responders. But network deployments are complex, expensive projects that require long planning cycles, intense investment and challenging logistics. To that end, the legislation created a First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and charged it with making the new network a reality. Fortunately, while a functional FirstNet network takes shape, public safety agencies can leverage an agile deployment process to gain early experience with limited 4G LTE network deployments supporting mission-critical operations. Several public safety pilot networks have already delivered results using this process, based on FCC grants of Special Temporary Authority (STA) licenses.

This report examines the nature of three of these pilot deployments: The Tampa/St. Petersburg network deployed for the 2012 Republican National Convention (RNC), the New Orleans network deployed during the 2013 Super Bowl and the Iowa state demonstration network deployed in February 2013. Each of these deployments offers lessons to other jurisdictions interested in operating early LTE pilot networks or planning for future FirstNet public safety network capability.

Methodology

Yankee Group reviewed press reports touching on pilot networks deployed in support of the events highlighted in this report. In addition, in-depth conversations with subject matter experts at Harris Corporation, Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), Raytheon and RACOM provided information about deployments and lessons. Interviews with public safety officials in New Orleans and Iowa were conducted via phone and e-mail. NSN provided the funding for this project, but the opinions belong to Yankee Group.



Mobile Broadband Spectrum Dedicated for Public Safety Communications

By shifting U.S. television signals from analog to digital, the FCC freed spectrum in the 700 MHz band, a portion of radio spectrum well suited for far-reaching coverage and deep building penetration (see Exhibit 1). The move set the stage for today’s 4G LTE networks launched by AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and others. Fortunately, public safety needs were also accommodated. In 1998, Congress ordered the FCC to allocate 24 MHz of spectrum for public safety narrowband and broadband communications. In 2007, the FCC revised the 700 MHz band plan and service rules to set aside the lower half of the band (763-768 and 793-798 MHz) for public safety broadband communications as a single, nationwide Public Safety Broadband License (PSBL). Eventually, the FCC assigned the PSBL to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST).

Exhibit 1: Congress’ 700 MHz Plan for US Public Safety CommunicationsSource: Yankee Group, 2013

In theory, the PSBL spectrum was to be mated with another 10 MHz pair scheduled for auction to a commercial service provider. Known as the D Block (758-763 and 788-793 MHz), this second 10 MHz pair was to serve as the foundation of a public safety/private partnership offering a single interoperable national public safety capability that combines dedicated PSBL spectrum with commercial spectrum. Bidders for the D Block were required to support public safety users with potentially stringent priority and class of service parameters, a condition that gave bidders pause and resulted in no viable bids.

With no buyers for the D Block, however, public safety activists moved to secure legislation that ensured both the existing PSBL and the D Block spectrum would be utilized for public safety. In February 2012, Congress passed The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (frequently referred to as the Public Safety Spectrum Act by the public safety community). The act created FirstNet to build and regulate a national interoperable broadband LTE network using both the early PSBL frequencies and the D Block spectrum. Since the bill’s passage, FirstNet has started the long, complex process of creating the national LTE network that delivers on Congress’ promises to first responders.

Lower 700 MHz Band Upper 700 MHz Band

DDLTE bands for commercial service providers

10 MHzPublic Safety

LTE(Uplink)

Band 14

10 MHzPublic Safety

LTE(Downlink)

Band 14

Band 13Band 13 VOICE

VOICE

Public Safety Public Safety

5 MHz 5 MHz 6 MHz 5 MHz 5 MHz 6 MHz

698 704 710 716 722 728 734 740 746 752 758 764 770 776 782 788 794 800 806



Before FirstNet became operational, however, a number of public safety agencies secured funding for early mobile broadband network deployment by taking advantage of grants available through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a Department of Commerce agency responsible for federal spectrum management, administered the funds. A part of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the program provided $382.5 million to seven public safety projects around the U.S. The BTOP recipients applied for FCC waivers to operate under the 700 MHz PSBL. In several cases, networks were built, but the NTIA paused BTOP-funded projects following passage of the Public Safety Spectrum Act in February 2012.

Recognizing the value of early experience gained with early network deployment, the FCC issued an order in July 2012 supporting limited-duration pilot trials. By using existing STA rules, jurisdictions could apply for permission to build and operate small pilot networks. Since that order, several interesting pilot networks have been constructed with public/private partnerships to deliver capability demonstrations and, in some cases, support live public safety mission delivery in challenging environments.

Interoperability: The Keystone of Public Safety Communication Success

Today’s public safety officials recognize the value of interoperable communications between disparate agencies. With a patchwork legacy of separate communications systems using varying radio technology, frequencies and operating procedures, public safety agencies faced serious challenges during large-scale, multi-agency operations. Though still a work in progress, the voice interoperability problem is being addressed with upgrades deploying Project 25 (P25) voice standards. On the data front, interoperability is addressed by the proposed national public safety LTE network. To that end, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program developed a public safety data standard based upon the 3GPP specifications defining LTE. FirstNet deployments based on this approach ensure data communications interoperability across the U.S.

Until the advent of P25, voice land mobile radio systems suffered from vendor-specific radio protocols or feature creep that locked agencies into a single supplier. Specification of a single national standard for LTE-based broadband data promises the elimination of single supplier lock-in. Other benefits of this approach include:

• Broader range of innovation. With a common standard in play across the U.S., a wider range of device and network suppliers gain access to a larger public safety market. More importantly, it is a market unfettered by a supplier acting as gatekeeper. The resulting market scale and level playing field make public safety device support a more attractive opportunity for small and mid-sized innovative companies.

• Better price structures. By using 3GPP standards, public safety agencies gain access to device portfolios that have greater scale than what is found with land mobile radio portfolios. Simply put, there are many other consumers and enterprises purchasing devices powered by Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS operating systems. Device and network suppliers will be able to leverage the larger consumer market’s economies of scale benefits to help keep public safety device costs down. Of course, hardened devices will remain more expensive. But the wider set of suppliers empowered to bring hardened devices to market means better price competition even for those specialty devices.

• Seamless borderless operation. With the identical radio air interface supported coast-to-coast, public safety agency officials will be capable of using devices wherever they roam. During times of disaster or even a simple multi-state criminal investigation, seamless no-borders operation translates into more efficient cross-agency cooperation.

To be sure, rigorous standards and testing go a long way toward ensuring interoperable LTE networks: In the case of a disaster, first responders’ LTE equipment remains fully operational even when users move into a distant network equipped with base stations from different suppliers. However, early BTOP network builds were simple deployments using single vendor solutions. Because these networks did not mature before work was paused, live interoperability was not experienced. In contrast, the STA-based pilot deployments operated with varying equipment configurations, providing the first live operational deployments that prove the success of the PSCR program approach. That distinction makes the aforementioned pilots worthy of study.



The 2012 Republican National Convention: LTE in Support of a National Special Security Event

For public safety agencies, few events match national political conventions for degree of difficulty. The greater Tampa Bay area embraced the challenge while hosting the 2012 RNC. The effort was marked by extensive inter-agency collaboration: 3,000 supplementary law enforcement officers were drawn from outside the Tampa Bay region to supplement officers from the Tampa Police Department, St. Petersburg Police Department and Pinellas County. In short, the event offered an ideal laboratory to experiment with a live public safety LTE network.

The scope of a national political convention is staggering. During the week of the event, Tampa hosted approximately 50,000 participants including convention delegates, elected officials and media. Housing and transporting this large number of visitors strains city infrastructure and public safety resources. But what makes a political convention especially challenging is the prospect of civil disturbance.

Not surprisingly, when a political party spotlights its positions and candidates, people with opposing viewpoints turn out to send another message. To that end, Tampa planners estimated an additional 15,000 people would arrive in the Tampa Bay area to stage protests—potentially ranging from peaceful demonstrations to violent rampages—during the convention. Adding to the heightened stress, public safety officials faced a week of uncertainty that began with Hurricane Isaac threatening the region.

In addition to local resources, the Department of Homeland Security declared the convention a National Special Security Event (NSSE) due to its national significance and the potential for terrorism and criminal activity. As a consequence, supplemental law enforcement personnel included teams from the Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other federal agencies. With at least 50 different law enforcement agencies working together, the event response highlights the importance of interoperable communications for mission-critical voice and data communications.

To deliver on the concept of a pilot LTE network test, local law enforcement agencies and a variety of LTE solution suppliers launched a collaborative public/private initiative. With local agencies supplying access to existing and portable facilities, system integrator Raytheon oversaw deployment of system components contributed by NSN, Cisco and Amdocs.

Network Deployment

The 2012 RNC pilot deployment served as a live proof-of-concept for interoperable LTE-enabled applications operating in a multi-vendor network deployment. Despite constraints driven by the FCC and available funding, the deployment successfully offered live LTE data service on Band 14. More importantly, users’ LTE devices supplied primary command centers overseeing the event with critical live intelligence.

To create the radio access network, Raytheon installed two NSN Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station systems as LTE eNodeB units. The first node was installed at an existing St. Petersburg public safety communications tower. The second was placed at the site of a portable cell tower in downtown Tampa.

In addition to base stations, Raytheon integrated a Mobility Management Entity (MME) from NSN to manage sessions initiated by user equipment. Vital core network components supplied by Cisco, including the Serving Gateway (S-GW) and Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), linked the radio access network to the Internet. Rounding out this multi-vendor mix of network equipment were a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) containing the authorized user database and a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) holding policy rule sets, both provided by Amdocs.

A high-speed fiber optic backbone operated by the state of Florida’s Department of Transportation supported the LTE radio access and core network communications. Network designers installed a microwave link to backhaul the eNodeB located at the portable tower.

End-User Equipment and Applications

Delivering Band 14 devices into the hands of public safety field personnel supporting the convention proved a challenge. To compensate for a limited set of Band 14 devices on the market, Raytheon and Cisco paired off-the-shelf Apple products with Band 14 personal Wi-Fi routers supplied by IPWireless. The resulting solution produced a portable, secure and fully functional personal communications tool. Thirty-five ensembles were deployed with law enforcement officers on foot.



The premier application employed during this pilot was the RealityVision Video client from Virginia-based Reality Mobile. The client provided field personnel with the ability to transmit real-time video from the midst of unfolding incidents. The solution included live GPS tracking of the video source, giving command post officials direct intelligence on emerging situations. In addition to video support, field personnel utilized a variety of applications supplied by Cisco, including the company’s IP Interoperability and Collaboration System (IPICS) push-to-talk soft client that provided access to P25 talk groups operational during the convention. Cisco’s Jabber application added secure instant messaging and presence capabilities while the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client protected communications over the Wi-Fi link between the handset and the Band 14 personal Wi-Fi router.

Demonstrating the Value of Interoperability

While limited to 35 field devices, the 2012 RNC LTE deployment successfully demonstrated interoperable mobile data networking with equipment and applications from multiple vendors. More importantly, the pilot demonstrated the operational value offered by live video streams flowing into command posts. By blending fixed camera assets with video sources controlled by highly mobile field personnel, commanders achieved a degree of situational awareness not previously available during prior NSSEs.

Key lessons learned during this successful pilot include:

• Video is valuable. The availability of portable video sources within emerging incidents gave commanders accurate and timely information for decision-making. In the context of tense and fluid protest dynamics, this situational awareness ensures the right level of resources are deployed on an as-needed basis to protect citizens and the rights of protesters.

• Plan early for deployments. FCC STA-based pilots offer a great way to gain direct experience with LTE while realizing benefits offered by live video. But these deployments are complex projects that require several months of planning to ensure success.

• LTE equipment interoperability is possible today. Successful live deployment of equipment and applications from different suppliers proves that LTE data interoperability works. Rigorous communications standards and interoperability testing deliver systems that break down single-vendor silos.

The Big Game: LTE in Support of America’s Most Popular Sporting Event

For many Americans, the NFL’s Super Bowl stands out as the top sporting event of the year. With the game comes a multi-day celebration that taxes public safety resources in the host city. This year was no exception, and 2013 host city New Orleans carefully prepared plans to handle more than 71,000 spectators coming to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. All told, New Orleans estimated an influx of up to 150,000 fans planning to enjoy the game or associated festivities across the city.

To cope with the magnitude of the event, the New Orleans Police Department supplemented its force of 1,200 officers with more than 200 troopers from the Louisiana State Police and approximately 100 additional officers from nearby areas. While the Super Bowl is not designated an NSSE, federal law enforcement officials increased staffing in preparedness against potential acts of terror.

Recognizing the big game as an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the potential of LTE-based public safety solutions, Harris Corporation supplied a pilot network for the city in support of New Orleans Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The New Orleans CERT operates with community volunteers and, at the game, provided a security patrol monitoring public areas for suspicious packages or activity. Team members agreed to utilize 700 MHz Band 14 LTE devices during game-time patrols.

Network Deployment

The New Orleans LTE pilot network consisted of NSN Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Stations for LTE eNodeB support. Cisco supplied the EPC components including the MME, P-GW and S-GW. Equipment was collocated with existing public safety communications operated by the city of New Orleans. The LTE radio access network operated on 700 MHz Band 14 frequencies granted by the FCC through the STA license process.


During the Super Bowl, uniformed CERT volunteers donned harnesses equipped with Harris-supplied Band 14 devices. The Android-based tablets supported a video camera and Harris public safety applications. Streaming live video from the streets of New Orleans, these teams expanded upon fixed video resources supplying the command post.



As an interesting twist, transmitted video was simultaneously displayed on the tablet screen, prominently displayed on the chest of patrolling volunteers. Not surprisingly, many in the public noticed the patrols and their videos. Eric Pickering, New Orleans CERT commander, reported that while some bystanders were startled and moved away from camera view, others came closer to see the solution and talk with the volunteers.

Supporting Large Event Security With Mobile Video

The primary benefit delivered by the New Orleans LTE pilot during the Super Bowl was increased situational awareness gained through flexible video support. As part of a six-month pilot, other benefits may be expected as a broader set of Harris Band 14 communications products get put through the paces by New Orleans officials.

Key lessons learned during this demonstration include:

• Video is key during large-scale events. Not surprisingly, the New Orleans CERT reported that video delivered to the command post helped fill in important gaps. Fortunately, no major incidents occurred during the Super Bowl but the team was prepared to deliver real-time video if needed.

• Soft clients for Project 25 work effectively on LTE networks. Harris supports a full-bodied communications client that allows public safety officials to communicate on Project 25 talk groups without having a hardened dedicated push-to-talk device. For commanders, detectives and undercover operatives, this soft client provides additional valuable flexibility. The performance and quality of service capabilities of the LTE network ensure these soft clients operate with similar operational characteristics to traditional land mobile radio handsets. The demonstration during the big game proved that the combination of soft client and LTE is effective.

• LTE has potential as a disaster damage assessment tool. After using the Harris Band 14 devices during patrols, CERT officials believe public safety LTE will make important contributions during damage assessment operations.

• Coverage matters. In a pilot deployment, coverage area is necessarily limited. CERT members had to test the limits of coverage to understand where LTE was supported and where it was not. Future FirstNet LTE deployment will require careful consideration of coverage needs to deliver ubiquitous connectivity.

Iowa State Demonstrations: LTE in Support of Fire and EMS

In addition to enabling operational Band 14 LTE systems at major events in the U.S., the FCC’s STA process has made it possible for state and local governments to gain hands-on experience with applications and devices powered by 700 MHz Band 14 LTE networks. Harris, in particular, has supported a number of pilot demonstrations in locations as diverse as Miami-Dade County, Las Vegas and Des Moines. The February 2013 technology demonstration in Des Moines is notable for its use of applications that go beyond law enforcement video-streaming use cases, showing real equipment operating in support of emergency medical services (EMS) and fire suppression activities.

Organized by the Iowa Statewide Communications Interoperability Board (ISCIB) to give public safety stakeholders and state political leaders deeper insight into coming FirstNet LTE benefits, the Des Moines technology demonstration was structured around simulated emergency incident scenarios that included a multi-vehicle crash during blizzard conditions. As observers watched from a nearby office building, first responders arrived and incorporated applications and devices with 700 MHz Band 14 capability into command and hospital communications.

By providing this multi-agency demonstration drawing from Iowa State Patrol and the Clive Fire Department, the ISCIB helped deliver answers to a number of questions facing public policymakers: What does public safety broadband communication mean for first responders? Why should the state invest in projects facilitating FirstNet deployment? How ready is LTE for the public safety mission? To that end, the demonstration was a success as a number of public safety broadband use cases were borne out as emergency workers handled a simulated incident.

RACOM, an Iowa distributer of Harris solutions, collaborated with Harris, NSN and Cisco to create a single-node LTE network capable of showcasing applications running on Harris 700 MHz Band 14 devices. In addition, U.S. Cellular supported the exercise by providing roaming capability between the restricted Band 14 public safety network and the public U.S. Cellular mobile broadband network.



Network Deployment

The design of the Des Moines demonstration network was simple. RACOM deployed an NSN Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station system to serve as an LTE eNodeB unit on an existing land mobile radio tower site atop Iowa’s tallest building, 801 Grand. Core network equipment was collocated with the base station.

To support roaming between the restricted public safety Band 14 network and extensive U.S. Cellular network, the ISCIB incorporated client software from NetMotion Wireless into vehicle-mounted laptops. This client software seamlessly maintained connectivity as vehicles entered and exited Band 14 coverage areas. An additional benefit of using the NetMotion client was that no changes were required for U.S. Cellular’s network infrastructure. The solution was simple and it worked.


A variety of interesting devices and applications were employed during the Des Moines technical demonstration. In contrast to other STA-based pilot opportunities, the Des Moines team integrated 700 MHz Band 14 capability across agencies. Because other pilots operated as part of complex live events with active threat potential, actual in-hand use of LTE devices was carefully planned for select user groups. In Des Moines, however, demonstration planners could employ advanced communications prototypes without jeopardizing active missions.

For vehicles, RACOM installed a Harris 700 MHz Band 14 modem connected to a laptop by a USB cable. Each laptop also included a U.S. Cellular mobile broadband card mounted in a PCMCIA slot. NetMotion Mobility XE mobile virtual private network client software ensured seamless connectivity using the two radio access mechanisms.

In an interesting twist, a laptop connected to the Harris 700 MHz Band 14 modem was set up as a vehicle-based Wi-Fi hotspot. With this configuration, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) employed Wi-Fi-enabled medical devices including blood pressure cuffs and cardiac monitors. EMTs communicated directly with hospital-based medical direction and, combined with live video displays at the trauma scene, efficiently supplied a comprehensive patient assessment picture.

In addition to laptops and Wi-Fi-enabled medical devices, the Des Moines technical demonstration put Harris 700 MHz Band 14 ruggedized tablets into the hands of each responding emergency unit. With this device, fire service commanders utilized an incident management solution from Mechdyne, an Iowa-based visual IT consulting and software design firm, supplying graphical real-time unit location and shared map annotation.

Demonstrating the Value of Broadband

By applying 700 MHz Band 14 LTE to everyday emergency incident scenarios, the Iowa technical demonstration answered important public safety communications questions facing policymakers today. With applications ranging from command and control to patient care, the demonstration illustrated how advanced mobile broadband communications can help first responders manage complex incidents and deliver efficient service to the public. Investment choices that facilitate buildout and use of FirstNet LTE footprint directly contribute to community safety.

Key lessons learned during the Iowa technology demonstration include:

• Wi-Fi and 700 MHz Band 14 LTE work well together. Device innovation strives to meet the needs of the largest-scale market possible. The Des Moines demonstration showed that specialty medical devices using common Wi-Fi interfaces work effectively with Band 14 networks. Because Band 14 networks have a much more limited user base than general enterprise networks, leveraging Wi-Fi as a technology bridge ensures access to the broadest set of purpose-built devices possible.

• Applications matter. Unlike the world of land mobile radio centered around device hardware where software applications are largely nonexistent, the new world of mobile broadband opens up innovation for software. Android tablets, as an example, benefit from the creativity of an enormous developer community. For public safety, this innovation translates into new ways of conducting missions.

• The learning curve is short. When asked about the key lessons of the experience, Clive Fire Chief Rick Roe told Yankee Group that the real-time information gained during the exercise has incredible value. Roe was impressed with the short learning curve resulting from use of familiar smartphone-style applications.



Conclusions and Recommendations

While a great victory for the future of public safety communications, passage of the Public Safety Spectrum Act of 2012 resulted in a temporary halt to public safety LTE network buildout. Before construction starts on FirstNet’s coast-to-coast network, FirstNet must first come into existence with the needed administrative and operational resources. In addition, FirstNet has the daunting task of securing requirements from public safety stakeholders across the nation while also crafting unique public/private partnerships that can make it a sustainable operation.

Yankee Group believes the pilots highlighted in this paper added a cost-effective tool for agencies dealing with high-profile public safety missions. Beyond operational value, however, Yankee Group sees these pilots delivering substantial benefits for FirstNet’s planners. Pilots deliver valuable insight into some of the challenges facing the national network, including site hardening in a variety of climate scenarios, national border coverage, mobile site approaches, transport network security, coverage model approaches, multi-jurisdiction provisioning and multi-vendor interoperability, etc. While a number of BTOP network builds will help expand FirstNet’s knowledge base as well, the BTOP deployments are large-scale permanent networks that, by necessity, lack the flexibility and agility offered by STA-based pilots.

It should not be a surprise that the creation of a new national mobile broadband network dedicated to public safety will take time. As the process unfolds, early trial experience gained from STA-based pilot opportunities will continue to yield valuable insight into use cases, applications and devices.

To that end, Yankee Group recommends:

• Jurisdictions should consider additional pilots for major public events in 2013 and 2014. Designing, procuring and rolling out a national LTE network will take several years. In the meantime, jurisdictions should consider additional pilots for large-scale events associated with high risk factors for terror or criminal activity. Situational awareness benefits driven by agile video sources make these pilots valuable from an incident management perspective.

• The FCC should streamline STA processes for 700 MHz Band 14. Yankee Group has heard the process of obtaining STA licenses proved difficult. In some cases, congressional assistance was required to complete the process. It should not be this hard. The FCC and FirstNet should work to hone a smooth process that can be quickly executed. In the event a jurisdiction attempts to deploy a pilot LTE network following a natural disaster, the time saved could translate into lives saved.

• Motorola Solutions should prove its commitment to interoperability. Motorola Solutions holds remarkable share in the U.S. mission-critical radio market. Competitors claim Motorola maintains this share, in part, with proprietary twists to standardized radio systems, making it very difficult for agencies to mix and match system elements. In contrast, the shift to LTE should level the playing field with open interfaces. Motorola Solutions should field multivendor trials that demonstrate the company knows how to deliver on the full promise of LTE.

• FirstNet should fund key pilots with operational value. Especially with NSSE, FirstNet should establish funding to support additional pilots linked to such operations. The program should be structured to expand beyond single use cases to gradually expand awareness in key public safety agencies around the nation. Because NSSE operations are fraught with risk, planning should begin early and care must be taken to not overwhelm operational teams with too much technology too soon.

• FirstNet should make it possible for municipalities to leverage their own funding to operate a pilot. The more experience gained by the broader public safety community, the better-positioned FirstNet will be to gain support for its mission. FirstNet should consider establishing short-term leasing agreements similar to those negotiated with BTOP recipients. The effort will broaden the skill base and help accelerate deployment of the national public safety broadband network.

• Lessons from early deployments should be systematically tracked. Invaluable insight is gained when 4G LTE technologies are placed in the hands of public safety practitioners. The experiences shed light on technology choices, deployment hurdles and solution benefits. The result is a rich set of information that can shape evolution of a cost-effective and potent public safety tool. FirstNet should develop a mechanism to systematically track key lessons learned during pilot and BTOP network deployments.

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© Copyright 2013. Yankee 451 Group, LLC. Yankee Group published this content for the sole use of Yankee Group subscribers. It may not be duplicated, reproduced or retransmitted in whole or in part without the express permission of Yankee Group, One Liberty Square, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02109. All rights reserved. All opinions and estimates herein constitute our judgment as of this date and are subject to change without notice.

About the Author

Ken Rehbehn is a principal analyst with Yankee Group’s Network Research team. As a 4G mobile wireless infrastructure analyst, Ken tracks radio access network (RAN) technology solutions operators deploy to deliver value to consumers, enterprises and government. With over 25 years of experience in the field, Ken provides insight into 3G and RAN trends including LTE, HSPA and WiMAX, as well as supporting femtocell and Wi-Fi offload solutions.

Ken Rehbehn Principal Analyst

Further Reading

Yankee Group Research“Public Safety LTE in the Spotlight at IWCE 2013,” March 2013

“Cassidian and Alcatel-Lucent Signal LTE Future for TETRA,” March 2011

“US Public Safety LTE Networks: The Opex Factor,” December 2010

Yankee Group Blogs“Ericsson and Motorola Partner for Public Safety LTE, Best (4G) Friends Forever?” September 2010

http://maps.yankeegroup.com/ygapp/content/60297/68/REPORT/0



http://blogs.yankeegroup.com/?p=4841

lte serving public safety businesscase july 2013v2

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