# Presentation: 008373

## Communications Technology Group

- Status Report to the Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee
- July 18, 2007
- Brian K. Daly, CTG Leader

## Status - CTG Issues to Address

- Recommendations for technologies and methods permitting the efficient transmission of messages to potentially the entire subscriber base of an operator – *First reported in March*:
- The CTG has defined Service Profiles which prescribe the underlying delivery attributes
- Text and ***future*** streaming audio, streaming video & multimedia
- Text is the minimum requirement for CMAS
- Goal has been to define service profiles and *not* specific delivery technologies
- If an Operator elects to transmit alerts they should have the option to use any available technology that supports a given profile
- Permit the distribution of alerts with the appropriate priorities as indicated by the AIG.
- Messages will be delivered in the order received; prioritization and sequencing to be performed at the Alert Gateway

## Status - CTG Issues to Address

- Recommendations on methods permitting the targeting of alerts to specific geographic regions or locales, thereby enabling use of this important emergency service by other alerting authorities, including state and local governments.
- Geo-targeting will be on a county basis
- CMSP may target smaller areas subject to CMSP policy & delivery technology capabilities
- Recommendations on handset and device technologies appropriate for alerting services – *First reported in March*.
- Several draft conclusions to be provided in this briefing
- The needs of non-English subscribers as well as people with special needs, including people with disabilities and the elderly.
- Draft conclusion developed; further details provided in this briefing

## Status - CTG Issues to Address

- To ensure that this critical emergency service continues to evolve with technology supporting it, the CTG should also consider recommendations permitting the incorporation of planned service improvements, such as expected multimedia and broadband services, into their CMS alerting capability – *First reported in March*.
- Service profiles defined for ***future*** streaming audio, streaming video, and multimedia for future broadband multimedia networks
- The CTG will develop recommendations to facilitate eventual alignment of the Advisory Committee’s recommendations with relevant standards organizations focused on the development of mobile communication standards to support its continued evolution and adaptation.
- Standards recommendations will be provided after all technology recommendations are known

## CTG Status

- Initiated a process for CTG drafting sessions to accelerate development of input into the CMAS Architecture & Recommendations document
- Monthly multi-day face-to-face meetings with interim conference calls
- Since May report, held 2 multi-day face-to-face meetings and 7 multi-hour conference calls
- Coordinating with the other working groups
- Held joint meetings with the AIG, AGG and the UNG
- CTG provided significant input into the 1st and 2nd drafts of the CMAS Architecture & Recommendations document
- Defined the process for project completion, including a CTG review of the final draft of the CMAS Architecture & Recommendations document

## CTG Statistics (Totals)

|  | As of May 16th | Current  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of Assigned Doc Numbers | 145 | 258 |
| Total Number of Docs including Revisions | 236 | 448 |
| Number of Liaison Docs | 23 | 25 |
| Number of Action Items | 20 | 34 |
| Total Number of Face-to-Face Meetings & Days | 4 meetings over 9 days | 6 meetings over 15 days |
| Total Number of Conference Calls of CTG & Ad-Hocs | 18 | 25 |

## Project Timelines & Milestones

- July
- Finalize battery life conclusion
- Finalize text message length
- Standardize alert tone and vibration cadence
- Finalize mobile device client recommendations
- Complete “C” reference point; i.e. Alert Gateway to CMSP Gateway interface
- Joint w/AGG
- Finalize alert information sent to mobile device over the “E” reference point
- Finalize character length of displayable text for the Text Profile
- Develop CMSP transmission delay conclusions
- Develop policy for retransmission & rebroadcast of alerts

- August
- All technical issues resolved
- Address alignment with standards
- Final delivery of CTG requirements to the PMG
- CTG review & comment to Draft 3 CMAS Architecture & Recommendations
- September
- Address final comments from all working groups

## CMA Scenarios

- Narrative describing foreseeable interactions of types of users and the system or between two system/software components
- Include information about goals, expectations, actions and reactions
- Plain language without any technical descriptions
- Allows normal users to understand them and confirm if they describe a real situation

## CMA Scenarios (continued)

- CTG has developed scenarios for:
- Nominal CMAS alert for text based CMAS alert
- CMAS alert cancellation
- CMAS alert update for text based CMAS alert
- CMAS alert expiration
- Duplicate CMAS alerts:
- Duplicate CMAS alerts on the same broadcast technology
- Duplicate CMAS alerts from different broadcast technologies
- Multiple Different Active CMAS alerts

## Example CMA Scenario

- Normal Text-based CMA
- Shows flow from alert initiator to presentation to the end user at the mobile device
- Error cases described in the text associated with the flow

## CMSP Gateway

- Domain

- Primary Function is the managed distribution of authenticated alerts across the service provider network
- CMSP will have one or more CMSP Gateways in the CMSP network to handle anticipated CMA message traffic levels

## CMSP Gateway (continued)

- CTG has identified key functions of the CMSP Gateway, including:
- Mapping the alert area of the CMAS alert message into the associated set of cell sites / pager transceivers
- Processing CMA messages in a first in – first out (FIFO) queuing method except for a Presidential-level alert
- CMSP Gateway shall not be responsible for performing any formatting, re-formatting, or translation of the CMA message

## Mobile Devices

- CTG has been working with UNG to identify key requirements of the mobile device to support CMAs
- Presentation of CMAS alerts should be distinguishable from any other types of text messages received
- Using an alert tone and/or vibration cadence
- Color cannot be a required method for distinguishing CMAS alert messages
- CMSP and mobile device vendors should have flexibility in the design and implementation of CMA in mobile devices to:
- take advantage of advances in mobile device technologies
- account for the evolution of mobile devices and the capabilities of the future

## Battery Life Concerns

- CTG is still investigating battery life concerns with commercial mobile broadcast technologies
- CTG is seeing conflicting reports
- Issue will be further discussed in the July meeting of the CTG
- CTG will take into account mobile device vendor input, case studies, ETSI and 3GPP work, and a recent University study being circulated

## Multi-Language Support

- Provision has been made in the CMAS architecture to support multi-languages:
- Protocols at “C” and “E” reference points will be designed to support multiple languages.
- Service Profiles will support multiple languages.

## Multi-Language Support (continued)

- Alert initiation with existing alerting mechanism in languages other than English is very limited today
- A national plan for multiple languages needs to be developed by the government before a CMSP will be able to support CMA in multiple languages
- CMA message must be delivered to the CMSP in the language that it is to be delivered
- CMSP network or the mobile device shall not perform language translation

## Multi-Language Support (continued)

- CTG recommends that participating CMSPs may choose to transmit alerts received in language(s) other than English based on:
- Capabilities of the technology the CMSP has deployed to support CMAS alerts
- Capabilities of the mobile device
- CMSP’s policy
- More complete understanding of alert rates and characteristics
- Definition of the national plan for the support of alerts in multiple languages

## Future CMAS Capabilities

- Streaming audio, streaming video and multimedia are optional future CMAS capabilities:
- CTG recommends that the CMAS Architecture & Recommendations document be treated as a living document, with periodic updates to account for:
- CMSP experiences with initial CMAS deployments
- CMSP experiences with new technologies and their applicability to CMAS
- CTG recommends an industry technology group consisting of government and industry stakeholders should be created after the CMSAAC’s activity is completed
- Review and update the CMAS Architecture & Recommendations document on a periodic basis focusing on new technology capabilities
- Recommended this review should occur no less frequently then biannually

## Summary

- CTG is on track for resolving all technical issues and provide recommendations to the PMG by August, 2007