# Presentation: 249669

## Public Safety Communications:  Shifting the Paradigm

- Greg Meacham
- Vice President, Federal Programs & Homeland Security
- Nextel Communications

## “The Present”

- 	Existing communications paradigm is the owned and operated Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system.  It has advantages:
- High degree of control
- Coverage
- Capacity
- Cost
- Priority Access on system
- One to one or broadcast capability
- Simplex (talk around) capability – independent of infrastructure
- Encryption

## Disadvantages of Owned and Operated LMR Systems:

- Expensive – Huge capital requirement
- Inflexible – System upgrades are expensive and technological refresh is limited
- Annual maintenance costs
- Repairs
- Personnel
- Tower Rent (Real cost or opportunity cost)
- Linking Circuits- T lines
- Need to over engineer the system
- Back up power supplies
- Redundant microwave
- Planning, Funding, Implementation cycle is very long
- If you err in planning you are stuck with the problem for the lifecycle

## Advantages of Commercial Solutions:

- Connectivity to PSTN
- New technologies more easily deployed and less expensive
- One provider can give you priority access on their Direct Connect feature today
- One provider will offer two way radio connections between members of a talk group anywhere in the country this year and coast-to-coast radio connections in 2003
-  Form factor on subscriber devices
- Smaller and lighter
- Greater flexibility- customize phone to user
- Limited up front capital costs
- Reoccurring costs can be budgeted with accuracy
- No hidden costs, and competition lowers total cost
- Higher data speeds both now and in the future
**	**_**If you make a mistake you cancel the service **_

## Disadvantages of Commercial Service:

- Loss of control
- Dependent upon others to maintain your system
- Limited input re: coverage and capacity
- Only one provider currently offers two-way radio capability in addition to cellular. Current systems dependant on infrastructure
- Encryption not offered.

## How Much Control Do You Really Have?

- Do you have access to unlimited funding to get all the coverage/capacity you want?
- Have you compromised coverage to locate on Government sites?
- Does your system rely on commercial circuits for connectivity/linking?
- Do you depend on the local radio shop for infrastructure repair?

## World Trade Center Example:

- Several federal agencies used WTC as primary transmit site for NY/NJ area, their systems were down.  – still not up to pre 9/11 condition.
- FBI experienced 60% system degrading in lower Manhattan when a major telecommunications central office went offline knocking out system connectivity – 7 days and > $5 million dollars to restore.
- Paging services, ATM machines, and data services were all degraded in varying degrees – 10-15 days to restore.
- All commercial service providers dynamically increased capacity through the deployment of COW’s in less than 12 hours.
- 	_**Telecommunications is critical infrastructure  It is a terrorist target.**_

## Can you afford to build a telephone system to handle Mother’s Day?

- 	A private LMR system will remain a critical component of Public Safety Communications for the near future; however, significant amounts of Public Safety wireless communications could appropriately be off loaded to commercial service providers:
- Reduce the required number of channels
- Reduce capital cost
- Reduce maintenance costs
- Enhance interoperability
- Lower cost per unit facilitates communications with non-traditional users:
- Red Cross, Salvation Army, the “Volunteer Corps”
- Heavy equipment operators
- Utility company personnel

## Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

- 	An _**Integrated Digital Wireless Communications System**_ combines the strengths of private LMR systems with the strengths of commercial systems to yield the best total system solution at less cost.
- Increased capacity
- Higher data speeds
- Connectivity to PSTN (efficient connectivity)
- Encryption
- Inherent redundancy in infrastructure
- Technical support to system grows exponentially
- Technology refresh comes faster and cheaper
- Risk mitigation

## The Winter Olympics was a Public Private Partnership

**The State of Utah (UCAN), and the Department of Justice (JWN) each built new, state of the art radio networks to support the Olympic games. **
**The Utah Olympic Public Safety Command (UOPSC)**
**Coordinated the activities of 83+ federal, state, and local agencies**
**Deployed over 15,000 personnel in support of the games**
**Largest domestic security operation in US history**
**The UOPSC organizational structure is being duplicated across the country in the creation and development of Homeland Security Departments**
**UOPSC utilized a commercial service provider to expand system capacity and facilitate interoperability.**

## “The Case for Data”

- Commercial Providers will deliver streaming video with 3G
- The most often used data applications currently running on MDT’s can be pushed onto a cell phone or PDA by all major commercial service providers.
- Commercial coverage is greater than ever, more robust and continues to grow
- One commercial provider presently offers Java as a data platform bringing greatly enhanced data capability.
- One provider will introduce a Blackberry type device that offers cellular interconnect, two way radio, paging, web browsing, customized data solutions, and 128 bit DES III encryption for data by year end.

## “When the only tool you have in your box of solutions is a hammer, all your problems are treated like nails”

- Don’t leave communications system design to engineers or technicians
- Get a “bean counter” involved
- Manage your requirements/expectations
- Present politicians with options not ultimatums
**	**_**An enhanced capability today is of more value than a perfect solution in 5-7 years**__._

## Thank You!