p25 user’s perspective,

March 20161Project 25 Technology Interest Group

International Wireless and Communications ExpoCollege of Technology Las Vegas, Nevada

March 22, 2016

P25 User’s Perspective, Interoperability, and Customer Applications

Update for 2016

Presented by:PTIG - The Project 25 Technology Interest Group

www.project25.org – Booth 764

http://www.project25.org/


Program Participants• Moderator

– Del Smith, PTIG Chairman, Operations Manager, ALASKA LAND MOBILE RADIO

• Panelists – Steve Nichols, Director, PROJECT 25 TECHNOLOGY INTEREST GROUP

– Chris Essid, Deputy Director, DHS, OEC

– Cindy Cast, Radio Systems Manager, MIAMI DADE COUNTY FL

– Robert Schwent, Electronic Services Division Commander, SWIC, STATE OF WASHINGTON

– James Downes, Chairman, FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP FOR INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS (FPIC) Chairman, P25 Steering Committee

– George Crouch, Public Safety Communications and Emergency Operations Administrator, SWIC, STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

– Del Smith, Operations Manager, ALASKA LAND MOBILE RADIO


• A look at P25 in the field and user supported experiences.

• How and Why P25 is Useful to So Many Public Safety Users.

• How is P25 Being Deployed for Interoperability.

• Challenge the Myths, See the Realities of P25 Pros and Cons.

• The Reality of Multiple Vendor Interoperability with P25.

• Get Acquainted with System Level Interoperability

– P25 is about More than Multiple Choice Mobiles & Portables.

• Get Acquainted with PTIG Resources for your Information.

Take Away Topics To Look For


PTIG?What we Do, and Who we Are.


What do we do:

– Provide a forum for users and manufacturers

– Manage education and training on Project 25

– Create and distribute Project 25 information

– Support the TIA standards process

– Offer Users access to the standards process without the rigor of TIA membership

– Maintain a “neutral ground” among the competing manufacturers and providers

And…

– Present Classroom Training and Panels such as THIS SESSION.

Project 25 Technology Interest Group



Who we are:

– Supporters of Project 25 technology, nurturing Project 25’s adoption, growth, and expansion

– A venue fostering an atmosphere encouraging Users to contribute to and benefit from a close interaction with the vendor community driving the on-going development of the Project 25 Standards

Set your browser to www.project25.org


Project 25 Technology Interest Group: Founding Member

Project 25 Technology Interest Group: Sustaining Members


Project 25 Technology Interest Group: Commercial Members

NICATION


Console

power audio Channel A Channel B

Available in VHF, UHF, 700, 800, and 900 MHz

15 fixed station/repeater suppliers

13 Subscriber suppliers

12 console suppliers

15 network providers

4 test equipment suppliers

7 consultant services

35 Vendors for Project 25 Equipment and Services


Project 25 Products and Services Available

PTIG Member Organizations

www.Project25.org Fix

ed

Sta

tion

s &

Rep

eate

rs

Mob

ile

&

Port

ab

le

Rad

ios

Pag

ers

Veh

icle

Rep

eate

rs

Con

sole

s

Net

work

s

Soft

ware

Tes

t

Eq

uip

men

t

Sy

stem

s

Inte

gra

tion

Con

sult

an

t

Ser

vic

es

AECOM

AIRBUS DS COMMS

AVTEC

BAI (FORMERLY AIRWAVE)

CATALYST

CISCO

COBHAM

CODAN RADIO (FORMERLY DANIELS)

DVA CONSULTING

DVSI

EF JOHNSON

ETHERSTACK

FEDERAL ENGINEERING, INC

5 x 9 COMMUNICATIONS

FUTURECOM SYSTEMS

GENESIS GROUP

HARRIS CORPORATION

ICOM AMERICA

IDA CORPORATION

JVC KENWOOD

MIDLAND RADIO

MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS

PANTEL INTERNATIONAL

POWERTRUNK (TELTRONIC)

RELM WIRELESS

SIMOCO

SPECTRA ENGINEERING

STANDARD COMM PTY LTD - GME

TAIT COMMUNICATIONS

TECHNISONICS

TELEX RADIO DISPATCH (BOSCH)

TIMCO ENGINEERING

UNICATIONS USA

VERTEX STANDARD

ZETRON

35 15 13 1 4 12 15 6 4 17 7


WWW.Project25.org


Project 25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG)

New Documents available at www.Project25.org

• P25 Frequently Asked QuestionsWritten to officer, firefighter (non technologist) level

• P25 Updated Capability Guide Added Infrastructure interfaces and links to Statement of Requirements. Remains the best tool for managing P25 features and capabilities for system planning and RFP development

• P25 Standards Update SummarySummary of the latest TIA TR-8 P25 Standards Meetings with user benefits defined

• P25 Steering Committee Approved List of StandardsUpdated from the most recent P25 Standards meeting

• P25 Feature Translator link to NPSTC PAM tool

http://www.project25.org/


Project 25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG)

New Documents available at www.Project25.org

• New White paper: P25 Automatic Roaming A detailed description of Automatic and Manual Roaming capability for Project 25 systems.

• P25 System of the Month Each month a new Project 25 system is featured describing the system, coverage, agencies served, interoperability achieved and other unique details of this application of Project 25 technology.

• New White Paper: Is Project 25 Public Safety Grade?Project 25 has been defined since it’s inception by requirements from the Public Safety User Community. The result is a Suite ofStandards with well defined features, capabilities, and interoperable interfaces applied in over 700 Public Safety Systems across the US today.

Projects Underway 2016;

• New entries for International P25 systems and USA Conventional will be added to the P25 Master System listing. This resource will be expanded to include P25 systems beyond the systems currently listed for the USA, Australia, Canada, NewZealand, and the UK.


P25 LMR radio systems are today enabling interoperability between agencies across local, regional, state and national networks; offering Public Safety agencies competition and options for cost effective sourcing.

Public Safety practitioners have been doing this with the P25 Suite of Standards for close to 25 years and there are over 700+ P25 systems in operation in the USA, providing life-saving communications for day to day operations as well as emergency situations.

Why Project 25…..


The diverse user requirements of Public Safety/Public Service require a well defined Suite of Standards with both over the air and wireline interfaces for interoperability between agencies and multiple equipment manufacturers.

• Multiple Air Interfaces: P25 offers interoperable FDMA and TDMA air protocols that are backward compatible to legacy analog technology

• Multiple Wireline Interfaces: P25 has well defined wireline interfaces to link P25 Systems (ISSI), Consoles (CSSI) and RF sub systems (FSI)

• Frequency Agnostic Operation in Multiple Bands: VHF 136-174 MHz, UHF 380-512 MHz, 700/800/900 MHz

• Trunked and Conventional Operation: Including direct modes for unit to unit communications

• Multiple System Configurations: P25 offers: direct mode, repeated, single site, multi-site, voting, multicast, and simulcast configurations

Project 25….. A Snapshot


Project 25: Interfaces & Services

AUTHENTICATION

TRUNKING

AIR

INTERFACES

SECURITY

INTERFACESWIRELINE

INTERFACES

ISSI/CSSI

P25 FDMA

COMMON AIR

INTERFACE

TRUNKING

Voice/Data

CONVENTIONAL

Voice/Data

P25 TDMA

COMMON AIR

INTERFACE

TRUNKING

Voice

NETWORK

MANAGEMENT

KEY FILL

INTER- KMF

KMF KMF

DATA

SERVICES

DATA

INTERFACES

SUBSCRIBER

DATA

PERIPHERAL

INTERFACE

OTAR

KMF

DATA NETWORK

INTERFACE

Gateway

FSI

Conventional

Analog/Digital

Voice/Control

TRUNKING

Voice/Data/Control

CONVENTIONAL

Voice/Control

SECURITY

SERVICES

ENCRYPTION

Voice/Data

LOCATION

Gateway

TIER 1

Conventional

TIER 2

Trunking/Conventional

TRUNKING/CONVENTIONAL


Configuration

Supported

Trunking Conventional Description/Benefit

Multicast Enables coverage of wider areas with fewer transmitter

sites when compared to simulcast

Simulcast Enables reuse of frequencies to increase coverage

penetration of a given area and for spectral efficiency

Direct/Simplex Supported in SUs for

off-network operation

Enables radio to radio communication without fixed

infrastructure. Quicker communication for onsite

scenarios such as a fire ground

Repeated Enables a radio call to be repeated from one frequency

to another, enabling communications over a larger

geographic area

Voting Improved inbound communications for portable radios

Single Site Enables radio communications within one site’s worth

of coverage

Multi-Site Enables radio communications over several site’s

worth of coverage


Mix-match between Trunked, Conventional, Site Linking, Wide Area, or Stand Alone

P25 Scalable Solutions


• Multiple Call Types: P25 call features include: group and individual calls, emergency calls, unit IDs, supplemental services (e.g. call alert, radio check, radio monitor, radio disable, status), all with and without encryption.

• Multiple Services: IP and Common Air Interface data bearer services, control signaling services, mobility management services and location services.

• Secure Voice, Data, and Location: P25 includes the option for Federal Government endorsed 256 bit AES encryption, OTAR, Key management. P25 offers Multi-Vendor compliant products that meet NSA NIST 140-2 standards for encryption

• Intrinsically Safe Compliance: Numerous P25 products are compliant with North American Standards for use in hazardous environments



• Mature Product Testing Specifications: The P25 Suite of Standards includes detailed specifications for Performance, Conformance and Interoperability testing.

• Additional Performance Requirements: P25 includes coverage performance modeling and verification methods, receiver and transmitter performance measurement methods and specifications for both FDMA and TDMA air interfaces. Also, voice service access and throughput delay specifications and measurement methods for radios, base stations and Trunking systems.

• Advanced Vocoder: Project 25 defines a rigorous vocoder intelligibility and background noise performance evaluation process that has resulted in approval of interoperable full rate and half rate digital vocoders.

• DHS supported P25 Testing Compliance: P25 CAP testing information from DHS approved labs is open to all Manufacturers and Users.



• Dominant Public Safety Standard: There are currently over 700 Project 25 trunkingsystems on the air supporting interoperable communications in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

• Worldwide Footprint: There are additional P25 systems operating in over 80 other nations worldwide.

• DHS Support: The DHS OEC Fiscal Year 2015 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants specifies that, “grantees should continue to invest in equipment that is standards-based to enable interoperability between agencies and jurisdictions, regardless of vendor”, and further recommends P25-compliant LMR equipment for mission critical communications”.

• FCC Mandate: The FCC defines specific channels within the 700 MHz band allocation as “Narrowband Interoperability Channels” and requires P25 to maintain interoperability.

Project 25….. Acceptance


Current Systems

State contains city, county, or multiple county P25 system

State contains statewide P25 system + other P25 systems

• 700+ P25 systems in all 50 states and US Territories• 26+ Statewide P25 systems


Project 25 systems are deployed in 83 countries

Slide 22Project 25 Technology Interest Group


PROJECT 25 TECHNOLOGY

INTEREST GROUP

Visit PTIG in Booth # 764 IWCE 2016

OUR MEMBER ORGANIZATIONSAS EXHBITORS ALSO

SAY

THANK YOU

PROJECT 25

Technology Interest Group

MEMBERS EXHIBITING

Booth Number

• AVTEC 935

• CATALYST COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES 1752

• CISCO 755

• COBHAM (Aeroflex) 1055

• CODAN RADIO COMMUNICATIONS 1857

• EFJOHNSON TECHNOLOGIES 1229

• ETHERSTACK 755

• FUTURECOM SYSTEMS 1021

• GENESIS GROUP 1741

• HARRIS CORPORATION 1455

• ICOM AMERICA 1465

• IDA CORP 1065

• JVC KENWOOD 1229

• MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS 1029

• POWERTRUNK 1829

• PROJECT 25 TECHNOLOGY INTEREST GROUP (PTIG) 764

• RELM WIRELESS CORP 1255

• SIMOCO 1149

• TAIT COMMUNICATIONS 943

• TELEX 955

• TIMCO ENGINEERING 922

• UNICATION 2351

• VERTEX STANDARD 1039

• ZETRON 1429

SUSTAINING MEMBERS

FOUNDING MEMBERS


International Wireless Communications ExpoCollege of Technology

Tuesday, March 22, 20168:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Department Of Homeland Security Office of Emergency Communications

Update for 2016

Chris Essid

Deputy Director, DHS, OEC


Miami-Dade CountyP25 Radio Systems

Miami-Dade County FLCindy Cast, Radio Division Director


Miami-Dade County Demographics

• Over 2.6 million residents• Over 2,200 square miles (larger in size than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware, and larger in population than 17

states) with over 20 miles of sandy beaches• Economy, at $75 billion Gross County Product is larger than that of 70 countries • 14.6 million overnight visitors from Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia yearly. • County operates on a budget of more than $6 billion. • Largest Police and Fire Rescue Dept in the SE region of the US. • 4th largest school district in the nation, with 340 public schools serving 400,000 students• 1st highest international airport traffic and 2nd busiest airport for international passengers - more than 100 airlines flew

over 45 million passengers • Largest Seaport in Florida – 4.3 million passengers and 8 million tons of cargo• Public Transportation - 164 million passengers yearly• 28 hospitals and more than 32,000 licensed health care professionals • 3rd-largest public hospital in the nation • Water and Sewer Dept is one of the largest public utility in the US• Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant, operated by Florida Power and Light (FPL), is the largest electric utility in Florida, serving

about half of the population of Florida • The County is home to more than 100 foreign consulate offices and 25 foreign trade offices, the most in the State of Florida • Southern Command Military Headquarters and US Coast Guard Sector Miami• Federal Headquarters for multiple agencies


Miami-Dade County Government

Miami-Dade County:– Is divided into 25 County Departments– Has over 30,000 Employees

Information Technology Department:– Is the steward of existing and emerging technologies in support of the

County government operations and services to the public– Is divided into different Divisions based on technology and/or services

Radio Communications Services Division:– Mission is to serve Local and Regional Public Safety First Responders and

County departments with efficient, reliable, and professional mobile Radio Communications Services and solutions, in a timely and responsive manner.


Radio Communications Services DivisionLogistics:

– Administration and Management of the core radio system and networks– Manage Licensing for radio sites and frequencies (FAA/FCC)– Work with User agencies (Interoperability, Communication Planning, Configuration, Encryption,

Dispatch interface, Procedures, etc.)Fixed Systems:

– Repair and Maintain Radio Infrastructure Equipment at the sites– Work on field installed equipment (consoles, desktops, BDAs, etc.)– Troubleshoot system and coverage issues (Deploy RDCS)

Radio Engineering:– New Equipment evaluation (including coverage, BDAs, etc.)– Project Management for new equipment installation– Interference mitigation

Radio Shop:– Program Radios (portables, mobiles, and desktops)– Repair Radios (portables, mobiles, and desktops)– Vehicle Installation of radios and lighting equipment


109 agencies with 30,000 radio devices (portables, mobiles, desktops, and consoles)

Radio User Community


• To leverage the Rebanding project we are upgrading the infrastructure at the same time as a requirement to meet the “NO” downtime for the project.

• Transition from a Trunked Simulcast analog proprietary EDACS platform to a Harris P25 open source platform.

• The overall structure of the County’s system design will not change – Miami-Dade will still be served by two overlaid county-wide voice communications systems, utilizing the current radio sites.

Radio System Transition to P25


• The contract had two funding sources (Sprint-Nextel and the County)

• The project was completed in two tasks.

– 1st Task completed by Dec 2012 transitioned users to a 20-channel P25 trunked simulcast system. The users of this system consist of non-law enforcement agencies and departments (i.e. OEM, Fire Rescue, Schools, and Transit). As part of this task, a Harris P25 Inter RF Subsystem Interface (ISSI) was configured to work with a Motorola P25 ISSI connected to a County owned 450 MHz conventional system. These ISSI connections provide access to additional radios to connect to the system.

– 2nd Task completed by Nov 2014 transitioned law enforcement users to a 20-channel P25 trunked simulcast system. Along with the transition of several single sites to P25.

Radio System P25 Transition


Miami-Dade County Radio Network


Miami-Dade County Radio Consoles


State of Florida P25 ID Plan


P25 Major Feats

• Rigorous Planning• Commitment from User Community• Digital-Cliff vs. Analog Understanding• Voice Audio Differences• Dispatcher Training• Extensive User Training

– one-on-one– Group– Roll-call meetings– Overview meetings– 24/7 call center – Quick-reference training

pamphlets


Benefits of P25

• Public Safety, User Defined, Features and Capabilities:– AES Voice Encryption– Over the Air Re-key (OTAR) for Encryption– Secure IP Network

• System of Systems is a Reality– ISSI system connections

• Cost Effective Coverage– P25 Simulcast (flexibility of adding sites and enhancing coverage)

• P25 Spectrum Usage– UHF, 800, & 700

• P25 Standards Tested in DHS supported labs (multiple vendors)– Assurances (peace of mind in multi-vendor P25 equipment)


Developing P25 Radio Testing & Contract Pool

Ven

do

r Radio

Pro

gra

mm

ing


• 7,000,000 radio transmissions monthly (PTTs)

• 225,000 PSAP 911 emergency telephone calls monthly

• 1,000 talkgroups

– 95% of law enforcement talkgroups are AES encrypted

• 131 frequencies

• 83 dispatch IP consoles

• 30,000 subscriber units (109 agencies)

• 26 Conventional Interfaces

Approximate Usage


Large Planned Events:

Miami-Dade P25 Radio System Supports

Memorial Day Weekend – Hip-Hop Event

Columbus Day Regatta

Ultra Music Festival

Sporting Events

Miami Marathon

Music Events


Incidents:

Miami-Dade P25 Radio System Supports


Large-Scale Exercises:

System Supports

March 201643Project 25 Technology Interest Group Slide 43Project 25 Technology Interest Group

[email protected]

Cindy Cast, Radio Division DirectorMiami-Dade County FL


Washington State Patrol P25 Narrowbanding Project

Lessons in fielding a diverse P25 system


Legacy System OverviewWhere did we start

• VHF wideband analog– 132 sites, primarily high power, high sites

• 72 agency owned and managed

– 280 Conventional base stations and repeaters

– 3000 subscriber units

– 8 Communication Centers

– 18 non-WSP LE agencies

– Agency owned microwave backhaul

– Self supporting

• 22 Field technicians

• 6 shop technicians

• 4 tower specialists


P25 project scopeWhere are we going

• $41.1 Million funded in 2011

– 1300 multiband (VHF/700/800) portable radios

– 1250 multiband (VHF/700/800) mobile radios

– 47 IP based dispatch consoles

– Digital radio and telephone logging recorders

– Upgrade Primary Dispatch base stations and repeaters to P25Conventional operation

– Convert interoperability base stations and repeaters to narrowband analog operation

– Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) VHF P25 trunking

– 700MHz P25 Phase 2 trunking

– Digital microwave MPLS upgrade


System of System approachWhat makes us unique

• Joined IWN as zone 2 of the system, using an inter-zone link

• Local partnership with the Spokane Regional Emergency Communication System (SRECS)

– WSP 800MHz P25 primary talkgroup on SRECS system

– WSP VHF P25 conventional on WSP/IWN system patched at the console level

– WSP VHF P25 trunked talkgroups on the WSP/IWN system patched at the console level

– IWN VHF P25 Interop talkgroups for dispatching Federal agencies

– Narrowband analog State, LERN, OSCCR


System of System approachWhat makes us unique

• Local partnership with the Pierce County Combined Communications Network (CCN)

– WSP 700MHz P25 phase 2 primary talkgroups on CCN system

– WSP VHF P25 conventional on WSP/IWN system patched at the console level

– WSP VHF P25 trunked talkgroups on the WSP/IWN system patched at the console level

– IWN VHF P25 Interop talkgroups for dispatching Federal agencies and interoperability

– Narrowband analog interoperability channels

– Narrowband analog simulcast system on SR410


System of System approachWhy do it this way?

• System sharing lowers the cost for all parties

– Shared infrastructure costs for each system operator

– Shared maintenance costs

– Reduced duplication

• Increased coverage

• Increased interoperability

• Better situational awareness

• It’s the Right Thing to Do!


System of System approachThere’s got to be a downside, right?

• Each zone / system should be at the same release level

• System changes and maintenance outages need to be coordinated

• Less control over your system and requires a higher level of trust and reliance

• Can result in a more complex design

• More complex governance

– You need strong agreements


WSP District Map


Bumps along the roadThere have been a few

• System architecture:

– Legacy VHF system design created challenges in P25 conventional

• High power + high sites

• Simplex channels

• Frequency reuse

• Sensitive radios with no capture affect

• No baseline of legacy coverage

• Not engineered as a single system

• Site grounding not as robust as it should have been


Bumps along the roadWhat a long strange ride it has been

• Subscriber equipment and users:– Audio Quality complaints

• Audio settings in the subscriber radios needed to be optimized• No squelch control so fringe signals come in distorted

– System complexity• Very limited history of using trunking• Too many talkgroups initially• Not all system users upgraded radios

– User expectations• New radios should work everywhere• Should be able to scan everything I could before• Partner agencies are changing systems at the same time causing

interoperability challenges


Lessons LearnedMostly the hard way

• Turn down the power:– Better coverage was realized in P25 conventional in many cases by

reducing base station and repeater transmit power– With frequency reuse and hot mobile receivers you can get on

channel interference creating moving dead spots• Survey coverage in all areas prior to deploying:

– Survey existing analog coverage if possible to set a baseline– Collect signal strength, BER, and DAQ in P25 conventional– Map coverage results and provide these to system users

• Avoid simplex operation– Self-induced multipath and on-channel interference, gives system

users the appearance of poor coverage and roaming dead spots


More lessons Learned

• Interoperability:

– Trunking operation is not the preferred solution for areas where partner agencies operate primarily in conventional mode

• Training:

– Train before, during, and after system cutovers

– Training by officers is better received from other officers than from technical staff

– Use your hot keys

– Train some more, then repeat

• Manage expectations:

– A new radio does not equate to 100% coverage


Interoperability SuccessesUSGA U.S. Open communications

• Pierce County CCN system used for event communications

– 225 WSP Troopers from 7 districts used the system using their own portable radios

– Advanced System Key sharing agreement was critical

– All WSP radios are in the CCN database

– Existing Interoperability talkgroups utilized

• Communications planned using the ICS model

• Both encrypted and clear talkgroups were used

• Seamless communications with no technical issues experienced


Interoperability SuccessesChinese Presidential Delegation visit

• Primary WSP event communications used the IWN / WSP trunking system

– Motorcade routes covered 3 districts

– Seamless coverage from Everett to Tacoma on a single talkgroup

– System PTTS - 138,637

– Calls – 93,716

– Call Time 295:10:46

– Busies - 979

• Both encrypted and clear talkgroups were used

• Seamless communications with no technical issues experienced


Interoperability SuccessesChinese Presidential Delegation visit

• Interoperable Communications used the IWN / WSP and King Co. radio systems

─ SPD motorcycles patched to WSP talkgroup via TRIS

─ WSP Lt. and Sgts. used PSOPS talkgroup on WSP portables to talk to local LE agencies

─ Air units coordinated through King County MARS talkgroup

─ Federal LE agencies had the ability to talk to WSP using the IWN / WSP system

• Normal dispatch was unaffected


After ActionWhy it worked

• A communications component was embedded with the Incident Management Team in both events

• Communications planning followed the ICS model

• Pre-existing and pre-coordinated regional and system Interoperability talkgroups were used

• System and key sharing agreements were in place prior to the event

• All WSP unit IDs are in the Pierce County and Spokane County system databases

• WSP fleet uses P25 multiband radios

• Voluntary statewide unit ID scheme adopted that de-conflicts unit IDs between State, County, and some Federal users


Thank You

Bob SchwentElectronic Services Division CommanderWashington State PatrolWashington Statewide Interoperability Coordinator

[email protected](360) 534-0601

mailto:[email protected]

International Wireless Communications ExpoCollege of Technology

Tuesday, March 22, 20168:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Project 25 User’s Perspective and Customer Applications Update for 2016

Jim Downes

FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP FOR INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS (FPIC)Chairman

Project 25 Steering Committee Chairman

Project 25 Background

• Project 25 (P25) was created as a joint project between the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), the National Association of State Telecommunications Directors (NASTD) and the Federal Government in 1989

• P25 set out to address—

– Spectral efficiency

– Backwards compatibility

– Enhanced interoperability

– Ease of migration and scalability

– Increased vendor competition

• Formed partnership with the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in 1992 to create the P25 Suite of Standards

Project 25 Technology Interest Group 62MARCH 2016

DHS and most Federal Agencies Continued Support for P25

• Mission critical voice land mobile radio (LMR) is going to be around for a long time

• P25 is the best choice for interoperability

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to be committed to P25


– P25 is the recommended technology of choice for interoperability in the SAFECOM Grant Guidance

– P25 is a significant part of the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP)

– DHS’ Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) actively participates in the P25 development process and currently supports the chair of the P25 Steering Committee

Importance of LMR Sustainment and Continued Interoperability Efforts

• The sustainment of resources and operational capability supporting LMR is vital to public safety mission-critical communications

• It is important that government leaders and public safety managers recognize sustained funding is critical to keep LMR systems functional

• The Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications (FPIC), in coordination with OEC, is working closely with SAFECOM – NCSWIC to address LMR issues at all levels of public safety that include technology, funding, governance and others


LMR Sustainment and Interoperability Efforts (cont’d)

• Communications operability is the key to enhanced interoperability

• Sustainment is not limited to funding

- Governance within and between disciplines/jurisdictions can impact sustainment

- Resource sharing can provide “cost avoidance”

• The FPIC Security Working Group is addressing encryption technology and best practices to improve encrypted communications interoperability


LMR Sustainment and Interoperability Efforts (cont’d)

• Significant interest in encryption has increased and is being implemented in LMR systems

• The use of standards compliant encryption is essential to interoperability

– Common procedures and coordination are essential to cost effective interoperability

– The FPIC recently released the Recommended Storage Location Numbers Allocation List for Nationwide Encryption

– The FPIC Security Working Group is addressing encryption technology and best practices to improve encrypted communications interoperability


Federal Government and P25

• The Federal Government has been an active participant in the Project 25 Standards creation since the beginning of the program

– Initiated in part by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) narrowband mandate

– Federal requirements for secure communications forced a migration to digital technologies with advanced encryption capabilities

• Most Federal Agencies have adopted Project 25 for tactical voice communications starting in the mid-1990’s

– Most agencies are operating narrowband, conventional, encrypted systems

– Major federal agencies who have installed P25 conventional systems include FBI, ATF, CBP, DEA, ICE, BLM, NPS, F&WS, USCG, USFS, TSA, TIGTA, FEMA, APHIS, USMS, USSS, DOE

– A number of Federal Agencies operate or participate in P25 trunked systems, including DOJ Bureau of Prisons and IWN, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Department of Defense, and others


Federal Government and P25 (cont’d)

• As PS Broadband moves forward, most federal agencies continue to promote P25 as the best solution to provide interoperable, digital, mission critical communications for the foreseeable future

• Reduced Federal budgets force agencies to seek opportunities to achieve cost effective solutions and operational efficiencies by securing partnerships with statewide and regional public safety systems

– Enhanced coverage

– Better interoperability with state and local agencies

– Typically provides a multi-vendor environment

– Resource sharing


Federal Government and P25 (cont’d)

• The P25 standards provide a capability to take advantage of a competitive market and the introduction of multi-band subscribers further enhances the ability to operate on different P25 Systems

• The partnership in Wyoming is a prime example of how Project 25 has supported an opportunity for the Federal Government to form a partnership with the State of Wyoming resulting in enhanced communications for all concerned

• These partnerships have been developed in other states, including Alaska, Connecticut, Missouri, South Carolina, and Washington – without P25, these cooperative activities would unlikely


Cooperative Partnerships:Improving Operability and Interoperability

• A primary recommendation of the NECP is to “Promote opportunities to share Federal emergency communications infrastructure and resources”

• That objective includes establishing Cooperative Partnerships and Shared Infrastructure Initiatives to improve operability and interoperability

• Benefits include improved interoperability, increased coverage, decreased cost, and shared resources (spectrum, land, infrastructure)

• The FPIC has promoted these initiatives for many years and is embarking on a new initiative with the NCSWIC to identify assets for potential future partnerships


Project 25 Compliance Assessment

• The federal agencies and OEC strongly supports the P25 Compliance Assessment Program (CAP) process managed by DHS Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC)

• It is critical that P25 equipment and systems are compliant with the published standards and confirmed through an open and coordinated process

• It is important to emphasize that both the Project 25 Steering Committee and the TIA TR-8 Engineering Committee support the CAP process and strive for coordination and collaboration.

- Jointly developed P25 recommended compliance assessment tests (RCATs) for

consideration

- Forwarded test procedures consistent with standardsProject 25 Technology Interest Group 71MARCH 2016

MARCH 2016 Project 25 Technology Interest Group 72

P25 standards ensure data can be passed across all levels of digital

radio interfaces, as illustrated above.

P25 and the User

• P25’s influence continues to expand

– Deployed in over 83 countries

– There are 35 companies that provide a P25 product or service

– A P25-compliant voice pager was recently introduced

• P25 continues to develop

– Ongoing maintenance

– User input is critical to the success of the standards

– New technologies are being added

• User participation is required

– User participation in the development of the standards

– Include applicable P25 CAP documentation


Summary

• In 2014 P25 celebrated 25 years of user-industry cooperation

• P25 continues to evolve

• User participation is essential to the continued success of P25 interoperability

• The P25 Steering Committee and User Needs Subcommittee requests your participation in the process

• User participation is crucial to validate real-world requirements


Questions?

• Please direct any questions regarding DHS OEC or FPIC activities in the P25 environment to:

Jim Downes

US Department of Homeland Security

Office of Emergency Communications

[email protected]



Project 25 User’s Perspective

Greater Austin-Travis County Regional Radio System

(GATRRS)

Chuck Brotherton, Wireless Manager, GATRRS Program ManagerCity of Austin, Texas


SOUTH CAROLINA BUDGET AND CONTROL BOARD

DIVISION OF TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS

IWCE 2016

South Carolina P25

SystemsOctober 2015 Flooding


1999 - Hurricane Floyd

Graniteville South Carolina

Charleston, SC

Earthquake 1886

Magnitude 7.6


South Carolina Public Safety

Communications Networks

• VHF Networks

• UHF Networks

• P25 County Trunked Networks

• Palmetto 800 P25 Network (35,000+)

• PATCON (PAalmetto Tactical COmmunications Network

• Palmetto 800 AstroP25 High Performance Data (HPD)

• The Palmetto 800 Radio Network is a shared public/private partnership fee based user system between the state an more that 20 local governments, power utilities. The Network serves South Carolina, North Carolina and Augusta-Richmond County , Georgia.

• The system operates on multiple P25 Cores supporting P25 and 4.1 Smart-X sites. The Palmetto 800 system will complete it’s statewide migration to P25 in the fall of 2017.

• The system has been in operation since 1992.

Palmetto 800 Radio Network


Palmetto 800 Statewide Radio

Network

P25 Interoperability Talkgroups & Channels

• 15 – Statewide mutual aid talkgroups.

• 10 – Regional mutual aid talkgroups

• 15 – Law Enforcement mutual aid talkgroups.

(Also utilized for state evacuation routes)

• 5 – SC Statewide 800 MHz conventional channels.

• 5 – National 800 MHz ITAC conventional channels.

• 1 – SC Air to Ground

• Dyn- Reg – Dynamic Regrouping

– The PATCON (PAlmetto Tactical COmmunications Network) network is over-layed on top of the statewide trunked network. The network includes 8SCTACs and National 8TAC90s conventional repeaters checker boarded across the State.

– (130) transmitter sites statewide.

– All SC Major Universities covered by conventional repeaters.

– All nuclear facilities in SC covered by conventional repeaters.

– Every county in SC has at least (1) conventional repeater. Urban areas have more repeaters.

PATCON 800 Statewide Conventional

Radio Network

PATCON

Statewide

Coverage

– City of Columbia was without water.

• Chiller systems at commercial telecommunications hubs began to run low on water.

• 5 hospitals without water - major water shuttle operation.

• Main commercial power for the city and communications fiber had to be rerouted.

– 95 miles of interstate closed and thousands of roads impassable.

– City of Forest Acres dispatch/911 center had to be moved twice.

– Power, telephone, cellular, water and sewer service was out in large areas of the State.

– Supplies of water, food and fuel were difficult to find in flooded areas.

Communications Challenges

– Palmetto 800 System

• Managing system loading. Palmetto 800 NOC 7x24 and essential operations plans.

• Efficient use of mutual aid talkgroups.

• State cache of 300 radios was depleted.

• Refueling generators.

• Circuit issues for Georgetown County simulcast sites.

• Curfews and flooding made access difficult to make repairs radio.

• Dealing with agencies who forgot how to function during a real emergency.


– Palmetto 800 System Continued

• Resources brought in for support trying to make operational decisions for a radio system they knew nothing about and did not know about communications plans in place.

• Request for communications resources failed to follow chain of command. Too many people thought they should be Chief.

– Successes

• Communications Strike Team.

• 48hr deployment of 100 P25 new radios

• P25 and Smart-X RF infrastructure almost flawless.

• Vendor support and connections.

• Other State and Local agency support.



Palmetto 800 Statewide Radio

Network

Questions


Contact Information

George Crouch

Division of Technology Operations

4430 Broad River Rd.

Columbia, SC 29210

(803) 896-0367

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Alaska Land Mobile Radio (ALMR)

Communications System

Del Smith

Operations Manager

March 22, 2016

A FEDERAL, STATE AND MUNICIPAL PARTNERSHIPA FEDERAL, STATE AND MUNICIPAL PARTNERSHIP


Alaska’s Size


ALMR System Coverage(built to 90% mobile roadway coverage)


Remote Mountain-top Sites

LION HEAD

DIVIDE

“High sites” help extend coverage over vast distances in the mountainous terrain.


Agenda

Primary Drivers

Governance

Technology

Interoperability

Operations and Maintenance


Primary Drivers

107


SOA Emergency Response Commission Report cited Alaska disasters/mutual aid responses ……“Interoperability main issue…”

Many different radio systems deployed throughout Alaska

Need to replace aging equipment

Federal and FCC Narrowband Frequency requirements

9/11 Homeland Defense/Homeland Security & DefenseAssistance to Civil Authority roles and missions

Combined System


Cooperative Approach

• Federal, State and Local Government partnership to build, operate and maintain a single shared LMR infrastructure

Leveraged narrowband migration requirement• Agencies contributed infrastructure to make up the system

Department of Defense (DOD) and State of Alaska (SOA) major ALMR infrastructure partners; Municipality Of Anchorage for Anchorage Wide Area Radio Network (AWARN)

Federal agencies and local governments mainly subscriber-based users

• Infrastructure meets each agencies day-to-day needs• Infrastructure is standards compliant and provides secure interoperable communications• Capital investment cannot be recouped in the cooperative cost share• Cooperative partnership will cost share operations and maintenance (O&M) costs


SAFECOM Interoperability Continuum

Interoperability Continuum Success Elements Governance –

SIEC/Regional committee

Standard Operating Procedures –

NIMS-integrated SOPs

Technology –

Standards-based, shared systems

Training & Exercises –

Regional comprehensive training and

exercises

Usage –

Daily use throughout system

High degree of leadership, planning and

collaboration among areas with

commitment to, and investment in,

sustainability and documentation


Governance


Key Agreements

Sep 1997: Executive Council Charter (revisions in 2000,2003 and 2008)

Oct 1997: MOU to release “Request for Information” to industry

Apr 2001: MOU commitment to move forward

Jul 2003: MOA (DOD and State of Alaska) for shared use of DOD spectrum resources

Dec 2007: Cooperative Agreement (signed December 14, 2007)

Feb 2008: Service Level Agreement (signed February 26, 2008)

Jan 2016: Cost Share Agreement (renewed annually)


Cooperative Agreement

The Cooperative Agreement was entered into by: State of Alaska (SOA): material ownership interest DOD – Alaska (DOD): material ownership interest Alaska Federal Executive Association (AFEA): non-material ownership interest

The Cooperative Agreement (22 Articles) establishes; Agencies authority to engage in the cooperative General provisions for the cooperative partnership Cooperative partnership termination Limits to financial obligations for the signed parties Organizational structures and users User council Budget process, cost recovery, user agreements and obligations of the parties Hold harmless and indemnification of the parties


Service Level Agreement

The Service Level Agreement was entered into by: SOA: material ownership interest DOD: material ownership interest AFEA: non-material ownership interest

The Service Level Agreement establishes: Standards and levels of maintenance and quality of service requirements to

be maintained by infrastructure owners The baseline for development and execution of the Statement of Work for

operations and maintenance contracts


Membership Agreement

The Membership Agreement is entered into by:All user agencies operating on the ALMR System: material

and non-material ownership interest

The Membership Agreement establishes: Responsibilities of the member agency for operation on

ALMR


Governing Bodies

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Voting Members:

State of Alaska

Federal Agencies Non-DOD

Department of Defense (DOD)

Associate/Non-Voting Members:

Alaska Municipal League (AML)

Municipality of Anchorage (MOA)

- Each Executive Council sector has one member

USER COUNCIL

State of Alaska

Department of Defense

Federal Non-DOD

Municipalities/Locals

- Each of the four User Council sectors has three primary and three alternative members

- All four sectors have voting status


Technology


118

Implementation Pillars

FixedInfrastructureCoverage

Gateway For DisparateRadio Systems

In-Building CoverageFor Critical Infrastructure

TransportableSystems

Increase capacity

Extend range of thenetwork

Provide temporary replacement

Provide coverage outside of fixed infrastructure

Continuity of operations

ALMR FIRST RESPONDER INTEROPERABILITY

Day-to-Day, Mutual Aid, Joint Task Force

Standards Based Communications for First Responders

SECURE, ON DEMAND & IN REAL TIME

Note: 98% of system


National standards-based, digital, trunked, VoIP, VHF, wide area

network

83 completed ALMR sites and two Master Controllers (Zone 1 -

North and Zone 2 - South)

12 Completed AWARN sites, P25, digital, trunked, 700MHz system

with one Master Controller (Zone 4)

123 User Agencies

Approximately 20,370 active mobile and portable radios (as of

January 2016)

Current System Summary

First Statewide, multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional public safety Trunking

system in the United States” FCC MOO DA03-2612, 7 Aug 2003


State of Alaska Telecommunications System (SATS)

o Administered by the Enterprise Technology Services (ETS)

Division

SATS infrastructure includes shelters, towers, antennas and

power - all maintained by ETS

Connects ALMR sites (mostly via microwave)

o 160 SATS microwave sites

o 73 of the 160 are also ALMR sites

SATS is the ALMR Backbone


Winter at Two State-owned Sites

HONOLULU

HENEY RANGE


Shared Spectrum

FEDERAL-OWNED SPECTRUM

(frequencies governed by the NTIA)

STATE OF ALASKA-OWNED SPECTRUM(frequencies governed by the FCC)

The ability to share spectrum between the Federal and Non-Federal government

agencies required a waiver from the FCC and a signed agreement between the

Department of Defense and the State of Alaska.

NTIA

FCC

138 – 144 MHz

(mobile transmit)

154.65 – 156.24 MHz

(fixed transmit)

120 CHANNEL PAIRS


Subscriber Distribution

Other Federal – 1,449 (7%)

State of Alaska – 6,982 (35%)DOD – 7,648 (38%)

Local - 3,899 (20%)


Portable and Mobile Radios

124

• 28 different portable and mobile radio models have been approved to operate on ALMR

• 8 different manufacturers


Gateways

– Alaska Interoperability Network (AIN)

– MotoBridge™ consoles

– Facilitates ad hoc and permanent bridging of disparate radio channels to establish interoperability with agencies outside of the ALMR System

– Over 30 at dispatch centers throughout the State


Transportables

Two complete systems stored at JBER and Eielson

Main components:

Communications Shelter

Dispatch Shelter

Logistics Shelter

Tower/Power Skid

Satellite Skid (South system only)

Transporter

Prime Mover (Tug)

MESH Network Skid (South system only)

100 portable radios and 50 laptops

Other capabilities

Commercial Internet/Email (SIPR/NIPR Capable)

Video Surveillance

PSTN Telephone Service – 50 lines

Tandberg Tactical VTC


Interoperability


Growth Status by Year

Members

2007 – 73

2008 – 76

2010 – 106

2011 – 110

2012 – 116

2013 – 119

2014 – 122

2015 – 123

Subscribers

2007 – unavailable

2008 – 12,915

2010 – 13,544

2011 – 15,030

2012 – 16,408

2013 – 18,988

2014 – 19,247

2015 – 20,344

Voice Calls

2007 – 8,502,873

2008 – 9,008,350

2010 – 9,833,178

2011 – 10,451,463

2012 – 11,508,239

2013 – 12,778,142

2014 – 13,796,423

2015 – 13,879,613


Member Agencies – State, DOD and Federal Non-DOD


Member Agencies - Local


Operations and Maintenance (O&M)


USARAK (4)

JBER (1)

Eielson (3)

Clear (1)

MOA (12)

SOA (75)

Site Ownership

JBER

(1%)

CLEAR

AFS (1%)

SOA

(78%)

USARAK(4%)

MOA

(13%)EIELSON

(3%)

NOTE: St Paul Island is not

included in the above numbers.


O&M Contracts

Three primary contracts are designed support the operations, maintenance and lifecycle requirements associated with the ALMR System

Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance Services (IOMS) Separate, but equal, contracts executed by SOA and DOD provide system management,

preventive maintenance, emergency response and System restoral

Operations Management Services (OMS) Single contract executed by SOA, cost shared by user agencies, provides operational

oversight, administrative management, User Council and Executive Council support, daily and emergency operations support

System Upgrade and Lifecycle Sustainment Services Separate contracts executed by SOA, DOD and MOA to provide system upgrade and lifecycle

sustainment of the system infrastructure


ALMR Management

System Management Office - Mr. Travis Conant

Preventive Maintenance

System Repair

Talkgroup Setup and Management

Subscriber Authorization

Outage and Uptime Reporting

Asset Management

System Security

Operations Management Office

– Mr. Del Smith

Governance Management

Policies/Procedures/Plans

Member Coordination

Talkgroup Agreements

Budget Development

Records/Document Management

Preventive Maintenance Oversight

Security and Audits


Questions

Del Smith

907-334-2636

[email protected]


Questionsand

Answers

Slide 136Project 25 Technology Interest Group


PROJECT 25 TECHNOLOGY

INTEREST GROUP

Visit PTIG in Booth # 764 IWCE 2016

OUR MEMBER ORGANIZATIONSAS EXHBITORS ALSO

SAY

THANK YOU

PROJECT 25

Technology Interest Group

MEMBERS EXHIBITING

Booth Number

• AVTEC 935

• CATALYST COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES 1752

• CISCO 755

• COBHAM (Aeroflex) 1055

• CODAN RADIO COMMUNICATIONS 1857

• EFJOHNSON TECHNOLOGIES 1229

• ETHERSTACK 755

• FUTURECOM SYSTEMS 1021

• GENESIS GROUP 1741

• HARRIS CORPORATION 1455

• ICOM AMERICA 1465

• IDA CORP 1065

• JVC KENWOOD 1229

• MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS 1029

• POWERTRUNK 1829

• PROJECT 25 TECHNOLOGY INTEREST GROUP (PTIG) 764

• RELM WIRELESS CORP 1255

• SIMOCO 1149

• TAIT COMMUNICATIONS 943

• TELEX 955

• TIMCO ENGINEERING 922

• UNICATION 2351

• VERTEX STANDARD 1039

• ZETRON 1429

SUSTAINING MEMBERS

FOUNDING MEMBERS