Spectrum for public safety radiocommunicationsCurrent ACMA initiatives and decisionsOCTOBER 2012

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Executive summary 1

1. Introduction 41.1 Legislative and policy framework 4

2. Background 72.1 International spectrum arrangements for public safety broadband

radiocommunications 72.2 The 803–960 MHz band review 82.3 Radiocommunications for public safety in Australia 9

3. New provisions for public safety radiocommunications 11

3.1 A multi-band ecosystem for public safety radiocommunications 113.2 Implementation of the 400 MHz review 133.3 The decision process on spectrum for Public Safety Mobile

Broadband (PSMB) 143.4 Public safety use of the 4.9 GHz band 183.5 Licensing options 193.6 Key mobile broadband standards 19

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Executive summary

Australia’s public safety agencies (PSAs) are critical to the safety and security of the community, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) places a high degree of importance on providing adequate spectrum to support dedicated networks that optimally support their operations.

PSAs have historically relied on narrowband (particularly voice) communications to support their operations, which have been delivered primarily through dedicated land mobile systems. In 2008, the ACMA commenced an extensive examination of PSA needs in this space through a wide-ranging review of the 400 MHz band. This resulted in an expansion of public safety spectrum resources and a framework for national interoperability, for what essentially remains (and will remain) the core communications capability for PSAs.

At the same time, agencies have identified a growing need for operational data capabilities to take advantage of digital technologies, which have the capacity to significantly enhance a wide range of operational functions. High speed, mobile data capabilities that can be relied upon in adverse situations and can provide for interoperability between different agencies and jurisdictions are becoming increasingly necessary in the public safety community. Consequently, in recent years, the ACMA has been exploring how best to meet these needs.

One strategy that the ACMA has undertaken has been to identify 50 MHz of spectrum from the 4.9 GHz band, which will provide very high speed, short range on-demand capacity to areas of high activity to support a wide range of uses. This band is internationally harmonised for public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) communications by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which will provide for international interoperability (when needed) and equipment economies of scale. The ACMA’s initiative on 4.9 GHz is the subject of a separate consultation process.

In addition to this, the ACMA has worked closely with Public Safety Mobile Broadband Steering Committee (PSMBSC)1, which was established in May 2011 to identify options for how spectrum from the 800 MHz band could be used to implement a nationally interoperable mobile broadband capability for Australia's PSAs.

This importance of realising a broadband capability for PSAs has been reflected in the ACMA’s heavy engagement in the work of the PSMBSC. A significant body of work has been undertaken by the PSMBSC in gathering user requirements and determining the most efficient and cost-effective ways to deliver the capability. The ACMA has also undertaken a rigorous evaluation of this evidence—and dimensioned it against the capabilities and constraints inherent in the current 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard—to determine an appropriate amount of spectrum from the 800 MHz band. This would enable a Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) capability that would meet the PSAs’ needs, with sufficient headroom to allow for future growth in data demand.

Broadband radiocommunications will be an important component of future public safety capabilities and will be supported by spectrum in the 800 MHz and 4.9 GHz bands. The decisions on spectrum that are detailed in this paper will enable PSAs to deploy high-speed, nationally-interoperable mobile broadband networks and overhaul existing mission-critical narrowband radio networks.The ACMA is undertaking a number of initiatives to improve spectrum provisions for public safety. The most important are:

> Making provision for 10 MHz of spectrum from the 800 MHz band for the specific purpose of realising a nationally interoperable PSMB cellular 4G data capability. This band supports 4G (LTE) systems and as such is considered to be ‘beach front’ spectrum by carriers and PSAs alike. The actual frequencies to be provided

1 See Section 2.3.1 for further details on the PSMBSC. acma | 1

from within the 800 MHz band will be determined later in the context of the ACMA’s review of the 803–960 MHz band.

> Enabling 50 MHz of spectrum from the 4.9 GHz band for PSAs. This spectrum is recognised internationally as a public protection and disaster relief band, capable of extremely high capacity, short range, deployable data and video communications (including supplementary capacity for the PSMB network in areas of very high demand).

> Implementing critical reforms in the 400 MHz band—where spectrum has been identified for the exclusive use of government, primarily to support national security, law enforcement and emergency services—is continuing.

The diagram below is a conceptual representation of how these provisions and reforms will combine to form the basis of a holistic strategy to meet our PSAs’ voice, data and video communications needs well into the future. This will be enabled through the deployment of multi-layer, integrated networks that deliver the necessary flexibility, interoperability and capacity to operators where and when needed. The result will be an unprecedented level of situational awareness and interoperability and a competitive advantage for PSAs to carry out their duties.

Conceptual depiction of multi-band layering

The ACMA will continue to work with PSAs on developing an appropriate licensing framework as part of the ongoing review of the 803–960 MHz band. The new measures in the 800 MHz band will be outlined in a discussion paper to be released towards the end of 2012. Draft arrangements for spectrum in the 4.9 GHz band are detailed in a separate discussion paper.

The ACMA’s decisions on spectrum to support these capabilities will enable future growth as public safety needs evolve. Radiofrequency spectrum, particularly below

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1 GHz, is extremely valuable and in short supply. However, the ACMA also places an extremely high value on services provided to the community by PSAs. Part of the object of the Radiocommunications Act 1992 (the Radiocommunications Act) compels the ACMA to ‘ … make adequate provision of the spectrum for use by agencies involved in ... law enforcement or the provision of emergency services.’

The ACMA’s ongoing challenge is to make adequate spectrum available for PSAs to carry out their duties effectively, while optimising the benefit of the spectrum as a whole to the community. This requires balancing a range of economic and public interest (including public safety) drivers to deliver solutions that best serve the community as a whole. This paper covers ACMA decisions and current initiatives that are intended to provide for current and future public safety radiocommunications needs in Australia.

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1 Introduction1.1 Legislative and policy frameworkThe issues discussed in this paper are consistent with the object of the Radiocommunications Act and informed by analysis against a total welfare standard and the ACMA’s Principles for spectrum management, highlighted below.

1.1.1 The object of the Radiocommunications ActSection 9 of the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005 (the ACMA Act) sets out the spectrum management functions of the ACMA including:

> to manage the radiofrequency spectrum in accordance with the Radiocommunications Act

> to advise and assist the radiocommunications community.

Consistent with the spectrum management functions set out in the ACMA Act, the object of the Radiocommunications Act is to provide for management of the radiofrequency spectrum to achieve a number of goals2, including to:

> maximise, by ensuring the efficient allocation and use of the spectrum, the overall public benefit derived from using the radiofrequency spectrum

> make adequate provision of the spectrum:

> for use by agencies involved in the defence or national security of Australia, law enforcement or the provision of emergency services

> for use by other public or community services

> provide a responsive and flexible approach to meeting the needs of users of the spectrum

> encourage the use of efficient radiocommunications technologies so that a wide range of services of an adequate quality can be provided.

The analysis in this paper considers the additional public benefit that could be derived from improvements to arrangements in the 803–960 MHz band, and—in light of the object identified above—considers the development of regulatory arrangements that encourage efficiency and flexibility of spectrum use.

The ACMA developed its P rinciples for spectrum management to guide its decision-making on spectrum management. The principles are intended to guide the ACMA’s management of spectrum within its existing legislative responsibilities and government policy settings.

The principles aim to:

> promote consistency, predictability and transparency in the ACMA’s decision-making

> provide guidance for major planning and allocation decisions to be made over the next few years

> increase the ACMA’s ability to respond to challenges, including the impact of new technologies and increasing demand for spectrum for advanced services.

s

2 The object of the Radiocommunications Act 1992 is to provide for management of the radiofrequency spectrum and is explained in paragraphs 3 (a) to 3 (h).

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The principles recognise that a band’s highest value use is not determined solely by an economic assessment, but also by considering the broader public good or social benefit achieved by that use. Therefore, a key theme of the principles is to optimise the use of market mechanisms with minimal regulatory intervention to maximise the public benefit.

The principles are:

Principle 1—Allocate spectrum to the highest value use or uses.

Principle 2—Enable and encourage spectrum to move to its highest value use or uses.

Principle 3—Use the least cost and least restrictive approach to achieving policy objectives.

Principle 4—To the extent possible, promote both certainty and flexibility.

Principle 5—Balance the cost of interference and the benefits of greater spectrum utilisation.

The ACMA has considered a range of other factors in addition to the principles. These are identified in its spectrum management decision framework (see Figure 1.1). The international environment is a key factor in considering the arrangements in the 803–960 MHz band, particularly for wireless access services in the band, with a specific focus on spectrum harmonisation and developments in technology.

1.1.2 Total welfare standardIn determining what actions maximise the public benefit, the ACMA uses a total welfare standard (TWS). The application of a TWS enables the ACMA to adhere to a consistent conceptual framework when assessing the public interest impact of any regulatory proposals it considers. A TWS requires consideration of the total benefit (economic surplus) of a regulatory decision. The approach that results in the greatest net benefits is regarded as the approach that best promotes the public interest. The impact of a decision on particular groups should be evaluated as part of the analysis, but issues associated with the distribution of benefits and costs between different parties should be addressed as a separate and distinct policy question.

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Figure 1.1 Spectrum management decision framework

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2 Background2.1 International spectrum arrangements for public

safety broadband radiocommunicationsThe ACMA is heavily engaged in international forums that develop the technical guidance for the development and deployment of current and future public safety radiocommunications solutions. The main forums that it is engaged with are the International Telecommunication Union—Radiocommunications Sector (ITU-R) and the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT). The latter works towards spectrum harmonisation in our region through the work of the APT Wireless Group (AWG), and represents our region’s common interests at the ITU through the work of the APT Preparatory Group (APG).

ITU-R Resolution 646 on public protection and disaster relief (PPDR), which was made at the ITU World Radio Conference 2003 (WRC–03), invited ITU-R members to carry out technical studies on the technical and operational implementation of advanced PPDR solutions and to study possible additional frequency ranges to be used for this purpose. Key recommendations developed under Resolution 646(WRC–03) include:

> Recommendation ITU-R  M.2009 Radio interface standards for use by public protection and disaster relief operations in some parts of the UHF band in accordance with Resolution 646 (WRC–03). This recommendation lists the technologies recommended for narrowband and broadband PPDR use.

> Recommendation ITU-R M.2015 Frequency arrangements for public protection and disaster relief radiocommunications systems in UHF bands in accordance with Resolution 646 (Rev.WRC–12). This recommendation provides guidance on harmonised frequency and channelling arrangements for radio interfaces described in ITU-R M.2009.

Resolution 646 (WRC–03) also encourages administrations to consider the use of certain frequency bands/ranges (or parts thereof) when undertaking planning for the purposes for PPDR radiocommunications. The identified bands/ranges are:

> ITU Region 1 (Europe (incl. Russia and Middle East) and Africa): 380–470 MHz (380–385/390–395 MHz preferred as core harmonised band for permanent PPDR activities)

> ITU Region 2 (Americas): 746–806 MHz, 806–869 MHz, 4 940–4 990 MHz

> ITU Region 3 (Asia-Pacific): 406.1–430 MHz, 440–470 MHz, 806–824/851–869 MHz, 4 940–4 990 MHz and 5 850–5 925 MHz.

The ITU World Radio Conference 2012 (WRC–12) established an agenda item for WRC–15 (Agenda Item 1.3) to review and revise Resolution 646 (Rev.WRC–12) for broadband public protection and disaster relief (PPDR), in accordance with Resolution 648 (WRC–12).

Currently in Region 1, Resolution 646 (WRC–03) lists PPDR frequency bands in the 380–470MHz range only, which is predominately used by narrowband land mobile communications in many countries and by Terrestrial Trunked Radio systems for PPDR. In Europe in particular, the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations is working towards radio frequency harmonisation to serve the European PPDR community, with a focus on broadband communications. It is expected that outcomes from WRC–15 AI 1.3 will result in identifying additional spectrum for PPDR in Region 1.

In the United States (US), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has identified frequencies from their 700 MHz band for public safety broadband networks. The US 700 MHz band plan is not harmonised with Australia’s (which conforms to the

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Region 3 plan that is being adopted by a number of Region 3 and non-Region 3 countries alike), so there is no advantage to Australia using the same frequencies.

In 2002, the US undertook a process that resulted in 50MHz of the 4.9 GHz band being identified domestically for temporary fixed and mobile public safety use. Canada and Mexico have since made similar arrangements and a market has been established for equipment operating in this band (that is specified for public safety use). Sizable 4.9 GHz equipment ecosystems now exist for each of the two main wireless standards using the band 802.11–2007 (Wi-Fi) and 802.16e–2005 (WiMAX). This equipment will be compatible with arrangements in the Australian 4.9 GHz band (Section 3.6 contains descriptions of the applicable radio interface standards).

Looking forward, new work carried out under ITU-R Resolution 648 (WRC–12) and WRC–15 AI 1.3 will be instrumental in establishing harmonised frequency bands for public safety mobile broadband applications and the interoperability and economies of scale that will result. The ACMA will continue to engage in this process and represent the radio spectrum needs of Australia’s PSAs on the international stage.

2.2 The 803–960 MHz band reviewIn May 2011, the ACMA commenced a review of the 803–960 MHz band with the release of the 900 MHz band — Exploring new opportunities discussion paper. This paper arose out of the view that substantial improvements could be made to arrangements in the 803–960 MHz band to better facilitate new and emerging technologies. This was considered together with the fact that this band has not undergone a formal review since the publication of the 900 MHz Band Plan in 1992.

In the Exploring new opportunities discussion paper, the potential use of the 800 MHz expansion band for public safety mobile broadband radiocommunications systems was discussed (referred to in the Exploring new opportunities discussion paper as broadband PPDR). Since the release of this paper, the ACMA has worked as part of the PSMBSC to identify an appropriate quantum of spectrum to support PSMB. This work has, in turn, informed the continued development of proposals for the review of the 803–960 MHz band as a whole.

The ACMA intends to release the second discussion paper in the review of the 803–960 MHz band towards the end of 2012. This paper will detail the further development of proposals in the review of the entirety of the band and outline further the proposal to make available 10 MHz of spectrum as a 2 x 5 MHz paired assignment for the provision of PSMB. In this second discussion paper, comment will be sought on all of the issues related to the potential changes in arrangements in the 803–960 MHz band including the provision of spectrum for PSMB.

2.2.1 Submissions to the Exploring new opportunities discussion paperIn response to the Exploring new opportunities discussion paper, the ACMA sought comment on the potential use of the 800 MHz expansion band for PSMB.

The majority of respondents saw merit in introducing PSMB systems in the 800 MHz expansion band. However, incumbent users of the 850–865 MHz segment expressed concerns that their services would need to be relocated. Respondents from the land mobile service sector supported the introduction of narrowband services supporting PSAs as outlined in ITU-R Resolution 646 to ease congestion in the 400 MHz band.

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Cellular mobile telephony service (CMTS) sector respondents suggested that a PSMB capability would be better and more efficiently provided through agreements with commercial networks with quality of service provisions to provide certainty of connection. However, if this was deemed unviable and an exclusive allocation made, CMTS sector respondents believed it should align with the frequency range specified in ITU-R Resolution 646.

2.3 Radiocommunications for public safety in AustraliaPSAs have historically relied on narrowband voice and data communications to support their operations. Narrowband networks have mostly been deployed in the 400 MHz band, with some systems operating in the VHF and 800 MHz bands. The 400 MHz band remains fit-for-purpose for narrowband communications networks. However, increasing congestion and a historic divergence in planning between jurisdictions necessitated a recent review by the ACMA of arrangements in the band.

The outcomes of this review are in the process of being implemented by the ACMA, in conjunction with the National Coordinating Committee for Government Radiocommunications (NCCGR). While narrowband radio networks play— and will continue to play for the foreseeable future—a critical role in keeping public safety operators connected, there is an emerging need to support a range of other applications that cannot be served on narrowband networks, including:

> live mapping (including fire and weather tracking)

> web-based services and email

> video upload and streaming

> high-volume database interrogation

> enhanced asset tracking (over and above current narrowband applications)

> medical monitoring.

This has led to a push for PSAs to be provisioned with a broadband capability, both domestically and internationally. This formed the basis of the ACMA provisioning spectrum from the 4.9 GHz band for public safety use, and also led to the establishment of the PSMBSC.

2.3.1 The Public Safety Mobile Broadband Steering CommitteeAs a result of the growing demand for a mobile broadband capability for PSAs, the Attorney General and the Minister for Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy established the PSMBSC on 10 May 2011. The committee was tasked with examining how a provision of spectrum from the 800 MHz band could be used to support a PSMB capability. The terms of reference (ToRs) of the PSMBSC are available on the Attorney General’s Department’s (AGD’s) website.3 In brief, the ToRs stated that:

> Membership would be drawn from Commonwealth agencies (AGD, DBCDE, ACMA) and numerous public safety representative bodies.4 It was originally intended that the committee would report to the COAG’s Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management on the 29 February 2012, and Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers at COAG.

3 ToRs available at: www.ag.gov.au4 Representative bodies included: Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), Australian Fire and Emergency Authorities Council (AFAC), Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA), Law Enforcement and Security Radio Spectrum Committee (LESRSC), National Coordinating Committee for Government Radiocommunications (NCCGR), National Counter Terrorism Committee (NCTC), National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC), Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management—Senior Officers Group (SCPEM—SOG)

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> The committee would report on the most efficient and effective means for PSAs to obtain a PSMB capability, and would work with the ACMA to identify a suitable quantum of spectrum from the 800 MHz band to realise the capability.

> The committee, through consultation with PSAs, the ACMA and industry, would identify the operational and technical requirements of a PSMB capability, and develop a national implementation plan on how a spectrum allocation would be used for this purpose. The plan was to be agreed upon by all jurisdictions and would include delivery models, costs and fallback options.

The first phase of the PSMBSC’s work was to identify the amount of spectrum needed to meet PSAs’ long-term data demand in the 800 MHz band during a number of scenarios. UXC Consulting was commissioned to undertake this work, in consultation with PSAs and Commonwealth agencies. The reports delivered by UXC have been made available on DBCDE’s website (with some content redacted). A number of different recommendations were made on the required spectrum quanta (redacted), which were dependent on the demand profile assumed.During this work, a number of potential models for the delivery of a PSMB capability were examined, comprising various combinations of commercial (by agreement with commercial carriers) and bespoke (dedicated network on dedicated spectrum) options. It was agreed that—regardless of how much, if any, dedicated spectrum was provided—the capability would need to be underpinned by the ability to use commercial networks (either for coverage or supplementary capacity). Infrastructure considered to support the dedicated option included various combinations of fixed and mobile base stations, the latter of which could also be used for supplementary coverage or capacity.Deployment and operational costs were estimated for each model. These also have a bearing on the quantum of spectrum to be set aside for PSMB. A National Implementation Plan (NIP) has been developed by members of the PSMBSC who will be responsible for operating the network (the jurisdictional agencies). The NIP details the intentions of the jurisdictions with respect to what type of capability (including infrastructure and coverage aspects) they intend to deliver.

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3 New provisions for public safety radiocommunications

3.1 A multi-band ecosystem for public safety radiocommunications

Radio networks are a critical component of public safety operations. Their requirements are generally different from other types of network, including commercial mobile networks. These unique requirements directly affect how they are designed and dimensioned. Different scenarios require different levels of coverage, capacity and availability. Demand for bandwidth by public safety operators varies greatly by time and location, and between agencies at any particular time. In a given metro area, one agency’s ‘down time’ might be a peak operating period for another agency; for example, different agencies will have differing resource requirements at 2 am on a Saturday.

In terms of determining the capacity requirements of PSAs, it was necessary to break the analysis down into a number of scenario-driven demand profiles. The scenarios considered in the ACMA’s consideration of public safety spectrum requirements ranged from ordinary/day-to-day needs to more localised emergency and planned events.

To add to the complexity, different demand profiles imply differences in the type of radiocommunications needed. For example, while much of the more day-to-day traffic is itinerant and requires wide-area coverage, a response to an emergency event such as a building fire may require significantly more capacity but only local coverage at and around the incident site. The initiatives announced by the ACMA will provide the necessary flexibility for PSAs to rapidly tailor their communications needs as required.

In Australia, the 400 MHz band is used for high-availability, mission-critical, narrowband (mainly voice) radiocommunications. The ACMA recently undertook to replan this band to relieve congestion and provide for a dedicated, harmonised government radio segment. The ACMA and the NCCGR are currently working towards implementing these new arrangements. While this work is ongoing, the intent is to enable a level of intra- and inter-jurisdiction interoperability not previously possible, while improving the overall efficiency—and by extension, utility—of public safety narrowband radio use by PSAs in Australia.

The ACMA has also been assisting PSAs in realising a nationally-interoperable public safety mobile broadband capability, through its work with the PSMBSC (see Section 2.3.1). Through an extensive analysis of the evidence gathered by the PSMBSC, the ACMA has decided to provide 10 MHz of spectrum (comprised of two paired 5 MHz blocks) from the 800 MHz band for this purpose. The exact frequencies to be provided are yet to be decided—these are subject to studies on coexistence with other services being undertaken as part of the ACMA’s broader review of the 803–960 MHz band.

The public safety mobile broadband capability is intended to provide responders with access to a range of mobile applications, including video transfer and streaming, database interrogation and real-time mapping. It will be cellular in topology and based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), or ‘4G’ standard that is currently being deployed by commercial operators. The ACMA will ensure that the spectrum made available is planned in a way that mirrors the technical frameworks that enable commercial operators to deploy 4G networks, so that PSAs can realise the benefits of leading-edge technology and the applications that it supports.

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The network will be available to a wide-coverage area, which will likely be achieved through a combination of deploying infrastructure using the 10 MHz provided and utilising commercial networks. However, while the decision to provide spectrum to support this capability has been taken with a range of emergency scenarios in mind, it is accepted that for some major incidents that require a rapid response, conventional cellular networks may at times not be able to meet the local demand that arises. It was identified that a contingency would be required to meet extremely high, localised, rapid spikes in demand.

This is one way in which the 50 MHz from the 4.9 GHz band will be useful in providing a high amount of supplementary, localised capacity where and when it is needed. While the 4.9 GHz band will help support a number of stand-alone applications (including video links and Wi-Fi hot spots), a large part of its utility will be to provide a data offload capability for the public safety mobile broadband network.

This would be analogous to roaming from mobile networks onto Wi-Fi hotspots (including home networks) to offload large amounts of data. In such a scenario, the fixed (public safety mobile broadband or commercial) network would provide wide-area broadband data coverage, while deployable 4.9 GHz base stations would be used for extra capacity around incident sites when needed. The 4.9 GHz band is the subject of a separate ACMA consultation process.

This means a total of 60 MHz of spectrum is being provided to PSAs for the deployment of broadband networks. While there is no single-band solution for meeting all of the mobile communications requirements of PSAs, careful planning and adequate resourcing will enable a layered, or ‘system of systems’ approach to public safety communications. This is the best, most flexible way of providing the necessary capacity to operators, when and where they need it, which is the ultimate goal of the ACMA. The three main layers in this model are:

> Wide-area narrowband voice and data using land-mobile topology, predominantly using the 400 MHz band in Australia.

> Wide-area broadband data using cellular topology (for PSMB), potentially using the 800 MHz band and supported by business agreements with commercial carriers in Australia. Supplementary, on-demand coverage and capacity provided by additional deployable base stations.

> Short range, high capacity data in deployable hot spots, using the 4.9 GHz band in Australia. Note that, while propagation distances in the 4.9 GHz band are much shorter than in the 400 and 800 MHz bands, there is much more spectrum available (50 MHz) for public safety use.

Details on ACMA work that relates to these frequency bands can be found in Sections 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4, while Section 3.6 contains a discussion on how integration of a number of technology standards using these bands will be the most flexible way to meet the highly-variant needs of public safety communications.

The decisions on spectrum for broadband applications outlined in this paper—in conjunction with ongoing reforms of the 400 MHz band—will facilitate the deployment of a range of leading-edge, internationally standardised technologies. Effective integration of these technologies and frequency bands will enable the realisation of the abovementioned system of systems. This will provide public safety operators with the flexibility to deliver voice and data capacity to where it’s needed, when it’s needed. This integration process is described in Figure 3.1.

While Project 25 (P25—standardised by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials) is well-entrenched as the current standard of choice for public safety narrowband communications in the 400 MHz band, the new spectrum provided for broadband will pave the way for deployments of a number of new technology standards not previously widely use by PSAs. These include LTE, Institute

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of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)5 802.11 Wi-Fi and IEEE 802.16 Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX). Descriptions of these technologies are provided in Section 3.6. The 4.9 GHz band will also be able to be used for a number of other meshing and digital video transfer technology standards (see Section 3.4).

Figure 3.1 Public safety communications system of systems

3.2 Implementation of the 400 MHz reviewAlong with the previously-described mission critical voice communications that are carried over the 400 MHz band, the band is also used for radiocommunications for a diverse range of industry and government organisations that deliver both essential public and private services. The band is predominantly used for the land mobile service, but also accommodates other services, including the fixed (point-to-point and point-to-multipoint), radiolocation and amateur services.

The ACMA is currently implementing recommendations in the 400 MHz band review that were released in December 2010. The purpose of this work is to provide harmonised government spectrum, enabling interoperability between agencies across state jurisdictions and benefiting public safety in the process. It will also address congestion in the 400 MHz band—particularly through the channel, power, clearance and opportunity cost changes. It also represents a challenge for government users, non-government users and the ACMA as there are approximately 8,000 licensees with 120,000 licences transitioning.

The timeline for the project has milestones between 31 December 2012 and 31 December 2018. This lead time allows users to build the new requirements into their capital replacement programs and make the necessary adjustment to their networks. The ACMA has adopted a comprehensive engagement strategy and information campaign for this work. A dedicated mini-site is provided and a bi-monthly 400 MHz e-bulletin is emailed to users.

The ACMA continues to work with the NCCGR on procedures and requirements for the harmonised government spectrum. In 2012, the NCCGR published a set of guiding

5 An international standardisation body.

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principles for assigning against the government 400 MHz spectrum allocation and produced a government channel plan and guidance on assignments in the band (named ‘RALI:GS1’).

The transition of the 400 MHz band is now underway and the benefits possible—a level of intra- and inter-jurisdiction interoperability, improvements in the overall efficiency, and by extension utility, of public safety narrowband radio use by PSAs—will soon be able to be realised.

3.3 The decision process on spectrum for Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB)

A number of factors have influenced the decision by the ACMA to provision 10 MHz of spectrum for PSMB. Firstly, the outputs from the PSMBSC (including the UXC reports and the NIP), were treated as ‘evidence’ by the ACMA and referred to extensively in this process. Other important considerations included:

> other/existing provisions to help meet PSA’s data demand over and above the anticipated day-to-day and pre-planned scenarios, including:

> additional use of commercial networks for non-mission critical traffic

> as needed deployments of mobile base stations, or ‘cells on wheels’ (COWs) to absorb additional local demand

> use of the 4.9 GHz band to enable deployment of high capacity, localised ‘hot spots’ for data offload, video transfer and incident area networks (IANs), among other applications

> specific provisions under the Radiocommunications Act that could, if enacted, enable access to additional spectrum by responders in extreme circumstances

> economic factors including capex/opex versus spectrum costs

> constraining and mitigating technical factors, including demand growth, headroom requirements and efficiency gains to be leveraged as part of the evolutionary growth of the technology (as per 3GPP standards).

Throughout the PSMBSC process, it has been recognised that no amount of spectrum used by a conventional cellular network is likely to satisfy a localised, short-notice spike in demand that might result from a major incident such as a terrorist attack in a central business district or major urban centre. Furthermore, it would be highly economically inefficient to try and dimension spectrum provisions around what might be a once-in-a-generation event. Instead, the ACMA has identified other ways to increase capacity that are likely to be more effective in practice.

One key purpose of the spectrum being made available in the 4.9 GHz band will be to enable extremely high data rates (including multiple video streams) in localised hot spots (e.g., around an incident site). It is therefore expected that this band will complement the proposed PSMB capability by providing on-demand capacity over and above that afforded by the fixed PSMB network. There is an established market for public safety equipment operating in this band.

In scenarios resulting in extremely high levels of capacity demand, a strategy for serving a temporary spike in demand could be to use 4.9 GHz equipment, and/or additional COWs (noting that 1:1 frequency reuse is feasible under LTE), and/or additional offload to commercial networks (noting that such arrangements will necessarily underpin the capability).

Considering the additional capacity that these measures will provide during a major emergency, 5 MHz of dedicated paired spectrum (i.e., 5 + 5 MHz in a frequency division duplex (FDD) arrangement) will enable deployment of an effective PSMB capability, with headroom to accommodate future needs (assuming cellular density is dimensioned proportional to the level of radio traffic within a given area).

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There are two other key reasons for this decision:

1. The evidence gathered by the PSMBSC makes a case for 5 MHz of paired spectrum. In fact, the ACMA’s analysis showed that 3 + 3 MHz would be sufficient to serve day-to-day and pre-planned traffic. However, 5 + 5 MHz would give headroom for future expansion. Given the nature of LTE technology (described in section 3.6.1), it is likely that the ACMA will plan the 800 MHz band in 5 MHz blocks. There was not sufficient justification for an additional 5 MHz of paired spectrum, particularly noting the additional mechanisms (described above) available to PSAs to meet their data demand.

2. The value to the wider Australian community that would be derived from allocating premium 800 MHz spectrum to alternate uses is expected to greatly exceed that which would be derived from providing spectrum additional to the 5 + 5 MHz being provided for PSMB. The frequencies being replanned are 3GPP-standardised and lower-adjacent to existing commercial mobile broadband spectrum (in the current 850 MHz band—the replanning is consistent with what is globally known as the ‘850 expansion’).

3.3.1 Technical analysisAs described above, when the ACMA undertook its analysis of the spectrum requirements for PSMB, it considered all of the evidence that had been provided by members of the PSMBSC. As much of this information has not been made publicly available, it is not possible to provide all of the ACMA’s calculations here. However, full details will be made available to the PSMBSC separately. This section provides an overview of these considerations to the extent permissible.

The project work commissioned by the PSMBSC resulted in a range of spectrum estimates needed to support a range of scenarios. In reviewing these recommendations and supporting calculations, the ACMA considered that it was appropriate to consider the spectrum requirements for day-to-day and planned event demand profiles, but not others that might arise from a rapid deployment or in a remote area. The reasons for not considering more demand profiles were:

> Scenarios occurring in remote areas are generally outside of fixed-coverage areas, and require less bandwidth than that required for a combination of planned event and day-to-day traffic. As a result, the spectrum requirements to support this type of operation would be accounted for within the spectrum provided.

> The large-scale, rapid deployment scenarios considered in the process were dimensioned around ‘worst case’ events and were included to place an upper limit on the amount of demand that might occur on rare occasions. As noted above, the ACMA did not consider it appropriate to provide high value spectrum for rare contingencies such as this, noting that there are/will be other means available to PSAs for serving large amounts of highly-concentrated and localised traffic (including 4.9 GHz; deployment of COWs if needed and the potential for increased use of commercial services).

> Furthermore, the Radiocommunications Act makes special provisions for access to additional spectrum in extreme circumstances, such as a major terrorist attack on Australian soil.

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The ACMA’s analysis of the validity of the key assumptions made in the spectrum quantification studies commissioned by the PSMBSC identified a number of instances where small numerical variations could translate to an over-estimation of the minimum required channel bandwidth to meet PSA data requirements. Such assumptions included:

> Maximum cell radius. This significantly influenced the spectrum quantum calculations. A simple numerical round-up of assumed cell radius increased the spectrum requirement so that it moved into the next highest LTE bandwidth profile (from 3 + 3 MHz to 5 + 5 MHz). In these cases, recalculating with the actual (unrounded) cell size reduced the required bandwidth to 3 + 3 MHz. Furthermore, given that the cell radius was dimensioned on a minimum user throughput/capacity model, rounding up the maximum cell radius in this way would actually result in a significant proportion of the cell not meeting the minimum data rate design requirement in the uplink, as well as significantly reducing the overall network capacity.

> The assumed antenna height for an LTE base station was more representative of land-mobile type networks than cellular networks. A recalculation based on a more likely height figure had an impact on the bandwidth requirement.

> There was a question of whether or not dedicated spectrum would need to be provided for COWs, so that they could operate on separate frequencies to the fixed PSMB network when needed. In other words, the fixed network would operate on a given frequency bandwidth and a separate bandwidth would be reserved for when COWs were to be deployed. The ACMA did not consider it appropriate to make a separate provision of spectrum for COWs, for a number of reasons:

> LTE is a self-optimising radio access technology, which employs single frequency reuse. This means that a ‘new’ cell (or a COW, as the case may be) can be inserted into the network on the same frequencies as the rest of the network. While this will change where the cell edges occur within the coverage area, the minimum throughput required at the cell edges will not be compromised. In simple terms, the results of inserting a COW into a macro network using single-frequency reuse would be:

> increasing the capacity around the COW

> some throughput degradation in some areas of the existing macro network, as the cell edges are reorganised. However, the throughput at the cell edge will still meet or exceed the minimum design requirement

> maintaining at least the minimum required throughput of the entire area, while increasing data throughput around the COW where the additional capacity is needed (e.g., in response to an emergency).

> Preplanning and optimisation of the co-frequency use of COWs within the permanent PSMB network will reduce the effect of inter-cell-interference during planned event deployments.

> When such preplanning is not possible, LTE base stations self-optimise to the extent that additional capacity is increased where needed, albeit not necessarily to the level of efficiency that pre-optimisation would afford.

> Dedicated spectrum to support COWs deployments for day-to-day or pre-planned use would necessitate a large increase in the spectrum requirement for PSMB, which—when weighed against the abovementioned mitigating factors (and excluding other economic arguments)—would not constitute an efficient use of spectrum.

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> Analysis also suggested that the efficiency of use of the spectrum provided would depend on the amount of intended geographic coverage. The coverage committed to by some jurisdictions in the NIP would require 3 + 3 MHz. However, some jurisdictions have long-term intentions to cover areas for which 5 + 5 MHz is more appropriate.

The LTE standard provides for infill of base station infrastructure to increase the density of the network topology. With increased density comes increased capacity, but also increased deployment costs. Conversely, increasing the spectrum bandwidth will increase the capacity within the coverage area, without the need for infrastructure infill. The downside of this latter option is that radiofrequency spectrum, especially in mobile phone bands below 1 GHz, is extremely rare and therefore highly valuable. This necessitates a balance between spectrum provided for PSA use and capex outlay by PSAs to meet their capacity requirements.

The quantum of spectrum that the ACMA has decided to set aside for PSMB is what will be necessary to deploy and expand the capability, based on the demand requirements at any given location within the intended coverage area. However, it would be neither technically or economically efficient for the ACMA to provide spectrum over and above this amount to account for ‘thin’ network topologies (wide-area cells, supported by minimal base infrastructure to save on costs) in making that decision. The cost incurred by deploying additional infrastructure that could be saved if such additional spectrum were to be provided needs to be balanced against the overall value of this additional spectrum. This is consistent with the ‘economy-wide perspective’ that the ACMA must take in making decisions on spectrum.

There are also technical reasons for favouring a denser network topology. Dimensioning for coverage in a cellular topology is typically limited by the available throughput in the uplink. A key point of difference between the requirements of PSAs and commercial network users is that the PSMB network is likely to have a much higher percentage of traffic in the uplink than would be on a commercial network. Dimensioning for capacity in a reasonably high-density network is better suited to this type of scenario.

Conversely, in order to meet even the minimum uplink throughput requirement in a low density network by increasing the spectrum provision to offset infrastructure costs, a non-standard network might need to be implemented (including higher power mobile devices and higher elevation base station antennas). From a spectrum planning perspective, this would have implications on the types of other non-public safety systems that might be able to be deployed on adjacent frequencies in the band—subject to outcomes of the ACMA’s review of the 803–960 MHz band—and potentially reduce the utility of the band for other services.

As discussed above, applying more precise parameter values to the calculations made in the reports delivered to the PSMBSC reduced the bandwidth required for PSMB to a minimum of 3 + 3 MHz for day-to-day and pre-planned traffic. However, to realise the benefits afforded by the adoption of standardised technologies, the ACMA prefers to plan mobile spectrum in pairs of 5 MHz blocks. It has been decided that 5 + 5 MHz will be provided for PSMB.

As well as providing some headroom, this will enable initial deployment of networks that are dimensioned for coverage, so that additional infrastructure (infill and expansion) can be added over time for increased capacity and improved coverage. The data demand that the analysis was based on was projected out to 2020. However, given the exponential growth in mobile data demand in the commercial sector, there is no reason not to suggest that data demand on the PSMB network will continue to rise beyond 2020. Given the highly adaptable, self-optimising nature of LTE, PSAs will be able to deploy additional infrastructure to meet this demand as it increases over time.

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3.4 Public safety use of the 4.9 GHz bandThe ACMA’s work on provisioning spectrum for PSAs from the 4.9 GHz band is the subject of a separate discussion paper. An overview of the utility of the band is provided here.

The 4.9 GHz band has been planned for use by PSAs in a number of countries, in particular the US and Canada. It was identified for PPDR use in ITU-R Regions 2 and 3 (Americas and Asia-Pacific respectively) by WRC–03 Resolution 646.

The proposed technical arrangements for the band in Australia are harmonised with international arrangements. As a result, Australian PSAs will be able to leverage an existing international market for 4.9 GHz band PSA equipment and have the ability to use off-the-shelf equipment in the band.

The 4.9 GHz band is intended to either complement other dedicated public safety and commercial options or be utilised for stand-alone systems. The expected primary use of the band is to support mobile and point-to-multipoint applications, especially in situations where there is a localised spike in data demand. The 4.9 GHz band is capable of supporting extremely high data throughput over short propagation distances. This makes it ideal for use in situations where there is locally-concentrated demand around an incident site.

The ability to deploy a 4.9 GHz solution in response to large scale incidents will help mitigate the large strain that would otherwise be placed on cellular broadband networks (800 MHz PSMB or commercial) by potentially increasing the local capacity by an order of magnitude within the affected cell(s). There are a number of other ways that use of the 4.9 GHz band could complement the PSMB network, as well as a range of stand-alone applications where very wide bandwidths are required. Potential applications that might be supported in the 4.9 GHz band include:

> data offload for the PSMB network (where devices automatically connect to local, high-capacity Wi-Fi services in areas of high activity)

> broadband wireless access (BWA) networks to provide high data rate services to nomadic and mobile terminals from a network of fixed infrastructure locations

> stand alone local area networks (LANs), such as deployable command support systems or ‘Incident Area Networks’ (IANs)

> temporary fixed links

> ad-hoc mobile mesh networks (for remote out-of-coverage areas where deployment of transportable base stations is not possible)

> transfer of multiple video streams, and/or other sensor data (unlike a cellular broadband network the 4.9 GHz band can simultaneously handle many streams) to a local collection point

> downlinking video and other sensor data from manned or unmanned airborne platforms.

There are several candidate technologies that may be deployed to provide a PSA network in the 4.9 GHz band. Three such example technologies include (but are not limited to) Wi-Fi, WiMAX and LTE. These technologies have characteristics that may be favourable for a public safety network, such as:

> internationally standardised in the 4.9 GHz band (except LTE)

> public safety-specified equipment available off-the-shelf (except LTE)

> capable of providing high-speed data

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> spectrally efficient

> proven performance through extensive commercial use.

Similarly, there are a number of network topologies that could be deployed in the band, to provide highly localised to wide-area coverage to mobile or static users. These might include:

> one or more ad-hoc RLANs around an incident or event

> mesh networks

> fixed BWA networks

> temporary high-capacity links (e.g., remote video surveillance)

> high-capacity cellular networks.

3.5 Licensing options3.5.1 Licensing of PSMB in the 800 MHz bandFeedback from the PSMBSC is that deployment of networks using the spectrum provided will be phased in over a number of years, and that coverage will not be extended to all populated areas. To that end, it would be inappropriate for incumbent users of this spectrum to be displaced in geographic areas where there is not yet or will not be any dedicated PSMB coverage.

With this in mind, the ACMA will implement an area-based apparatus licensing regime to authorise access to this spectrum for PSMB purposes. In areas where PSAs undertake to provide PSMB coverage, the ACMA will provide incumbent licensees two years notice to cease operation on these frequencies. According to implementation time frames outlined in the NIP, access to spectrum could be required in some areas as early as 2015. Incumbent users of these frequencies (when known) will be provided with advice to this effect.

3.5.2 Licensing of the 4.9 GHz bandThe ACMA has formed the view that a class-licensing arrangement is the best option for providing a public safety capability in the 4.9 GHz band. Authorised users will have access to the entire 50 MHz of the 4.9 GHz band on a shared, non-exclusive basis, nationwide.

Class licensing of the 4.9 GHz band will increase technology and deployment flexibility, while reducing administrative burden to both the ACMA and PSAs. However, this will come at the cost of reduced awareness of band usage by other permitted users, and PSAs will need to develop self-coordination mechanisms to avoid contention/mutual interference.

A class licensing regime for the 4.9 GHz band is the subject of a separate ACMA discussion paper.

3.6 Key mobile broadband standards3.6.1 LTE (800 MHz)LTE technology is primarily being used in the deployment of next (fourth) generation mobile broadband networks. LTE is an evolution of earlier cellular technologies UMTS and HSPA and conforms to the 3GPP TS 36.xxx series of standards. Like WiMAX it utilises advanced features such as orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) in the downlink6 and multiple input/multiple output (MIMO), which enable efficient resource allocation and increased data rates. LTE is also available in both frequency division and time division duplexing modes for flexibility to be used in either paired or unpaired spectrum.

6 LTE employs SC-FDMA for the uplink.

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Standard LTE channel bandwidths are 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz. Although they are yet to be decided, the specific frequencies for PSMB in the 800 MHz band will be aligned with 3GPP standards for LTE, and will conform to either 3GPP Band 26 and/or Band 27 (see list of 3GPP bands applicable to the 800 MHz band in Table 3.6).

Table 3.6 3GPP Bands applicable to the Australian 800 MHz band

Band Uplink(base receive)

Downlink(base transmit)

Band 5 824–849 MHz 869–894 MHz

Band 18 815–830 MHz 860–875 MHz

Band 19 830–845 MHz 875–890 MHz

Band 26 814–849 MHz 859–894 MHz

Band 27 807–824 MHz 852–869 MHz

3.6.2 Wi-Fi (4.9 GHz)Wi-Fi technology is generally designed and optimised for LANs, with equipment densely deployed worldwide in devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers and wireless routers. IEEE 802.11 is the applicable standard for Wi-Fi equipment. IEEE 802.11 has undergone various updates since its initial release in 1997, which have introduced new categories of devices with the intention of improving efficiency, reliability and data rates. The current version of the Wi-Fi standard is IEEE 802.11-2012 that includes various amendments to the previous standard IEEE 802.11-2007. One such amendment was IEEE 802.11n, which introduced features such as 40 MHz channel bandwidths and MIMO enabling increased data throughput rates.

Wi-Fi equipment typically operates in industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) bands such as 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz, where users operate on any uncoordinated basis. Such arrangements may not be favourable for public safety applications, where high availability is often required and contention with other users may result in a degradation of operational capability. There are also less common bands available for Wi-Fi such as the 3650 MHz band in the US and the 4.9 GHz band in Japan, which is used for commercial networks.

Various manufacturers are currently marketing COTS 4.9 GHz band Wi-Fi equipment made specifically for PSA use and conforms with both the high and low power FCC requirements for the band. There is also an increasing range of multi-band equipment being produced that supports both commercial bands (such as 2.4, 5.4 and 5.8 GHz) as well as the 4.9 GHz band.

3.6.3 WiMAX (4.9 GHz)WiMAX technology is generally used for the deployment of fixed BWA networks, but can also be used for mobile broadband applications. WiMAX equipment is certified by the WiMAX Forum, which includes compliance to the IEEE 802.16 standard.

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Amendments to IEEE 802.16 have introduced enhancements such as inter-cell hand over, improved quality of service and MIMO. Mobile WiMAX (also known as 802.16e WiMAX) utilises OFDMA, which assigns subsets of the OFDM subcarriers to individual users. This allows access for multiple users at the same instant of time using different frequency blocks. This enhances efficient resource allocation, enables an n=1 frequency reuse (which means that all of the available frequencies can be used at any given location—very efficient), and is claimed to improve spectral efficiency over OFDM technologies that only facilitate multiple access through time division multiplexing, such as Wi-Fi.

WiMAX equipment specifically for PSA use in the 4.9 GHz band is currently available on the market with a number of suppliers offering off-the-shelf products. This equipment is typically designed to comply with the FCC’s technical conditions for access to the 4.9 GHz band (and by extension, will meet Australia’s requirements for access to this band. This is the subject of a separate ACMA consultation process).

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