UK Spectrum Policy Forum Ross Macindoe, Head of Future Networks, Airwave Solutions Ltd Mission Critical Communications See more at: http://www.techuk.org/about/uk-spectrum-policy-forum All Rights Reserved

1. Mission Critical
Communications
Presented by: Ross Macindoe Head of Future Networks
Date: 11th December 20013

2. About Airwave
Airwave provides the world’s largest, fully operational, dedicated, mobile
communications network for public safety professionals.
Dedicated Service
Catalyst for change
Tried. Tested. Trusted.

3. Emergency services will always require
mission critical communications
1
3
The emergency services
address situations where
human life and other values
for society are at risk,
especially when time is a
vital factor.1
1
2
Every six minutes the
emergency button is
pressed in Great Britain.
Today voice.
In the
future it will be voice and
broadband data.
Drawn from Law Enforcement Working Party (LEWP)

4. Events happen ever day

5. Events happen everywhere

6. Events can rapidly change

7. So what best defines mission
critical communications?
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2
3
Emergency button
Fast call set-up. Very high
availability and reliability
In the future mission critical
data will have
a similar requirement.
Everyday service driven by
critical need and not just
commercial priorities

8. So what is changing?
1
2
3
Growing availability of rich
information is needed to
drive front line decision
making, supporting
efficiency, effectiveness
and transformation.
Future data services will
become increasingly
mission critical as
operational practices
change to take advantage
of information services.
Future voice and data
services will need to be on
a single network to meet
the affordability challenge.

9. So how could mission critical
communication services be delivered in
the future?
1
Commercial mobile
communications services
will standardise on LTE/4G
technology.
3
2
Whilst the technology is
reasonably certain. The
services could potentially
be delivered via a range of
network topologies.
Commercial only
Dedicated only
A blend of the above
Mission critical
communication services
will undoubtedly follow that
trend.

10. But public safety have
specific service requirements
1
2
3
A commercial network is
managed to provide
services to high volume
consumer and business
markets.
A dedicated network is
likely to have affordability
challenges.
But a blend of both could
meet the mission critical
communication requirements
at an affordable price

11. A dedicated service delivered
by a hybrid network topology
Combine this with a dedicated
core to ensure mission critical
QoS
Enhanced coverage and
resilience, where required, to
ensure availability where and
when you need it
Leverage the extensive
commercial networks
coverage
Dedicated LTE
Dedicated & Commercial LTE
Commercial LTE

12. Spectrum provides the
emergency services with choice
Sufficient Allocated and Harmonised Spectrum?
YES
GOGO
GOCO
Government Owned
Government Owned
Government Operated Company Operated
Spectrum allocated
Spectrum allocated
COCO
Company Owned
Company Operated
Spectrum allocated
Mission Critical Operations possible
NO
COCO
Company Owned
Company Operated
Spectrum from auction,
Plus allocated spectrum
MNO
Mobile
Network Operator
Spectrum from auction –
No conditions
Commercially Prioritised Service

13. Spectrum provides the
emergency services with choice
1
2
Prioritised?
Prioritised?
>20,000,000 customers vs
300,000 public safety users.
Who and what decides when an
escalating incident becomes a
priority?
3
Harmonised and owned
spectrum is the best
answer to guarantee the
high levels of service
required by the public
safety users

14. Industry standards will also be key
1
2
3
LTE hooks to provide
mission critical group
voice capability.
Scalable and standardised
mission critical voice
application.
LTE standards and spectrum to
support direct mode operation
and Ground Air Ground

15. But it’s not about the technology,
it’s all about the service
Supporting a dynamic response
to unplanned events.

16. But it’s not about the technology,
it’s all about the service
Expertise that mirrors
emergency services’
operational process
for planned event
management.

17. Emergency services will always require
mission critical communications
1
2
3
Today it is voice. In the future it
will be voice and broadband
data.
Dedicated service
management and a
blended network is the
best option to deliver
the future service.
Spectrum will provide the
bargaining chip.
Transition needs to be
seamless.
The brave new world needs to be ready to accept the challenge.