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Public Service Bands

At the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) convention in Denver this week, vendors of wireless gear rolled out their latest and greatest, touting the benefits of the 4.9 GHz public safety band.

New players in this band include Alvarion, which launched their BreezeACCESS 4900, an extension of its wireless broadband platform using the 4.9GHz frequency band and Proxim’s ORiNOCO AP-4000M and AP-4900M which feature dual access points with integrated 4.9 Ghz and mesh.

Other vendors included Motorola’s MEA Mesh, PacketHop, Tropos 4.9 GHz gear, and Cisco’s 4.9GHz gear. The National Association of Regional Planning Committees (NARPC), promotes public safety initiatives nationwide.

Products for the 4.9 GHz public safety band announced this week include:

Alvarion’s BreezeACCESS 4900 offers remote video surveillance, traffic flow management, back-up for disaster recovery, leased line replacement and various forms of backhaul. It is scheduled to be commercially available in the fourth quarter of this year. Taking advantage of OFDM technology, BreezeACCESS 4900 enables high-capacity, non-line-of-sight connections. It offers a comprehensive solution for public safety agencies, including broadband connectivity in vehicles when combined with Alvarion’s BreezeACCESS 900 system. Point-to-multipoint access, point-to-point backhauling and point-to-multipoint backhauling of other vendors’ devices such as sensors, cameras and traffic systems are available.
BreezeACCESS 4900 is FIPS-197 certified and employs federally approved AES encryption. Also featuring advanced quality of service (QoS), critical traffic prioritization and VoIP mechanisms, BreezeACCESS 4900 combines the provision of data, voice and video services all in real time.
Proxim’s new ORiNOCO AP-4000M and AP-4900M feature dual radio mesh technology, wireless backhaul, built in support for the 4.9 GHz public safety spectrum as well as planning and management features.Proxim s ORiNOCO AP-4000M (pdf), available now, enables municipal network managers to simplify Wi-Fi deployment for their broadband citywide networks using mesh technology, with Proxim s Tsunami MP.11 for backhaul. The dual-radio mesh component within the AP-4000M allows creation of self-forming and self-healing non-line of site (NLOS) mesh networks with voice and video capability. If a mesh link becomes obstructed, client traffic is dynamically re-routed, ensuring uninterrupted video streams and voice calls.
Proxim s AP-4900M (pdf), scheduled to begin shipping in September, will be the first enterprise-class dual-radio 4.9 GHz public safety access point available on the market. It offers simultaneous 4.9 GHz public safety and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi with dual radio access points and mesh networking.
Using the ORiNOCO Mesh Creation Protocol (OMCP), the AP-4900 may also be deployed in vehicles to allow continuous communication with AP-4900Ms, mounted in nearby locations.

Licensing on the public service 4.9 GHz band is based on what is called a jurisdictional licensing scheme . This interprets as any eligible agency may obtain a license that covers their legal jurisdictional area of operation. Coordination is not required to obtain a license.

A maximum Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of up 16W can be used at 4.9 GHz. There are 18 channels which are aggregated for channel bandwidths of 1, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz. Channels 1 5 and 15-18 are 1 MHz channels and 6-14 are 5 MHz channels. Power limits vary from 20 dBm to 33 dBm depending on bandwidth.

NOTE: An alert reader (comments below), says the FCC has adopted new 4.9 GHz emission masks (pdf) one for high power operations (the DSRC-C mask), and one for low power operations (the DSRC-A mask). The FCC also reaffirms their decisions in the Third R&O not to adopt a technology standard, and not to make regional planning mandatory in the 4.9 GHz band. The 802.11 chipsets are apparently allowed 20 dBm.

APCO’s Automated Frequency Coordination provides spectrum and licensing related services to the public safety field. AFC is the premier frequency coordinator supporting public safety agencies to meet their FCC licensing requirements.

The FCC allocated 50 MHz of spectrum in the 4940-4990 MHz band (4.9 GHz band) for fixed and mobile use in support of public safety. To enable cheaper radio gear, it used a “tweaked” 802.11 standard that includes the functionality of Wi-Fi. The licensed band enables higher power levels but the effective distance of this band is limited by its higher frequency.

Tropos 4.9 GHz gear (pdf, above), and Cisco’s 4.9GHz gear are players in this band. The problem with 4.9 is that it only goes about 100 feet. Line of sight, point-to-point links can go much further, of course.

Motorola’s MEA Mesh, PacketHop, and others try to get around that limitation by using mesh clients that relay communications through multiple nearby radios. The band can also relay video from remote locations (with a line of sight connection), such as airborne video links. Motorola is promoting an Intelligent Video Surveillance and Control solution shich will ride over Motorola s 4.9 GHz mesh network. A bare bones system designed for a small security force runs $150,000 to $200,000.

Providence, R.I. is creating a $2.3 million mesh network using Motorola gear. In total, between 400 and 500 antennas are planned before the network goes live early next year. The city received funding from DHS, as well as the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, housed at the U.S. Department of Justice.

WiMAX can cover kilometers per sector, instead of just meters, of course. “When it does roll out, it may change the way we do [the] backhaul,” according to Charlie Hewitt, Providence’s chief information officer.

Public Safety organizations are calling for Congress to provide 700 Mhz spectrum to help first responders.

“It is a life or death issue,” said Harold Hurtt, Houston Chief of Police and President of Major Cities Chiefs, an organization that represents 63 of the nation’s largest police organizations. Hurtt made his comments in a video interview distributed during the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International 71st annual convention in Denver.

Hurtt said many of the nation’s 63 largest police departments cannot access this spectrum because a small number of television stations are still using the airwaves. He called for the completion of the transition to Digital Television by December 31, 2006 [pretty much a lost cause by now].

In 1997, Congress and the Federal Communications Commission passed legislation that allocated 24 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band for state and local public safety organizations (above). The allocation was tied to the transition to Digital Television, which would remove television stations from these airwaves. However, Congress did not set a firm date for this transition to be completed.

The Spectrum Coalition for Public Safety is their lobby organization. “The Homeland Security and Justice departments must make a case for reallocating the remaining 30 MHz from commercial use to serve federal, state and local government needs and critical infrastructure requirements for homeland security and defense.

“Our need for spectrum access is greatest in urban areas,” Hurtt added. “Broadcasters are preventing access by public safety agencies that serve more than half of America’s population. The most frustrating part is that broadcasters, because of the lack of a firm date for clearing the spectrum, can continue to block public safety’s access to this spectrum indefinitely.”

Of course, commercial interests (and consumers), may have a different take.

Public service users are already getting Nextel’s old 700, 800 and 900 Mhz frequencies — free — thanks to the Consensus Plan (above). And they’ve got 24 Mhz — free — on the the 700 Mhz band (below), once broadcasters move out. Congress may not be enamored with giving public service users more — especially $24 billion worth of prime, water-front real estate at 700 MHz that could serve everyone.

Senator John McCain led a charge on behalf of public safety users with his SAVE LIVES bill, S. 1268 (which has Intel’s support). McCain said obtaining additional spectrum is essential to providing police, fire and emergency personnel the tools to communicate with one another. They can’t use their 24Mhz at 700 until broadcasters move their collective butts off the property.

Tom Ridge, former head of Homeland Security, this week told public safety officials that interoperable communications networks and cooperation among agencies were essential to combating terrorism.

Ridge, speaking at the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) convention, said a number of states have made progress toward interoperable public safety communication but that work still needs to be done.

Ridge, who retired in February, said shortly after he took office his department did a survey of states asking them what their top priority was to improve their public safety in an age of terrorism. Ridge said the No.1 choice by the states was for interoperable public safety communications.

The federal government has allocated $10.9 billion to date for first responder agencies to improve their equipment and training as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s grants initiatives. President George Bush has requested a total of $41.1 billion for 2006 for the Department of Homeland Security. This request includes a total of $4 billion for state and local assistance programs. The conference of Mayors says cities under 100,000 need an average of $4.7 million in interoperable funding to achieve full interoperability; $5.4 million on average for cities of 100,001 to 400,000; and $30 million on average for cities over 400,000.

The FCC has also set aside 75 megahertz of spectrum for the short-range Intelligent Transportation Systems. The frequency band will allow data communications between vehicles traveling at highway speeds and roadside terminals, said Nancy Zaczek of the FCC’s Wireless Bureau.

The 5.9 GHz ITS Band (5.850-5.925 GHz) for Dedicated Short Range Communications will be dedicated for public-safety applications, such as automatic activation of traffic lights by emergency vehicles, as well as expanding wireless payment from current roadway tolls to food or fuel purchases, are possible.

5.1 - 5.9 GHz High Gain Antennas and chips for both ITS system and unlicensed wireless LAN coverage will be common. Cars and trucks can use Atheros 5.9 Ghz chips while consumers can use Athero’s Wi-Fi chips. Combined Cellular, PCS, GPS and Wi-Fi/ITS antennas will happen. Automotive RFID is now getting underway. The Federal Highway Administration is awarding a contract to develop a 5.9 GHz RFID system “to cut road fatalities in the U.S. by 50%”.

The SAFECOM Program, a joint initiative of the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury, brought together officials from local, state, federal, and tribal governments to improve wireless interoperability. Project 25 radios are a key part of the program.

FEMA and Homeland Security need interoperability to communicate and Project 25 radios (recent contracts), are supposed to provide at least some interoperability between agencies. But the radios are mainly designed for voice communications. Downloading maps, charts, photos and video would require wireless broadband. When you’re talking multi-point broadband wireless these days, you’re talking cellular EV-DO/HSPDA, WiMax or Flarion (with WiFi in the local area).

Here are some grant resouces for those in public service:

Grants.gov is the single access point for over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies. Click above for more information.
COPS Interoperable Communications Technology Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. It provides equipment funding to law enforcement agencies to enhance multi-jurisdictional public safety interoperable communications and information sharing across the nation.
SAFECOM Grant Guidelines Lists dozens of other granting agencies and contains general grant criteria that has been developed in concert with representatives of the public safety community.