New York City will spend $500 million on a wireless data network for emergency services following complaints that authorities had trouble communicating with each other when responding to the Sept. 11 attacks. Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) Paul Cosgrave, today announced the selection of the Northrop Grumman to create the Citywide Mobile Wireless Network (RFP) for public safety personnel and other City agencies.

Northrop Grumman will build the high-speed network, which will let police and firefighters quickly share and access information like anti-terrorism databases, fingerprints, mug shots, maps and video.

The network is intended to deliver secure, high-speed voice, data and video, including:

• Transmission of large database files including building designs, construction, and floorplan information from automated computer-aided dispatch systems. Such files also could include fingerprints, criminal records, and mug shots.
• Transmission of full-motion streaming video
• Monitoring of biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological materials
• Control of traffic signals via wireless commands
• Capabilities for automated vehicle location
• Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) functionality with guaranteed quality of service

“One of the most important lessons learned from the Sept. 11th attacks was that our emergency responders need better access to information and clearer lines of communication in the field,” Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement announcing the contract. Bloomberg said the high-speed wireless data network is expected to be operating in Lower Manhattan by January 2007 and citywide by early 2008.

The New York City broadband wireless network will use the UMTS (3G) gear from IPWireless (below). IP Wireless uses a TD-CDMA system (generally in a 5 MHz channel) with CDMA modulation.

UMTS TD-CDMA Mobile Broadband Technology, which was passed over by Sprint for Mobile WiMAX, allows cells to be larger than that of typical cellular / PCS systems, or alternatively similar size with greater building penetration probability. Cell radius will depend upon deployment strategy, but can be as small as a microcell or as large as 29km.

IPWireless’ current product line is optimized for data rate of up to 16 Mbps carrying Internet Protocol (IP) traffic for Internet access and other mobile, portable and fixed data applications. Northrop says this technology will deliver broadband mobility, high capacity, reliability, and scalability for the fail-safe requirements of the program.

The IP Wireless system can operate in either a single 5 MHz channel, a 10 MHz channel, or in pairs of 5MHz or 10MHz channels, with development underway for 15MHz and 20MHz channels. IPWireless has commercial product currently in production for the following bands including; 450 – 480 MHz, 850 – 900 MHz, 1900 – 1920 MHz (IMT-2000 3G band), 2010 – 2025 MHz (IMT-2000 3G band), 2053 – 2082 MHz, 2500 – 2690 MHz (BRS band in US), 3400 – 3600 MHz (international FWA band) and 700 MHz (new US band).

IPWireless’ says operators can deploy a network throughout a city with only one 5 MHz RF channel. General contractor Northrop Grumman is a global defense company headquartered in Los Angeles. It has more than 120,000 employees, with operations in all 50 states and 25 countries.

Earlier this year, Mayor Bloomberg announced a comprehensive plan to improve the City’s telecommunications infrastructure and spur the growth of new telecommunications businesses in the City. Telecommunications and Economic Development in New York City: A Plan for Action (pdf), recommends 21 specific initiatives the City should undertake over the next two to five years, many in cooperation with the State and the private sector.

One of the major recommendations of the plan is for the City to work with existing private broadband and telecom providers to pilot innovative ways to deploy broadband services to all areas of the five boroughs and educate businesses about the potential uses of broadband technology.

Related DailyWireless articles include Sprint: It’s WiMAX!, New Mobile TV Flavor: TDtv, IPWireless Mobile Gateway, Central Park Poop, Virtual tour of New York, Adaptix to NYC, and NYC Cloud Proposed.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Tuesday, September 12th, 2006 at 9:22 am.