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Digital sensor network to monitor air traffic at vertiports

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1100

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the first passengers in Europe will be transported by air taxis, with air travel companies planning to equip Olympic venues with electrical vertical take-off and landing systems (eVTOLs) to transport visitors to events directly from the airport. Initially, these drone systems will be piloted by a human, with one passenger per taxi; in the coming years, they could be piloted autonomously. An important aspect of this concept is the safety of the vertiports used for launching and landing eVTOLs, which will be integrated into roofs, train stations, parking lots and other urban structures.

Researchers at Fraunhofer FHR aimed to tackle an important part of the safety of the new drone stops by equipping them with a modular, fully digital sensor network including a radar sensor. The network can be adapted to the size of each vertiport and uses both active and passive sensors with fully autonomous functionality, linking to each other and collectively sensing the port.

“The nodes are fully digital, and each sensor in the network functions entirely autonomously,” explained Oliver Biallawons, a scientist at Fraunhofer FHR. “The sensors aren’t coordinated by a central computer unit; they network themselves. They are able to independently localise and organise themselves. Based on the principle of edge computing, each sensor has its own computer unit and can detect the location of other sensors in the network.”

The job of sending and receiving is shared between the individual sensors, which coordinate with each other. The decentralised active and passive sensors are installed on the ground and work together to sense the entire take-off and landing pad as well as the airspace above it. The network decides which sensor to operate in active (sending and receiving) and passive (receiving only) mode as required. The more sensors in the network, the greater the area that can be monitored. Even if a sensor or radar node is added or removed, the radar network can continue to function flawlessly.

The key to the network’s autonomous organisation and decentralised processing is the connection between the individual nodes via wireless communication channels integrated into the radar signal. By integrating the network communication in the radar signal, the signal can be seamlessly integrated into future telecommunications infrastructures. This represents an important milestone on the path toward merging fully fledged radar and telecommunications, according to Biallawons.

“We are integrating the communication signal into the radar waves instead of using separate channels for radar and communication,” he said.

Another key feature of the so-called Civil Drone Systems (CDS) Network is that, in contrast to test monitoring systems based on mobile radio, the system is able to detect eVTOLs that don’t have a communication device such as a chip or tag. With the addition of AI, the safety solution can not only detect obstacles that block incoming or outgoing flight paths but also classify them. This means that it is able to classify objects such as trees, birds and drones. The radar network can even recognise the size of a drone and how many rotors it has.

“As urbanisation continues to progress, we expect at some point to see transport systems take to the air, too,” Biallawons said. “This can only be achieved with the help of sophisticated safety systems, such as our modular, resilient network of low-radiation, communicating radar nodes, which can achieve flawless take-off and landing.”

Image ©Fraunhofer FHR/Andreas Schoeps

ARCIA update: LMR is not dead yet

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1100

ARCIA received great feedback from our activities in 2023 and we hope to continue building on this for the year ahead, with not only networking events set for Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, but conferences in a few of these states, along with our networking dinners, ensuring there is variety and something for all of our members to participate in.

Make sure you check out https://arcia.org.au/events/ for our plans as they currently sit, with more being added as we move through the year, and remember to make space in your calendar for what fits in with your plans and your team’s needs.

This year will see a continued focus on critical communications at our conferences (Perth on 14 March, Sydney on 30 May and Brisbane on 25 July) and how it’s applied by various market sectors. Be it mining, rail, public safety, transport or utilities, everyone is embracing new technology that makes sense, and ARCIA is actively involved in promoting both LMR and broadband technologies.

Our promotion of broadband technologies does not mean that LMR is losing appeal around the globe; it is more that the sector is evolving. While we have been told continuously over the last decade that 4G/5G-based technologies will replace LMR, this is not yet the case and is unlikely to be for some time to come.

With the recent major cellular outages in Australia and the USA, it’s worth remembering that in many circumstances, having dual connectivity options has major benefits. All technology is subject to failure, sometimes in a minor fashion and sometimes in a spectacular way that makes headlines. Nevertheless, planning for this has never been more important, and providing critical users with agile systems that can continue to perform, even with reduced features or capacity during major events, is easier than ever before.

There are clearly different factors to consider for industry sectors and user groups, but I think we can safely say that LMR is here for the foreseeable future as we continue to see major investments for private, public and indeed country-wide networks around the globe.

Since our last update the committee has held our annual planning day in Melbourne, at which we were lucky to have 18 attendees from around Australia, all contributing to the year ahead and how we seek to improve the benefits we offer members and partners alike. We are very fortunate to have so many committed people and businesses who give their time and money for this vital day and we are extremely grateful to them all.

On a personal note, and with it in mind that it is one of ARCIA’s missions to help promote Australian manufacturing, having recently had the opportunity to visit the GME factory in Western Sydney, it was terrific to see the pride and commitment from this local team of people in all that they do. Whilst there I considered the number of times a CB radio operates a PTT, or a marine beacon is used, and the impact this is has right around Australia; it was very impressive to see. Of course, GME makes many more products than these two, but they really are a great example of how it is possible to make local manufacturing work.

Finally, we must acknowledge the fantastic support that the association is receiving from all our partners, not only in helping the association’s general goals, but also in supporting all of our events in a big way.

Hamish Duff, President, Australian Radio Communications Industry Association.

Top image credit: iStock.com/recep-bg

Navigating tomorrow: RTLS trends and projections for 2024

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The landscape of RTLS is now undergoing a transformative journey, being driven by the pressing needs of diverse industries. We’re quickly realising the solution is no longer a built-for-purpose RTLS (ie, fully custom-tailored, including the infrastructure). Rather, RTLS users require scalable solutions that support multiple use cases while offering flexible integration and customisation possibilities. This is pushing the future of the industry away from a siloed, fragmented approach towards one where compatibility and interoperability are key. I expect that’s the future of RTLS, one that’s scalable.

Let’s further delve into the key predictions shaping the evolution of RTLS in the coming year.

Interoperability

As projects involving RTLS and indoor positioning systems (IPS) transition from proof of concept to large-scale implementations, companies across various sectors are seeking a more open and flexible system. In 2024, they’re pursuing options that will not only support different use cases but also offer versatility in infrastructure.

The renewed search for flexibility is because customers often have multi-facility environments that require tracked assets to move between different types of sites, which necessitates compatible RTLS systems. For instance, an industrial customer with multiple facilities may be running platforms and technologies from different vendors, or they may be operating both indoors and outdoors. All that location data must somehow be collected and harmonised to ensure RTLS interoperability as the tracked asset moves around.

To promote interoperability, system integrators should avoid vendor locking; this means refraining from embracing proprietary offerings that are not rooted in using standardised technology. This allows for open market competition, more secure availability of the product from multiple providers and, in particular, it allows the end customer to freely choose where to acquire some of the key components, whenever it is time to maintain, replace or expand their platform.

Hence, in 2024, I imagine we will see increased adoption of RTLS systems where everything is integrated and scalable. The underlying goal is to seamlessly track and monitor goods in real time across different spaces with diverse service requirements.

Scalability

I further expect manufacturers and logistics operators will continue to shift to an RTLS system that enables seamless tracking by combining multiple technologies (GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc) under the same infrastructure or platform. This is in contrast to other highly siloed forms of asset tracking that rely on a single asset tracking technology that’s often not scalable in different environments.

For instance, GPS tracking is an already well-known technology for tracking, but it is fundamentally not scalable because it often can’t function indoors. In contrast, a small electronic device — aka a tag — attached to the asset can broadcast its location through diverse technologies like Bluetooth and radio-frequency identification (RFID). This means a tag supports multiple technologies, allowing for seamless tracking both outdoors and indoors. This all is at the core of scalability: having a solution that scales across all types of facilities, buildings and environments — a solution that can easily be built up depending on the operator’s needs.

That means 2024 will be the year for looking at the scalability costs and potential.

Digital displays

There is further room to build upon RTLS technologies in the coming year. We can look at electronic shelf labels (ESL) in grocery stores to see the possibilities, in which digital display units integrated into store shelving provide real-time electronic information about products.

Why is this relevant in the context of RTLS? Digital displays can seamlessly complement RTLS by automatically displaying real-time information like product specifications, quantity, expiration dates or information related to the process flow. Digital display dynamically updates the displayed information as assets move. In other words, ESL displays the relevant information about the product, while RTLS allows the product to be tracked.

Being able to track the location of assets while displaying the relevant information to the logistics operator is an incredibly useful tool. For example, the combination can display if the asset has arrived at the correct assembly line on time or if the goods have now been delivered at the wrong location. This impacts both the efficiency of operations, as well as reduction of direct cost by reducing the search time and avoiding logistical errors. The combination of RTLS and display tags is at the core of the digitalisation of the industrial environments.

Transport unit management

In the coming year, companies will turn to RTLS to monitor vehicle movements, locate warehouse equipment, optimise routes with data analytics and enhance overall logistics coordination. Think about logistic hubs and sprawling warehouses with many types of transport vehicles, like forklifts and roller cages. Coordinating all these units can be a hassle and inefficient, which is why there is now a move to leverage RTLS to increase production efficiency and reduce costs.

Interestingly enough, transport units used in intralogistics and cross-docking are a non-negligible operational cost; units can cost from tens to hundreds of dollars each. A midsize logistics company typically owns tens of thousands of such transport units, which are continuously circulating from the shipment to the destination point, indoors and outdoors across multiple facilities. A significant number of such units are lost, misplaced or unaccounted for every year. This is a significant cost to bear for any logistics or manufacturing company, negatively impacting their process optimisation efforts.

Final thoughts

As we gaze into the future of RTLS in 2024, it is evident that the trajectory of location technology is steering towards an era marked by adaptability, scalability and seamless operation across multiple facilities. The strides made in 2023 laid the foundation for a new way forward, driven not by a one-size-fits-all approach but by the nuanced needs of diverse industries and use cases.

*Fabio Belloni is the co-founder and Chief Customer Officer at Quuppa. He is also a member of Forbes Technology Council — a community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives.

This article was originally published on the Quuppa website and has been reproduced here with permission.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Patamaporn Umnahanant

CMOS transmitter taps into the 300 GHz band

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +1100

At present, most frequencies above the 250 GHz mark remain unallocated. Accordingly, many researchers are developing 300 GHz transmitters/receivers to capitalise on the low atmospheric absorption at these frequencies, as well as the potential for extremely high data rates that comes with it. However, high-frequency electromagnetic waves become weaker at a fast pace when travelling through free space. To combat this problem, transmitters must achieve a large effective radiated power.

While some interesting solutions have been proposed, it is challenging for a 300 GHz-band transmitter manufactured via conventional CMOS processes to simultaneously realise high output power and small chip size. Now, a research team led by Professor Kenichi Okada from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) and NTT Corporation has developed a 300 GHz-band transmitter that solves these issues through several key innovations, as outlined at this year’s IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco.

The proposed solution is a phased-array transmitter composed of 64 radiating elements which are arranged in 16 integrated circuits with four antennas each. Since the elements are arranged in three dimensions by stacking printed circuit boards (PCBs), the transmitter supports 2D beam steering. As a result, the transmitted power can be aimed both vertically and horizontally, allowing for fast beam steering and tracking receivers efficiently.

The researchers used Vivaldi antennas, which can be implemented directly on-chip and have a suitable shape and emission profile for high frequencies. Another feature of the proposed transmitter is its power amplifier (PA)-last architecture. By placing the amplification stage before the antennas, the system only needs to amplify signals that have already been conditioned and processed. This leads to higher efficiency and better amplifier performance.

The researchers also addressed some common problems that arise with conventional transistor layouts in CMOS processes, such as high gate resistance and large parasitic capacitances. They optimised their layout by adding drain paths and vias and by altering the geometry and element placing between metal layers.

“Compared to the standard transistor layout, the parasitic resistance and capacitances in the proposed transistor layout are all mitigated,” Okada said. “In turn, the transistor-gain corner frequency, which is the point where the transistor’s amplification starts to decrease at higher frequencies, was increased from 250 to 300 GHz.”

The researchers also designed and implemented a multi-stage 300 GHz power amplifier to be used with each antenna. According to Okada, excellent impedance matching between stages enabled the amplifiers to demonstrate outstanding performance.

“The proposed power amplifiers achieved a gain higher than 20 dB from 237 to 267 GHz, with a sharp cut-off frequency to suppress out-of-band undesired signals,” he said. The proposed amplifier also achieved a noise figure of 15 dB, which was evaluated by the noise measurement system in the 300 GHz band.

The proposed transmitter was tested through simulations and experiments and obtained promising results, achieving a data rate of 108 Gbps in on-PCB probe measurements — substantially higher than other state-of-the-art 300 GHz-band transmitters, the researchers noted. The transmitter also displayed remarkable area efficiency compared to other CMOS-based designs alongside low power consumption, highlighting its potential for miniaturised and power-constrained applications. According to the researchers, notable use cases could include sixth-generation (6G) wireless communications, high-resolution terahertz sensors, and human body and cell monitoring.

Image caption: Chip die micrograph.

One week on: AT&T's nationwide network outage

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Commencing on the morning of 22 February at 3 am CT, online outage monitor DownDetector started receiving reports of AT&T service issues, with the outage affecting more than 74,000 users in over 40 states when it peaked mid-morning (as this figure only represents self-reported outages, the true number of affected customers was almost certainly higher). Reportedly, the issue was so widespread that customers using other carriers thought their own networks were experiencing issues, because when they tried to connect to AT&T users, their calls and texts weren’t going through.

As with Australia’s Optus outage, the disruption prevented customers of AT&T and its discount carrier, Cricket Wireless, from making calls, texting or using the internet on their mobile phones, unless they were connected to a separate Wi-Fi network; for this reason, AT&T encouraged people to switch on the Wi-Fi calling feature on their phones until service was restored. The ability to call emergency services was even disrupted across several states — including California, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas — prompting 911 centres to urge AT&T customers to use a landline, find a mobile phone that uses a different carrier or use Wi-Fi calling. And for those without active service who were able to contact 911, their location information was not delivered to the 911 call centre, leaving responders to check this manually.

Perhaps most worryingly, the outage also affected the country’s public-safety broadband network, FirstNet, which AT&T has been building and maintaining since March 2017. This had a direct impact on some emergency services, according to Matt Zavadsky, Chief Transformation Officer at MedStar Mobile Healthcare.

“FirstNet is what most public safety agencies across the country use, because it was built to be more robust and to have more coverage and to have some features that public safety folks needed,” Zavadsky said.

“When the system went down ... area law enforcement, fire agencies, first responders all over lost connectivity with their field units. So we had to revert to radio dispatching and actually using maps and ambulances to get to calls because the mapping systems weren’t working because the cell system was down.”

In an open letter issued on 25 February, AT&T CEO John Stankey confirmed that the company’s restoration efforts had prioritised service on FirstNet, before moving on to consumers. He also claimed that “about three-quarters of our customers were able to access our network as they started their days around 5 a.m. CT” — with the remaining customers reconnected throughout the morning and the network apparently normalised by noon CT. This would, however, contradict the mid-morning peak in complaints — with AT&T’s own website only making the three-quarter claim at 10.15 am on the day in question — as well as an update confirming full service restoration at 2.10 pm, around 11 hours after the outage began. At this point, 911 lines were reportedly flooded with people making ‘test calls’, as many had been doing all day, despite emergency officials’ best efforts to discourage this.

It was speculated that the outage may have been caused by a cyber attack, with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and even the FBI saying they wished to investigate the matter further. But AT&T’s final update on the day claimed the outage was in fact “due to the application and execution of an incorrect process used while working to expand our network”, according to an initial review, and Stankey’s letter several days afterwards did not elaborate further on this rather vague explanation. Other updates from the company have stated that it is “taking steps to prevent this from happening again in the future” and issuing a portion of its customers with compensation in the form of US$5 credit — the average cost of a full day of service.

Looking at the outage from an Australian perspective, it is rather extraordinary how many parallels it has to November’s Optus outage, which begs the question: how many times must we watch this scenario play out? Interestingly, the Australian Government has just this week agreed to extend the deadline for the Optus Outage Post-Incident Review report — which was due by today — following the receipt of new information from Optus relating to its activation of network wilting, where signals from mobile towers are powered down in order for Triple Zero calls to be carried by other networks. With the government now expected to receive the report by 21 March, we can but wonder how many of the report’s findings will be applicable to AT&T and other telco companies around the world.

Image credit: iStock.com/Ivan Pantic

How MCX continued to evolve in 2023

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Over the course of 2023, Softil’s BEEHD framework, a key enabling technology behind a wide range of 3GPP MCX solutions, became something of a powerhouse in networks across the globe and was recognised by the International Critical Communications Awards (ICCAs) as the ‘Best MC-X Product of the Year’. Let’s take a closer look at other MCX happenings in 2023.

Growth of MCPTT in service

Technology is only as good as it is used. While MCPTT had been deployed for some time now (initial deployments in South Korea go back to 2018), 2023 showed definite growth in deployments. The most notable is with Southern Linc, with its Critical Linc MCPTT service being selected by Georgia’s public safety operations. As part of this deployment, Softil partners L3Harris, Catalyst Communications Technologies and AdvanceTec Industries delivered their innovative products for first responders. L3Harris XL200 radios are a game changer for the entire industry as they offer full MCPTT capability for on-network communication, combined with P25 direct mode for situations where direct mode communications are either preferred or necessary. Catalyst brought its IntelliLink LMR/MCX gateway solutions to the table, while AdvanceTec enabled vehicle-mounted MCPTT solutions. Catalyst LMR/MCX gateways and MCX dispatch solutions also made it into the FirstNet catalogue in 2023. In an entirely different part of the world, in India, BEEHD-based MCX solutions have been deployed in the latest railway project. All in all, Softil technology is now powering live MCX solutions in five networks in production spanning three continents.

Device-to-device communications

Device-to-device communication, usually called Direct Mode or D2D, is a critical element of communications for first responders. Taken for granted in LMR networks, D2D has been the Achilles heel of broadband MCX communications due to insufficient radio capabilities in 4G devices.

The 5G standard, particularly 5G-Sidelink, is a new technology that promises to close this critical gap, allowing potentially 2 km range for D2D communication on standard smartphone transmission power. 2023 became a pivotal year when MCX/MCPTT standards-based direct mode communications had been developed and demonstrated. Qualcomm, Softil and Alea joined hands to demonstrate MCX D2D communication interoperability using Qualcomm’s 5G Sidelink chipset, demonstrating device discovery and establishing group communications with multiple devices without any network connectivity between the devices. The solution was demonstrated during the ETSI MCX Plugtest #8 in October 2023 in Malaga, Spain, and later on during the TCCA CCBG meeting in Krakow, Poland, in November. Unquestionably, this was a milestone event for PSBN technologies.

MCX deployment plans pick up momentum

The year 2023 might make history as the year when most European countries declared their MCX plans. At various events during the year (observer sessions at the ETSI Plugtests, the Critical Communications World conference, the TCCA’s CCBG meeting and others), public safety organisations from several European countries — including MSB, DSB, BDBOS, ASTRID and others — stated their plans to move towards public safety broadband communications. Most European initiatives plan to start transition toward MCX communications in the 2026/2027 timeframe, with expected completion in 2028/2029. This is an unquestionable step forward towards much needed standards-based public safety broadband communications.

Interoperability is a journey, not a destination

In 2023, the interoperability journey continued at ETSI Plugtests. The first took place in July in Paris, France, hosted by the International Union of Railways (UIC), and it was focused on testing the FRMCS features of the MCX standard. The second ETSI MCX Plugtest took place in October in Malaga, hosted by the University of Malaga, and focused on the full range of MCX and FRMCS functionality based on content of the 3GPP Release 17/18. The event in Malaga also had a record number of face-to-face attendees. The Plugtest in Malaga was the first event where D2D functionality was tested.

Rise of MCX testing

If there is one key requirement for public safety communications solutions, it would be to never fail. It is critical that first responders can rely on their communication tools 24x7x365. The only way to guarantee this is by testing, testing, testing.

In MCX testing, two developments headlined 2023. First, the TCCA and GCF with the help of a number of other organisations made a significant effort to create a certification program for MCX devices. The test specification was finalised and final details had been discussed at a number of dedicated events. We expect that MCX certification will start taking place during 2024.

Outside of certification testing, a number of leading testing companies in the world actively engaged in building comprehensive MCX testing suites for functional, performance, reliability and other types of testing, some of them relying on Softil MCX technology in their development. Again, we expect to see new MCX testing solution announcements in 2024.

Realising FRMCS vision

Railway transportation is key to a cleaner, more sustainable future. Modern and reliable railway communications are essential to railway operations. The FRMCS (Future Railway Mobile Communication System) developed the International Union of Railways (UIC) had been developed to replace current aging GSM-R technology. In development for the past eight years, FRMCS has made significant progress over the past three years, particularly in 2023. The 5GRail project, aimed at validating the FRMCS v1 specification, was successfully completed and offered invaluable feedback for the development of the FRMCS v2 specification, while 3GPP made significant progress extending the MCX standard to support FRMCS requirements.

The MCX for Rail portion of the FRMCS specification was successfully tested for interoperability during two of the ETSI Plugtest events, getting it ready for the prime time MORAINE 2 project which will validate FRMCS v2 and yield the final FRMCS v3 specification for deployment. In 2023, Softil continued to contribute to the FRMCS development work via 3GPP standardisation, UNIFE/UNITEL industry involvement and active participation in the Plugtest events, and we will continue our active engagement in this important work.

Image caption: Softil’s BEEHD MCX framework was named Best MC-X Product of the Year at the ICCA award ceremony in May 2023.

Major investment to evolve and expand FirstNet in US

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The FirstNet Authority plans to invest $6.3 billion through its network contract with AT&T and anticipates an additional $2 billion for ongoing investments in coverage enhancements for public safety, which is currently under discussion by the parties. The initiative is set to ensure that FirstNet remains at the forefront of technology, continues to solve the communications challenges facing public safety today and has the flexibility to adapt to public safety’s future needs.

AT&T has already grown FirstNet — the only network built with and for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community — to cover more first responders than any network nationwide. With more than 5.5 million connections and about 27,500 public safety agencies and organisations on FirstNet, first responders can communicate with one another during everyday operations, big events, emergencies in the field and more. This latest announcement launches the next phase of FirstNet and will include the following:

Providing public safety on FirstNet with always-on priority and pre-emption across all AT&T 5G commercial spectrum bands, starting in March.
Building thousands of new, purpose-built FirstNet cell sites across the country — including 1000 new sites within the next two years. Beyond the initial $6.3 billion investment, the FirstNet Authority anticipates additional investments over the next decade to deliver Band 14 coverage enhancements.
Creating a standalone 5G core to enhance current 5G functionality with specific public safety features on FirstNet and support the transition of public safety’s Band 14 spectrum from LTE to 5G.
Expanding mission-critical services — voice, video, data and location — to complement public safety’s localised, voice-only radio systems with reliable, wireless connectivity.
Upgrading public safety’s dedicated fleet of deployable network assets with 5G connectivity to improve operational safety, security and resiliency.
Readying the network to evolve beyond 5G, while remaining focused on public safety’s unique needs and emerging requirements when implementing future technological advancements.

With the initial buildout of FirstNet complete, the investment initiative will expand access to public safety’s Band 14 spectrum in the near term, with plans for additional coverage enhancements on a recurring basis. The FirstNet Authority will work closely with public safety across the states, territories and tribal lands to identify areas that could benefit from broader coverage. The FirstNet Authority will take this information into account, along with other public safety factors and network considerations, to ensure future coverage enhancements maximise investment dollars and make the biggest impact to public safety operations.

The transition to a full 5G network will meanwhile enable FirstNet to keep pace with current evolutions in technology and 3GPP standards-based mission-critical advancements. From using drones to transmit high-definition video during search and rescue operations, to opening the door to an influx of Internet of Things (IoT) data that will enhance situational awareness and improve emergency patient care, 5G is understood to be the foundation for the future of first responder-centric technologies.

The planned 5G network upgrades are set to generate faster speeds, increase capacity, enhance the quality of service for FirstNet users and drive innovations in 5G mission-critical services. Plus, by integrating 5G on FirstNet with 9-1-1, public safety should be able to leverage the full potential of this technology, allowing for a more informed and rapid response to emergencies. Throughout the multi-year transition to a full 5G network, the existing FirstNet 4G LTE network will remain fully operational and maintain the level of service that first responders have come to rely on.

“We are dedicated to the future of public safety communications, and that starts with expanding and evolving FirstNet to meet first responders’ needs,” said Joe Wassel, Executive Director and CEO of the FirstNet Authority. “With this investment, we are ensuring FirstNet remains at the forefront of technology so that public safety can respond smarter, safer and more effectively. I look forward to our continued partnership with the public safety community and AT&T to deliver the most reliable, innovative communications network for public safety.”

“FirstNet is critical infrastructure that is reliably connecting those who tirelessly protect and serve,” added Jim Bugel, President – FirstNet, AT&T. “With 5G, public safety will unlock new and innovative tools to keep them mission ready — and we aren’t stopping there.

“Together with the FirstNet Authority, we will continue to expand and enhance public safety’s network based on their feedback, giving them the solutions and connectivity they need, both now and in the future. That’s the FirstNet promise — continually prioritising first responders and the communities they serve.”

Image courtesy of First Responder Network Authority (via Flickr) under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Towards 1 Tbps throughput using sub-terahertz bands

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

To pack in large amounts of data and keep responses fast, the sub-terahertz (sub-THz) band from 100 to 300 GHz will be used by 6G transmitters and receivers. A sophisticated approach called ‘multi-level signal modulation’ is used to further increase the data transmission rate of these wireless links. However, when operating at the top end of these extremely high frequencies, multi-level signal modulation becomes highly sensitive to noise. To work well, it relies on precise reference signals, and when these signals begin to shift forward and backward in time (a phenomenon called ‘phase noise’), the performance of multi-level signal modulation drops.

“This problem has limited 300 GHz communications so far,” said Keisuke Maekawa, lead author of the new study. “However, we found that at high frequencies, a signal generator based on a photonic device had much less phase noise than a conventional electrical signal generator.”

Specifically, the team used a stimulated Brillouin scattering laser, which employs interactions between sound and light waves to generate a precise signal. They then set up a 300 GHz-band wireless communication system that employs the laser-based signal generator in both the transmitter and receiver. The system also used online digital signal processing (DSP) to demodulate the signals in the receiver and increase the data rate.

“Our team achieved a single-channel transmission rate of 240 Gbps,” said Professor Tadao Nagatsuma, PI of the project. “This is the highest transmission rate obtained so far in the world using online DSP.”

The results of the study are a significant step towards 300 GHz-band wireless communication, with the researchers anticipating that, with multiplexing techniques (where more than one channel can be used) and more sensitive receivers, the data rate can be increased to 1 terabit per second (Tbps) — ushering in a new era of near-instantaneous global communication. And such an era could be closer than we think, as Nagatsuma has separately been working with French researchers to break the 1 Tbps barrier using a different frequency band.

In order to reach 1 Tbps speeds, several tens or hundreds of gigahertz of bandwidth are needed, which makes higher frequencies like sub-THz appealing. And while there is extensive research into creating early sub-THz communications systems, components for these frequencies are still under development and very scarce.

In a paper presented at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference, Nagatsuma and the University of Lille’s Professor Guillaume Ducournau revealed that they had built a system using a combination of terahertz photodiodes and an electronics-based receiver covering a range of 500–724 GHz. In this frequency band, they used channel aggregation with 14 carriers and a range of 16 to 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) to achieve a total data throughput of 1.04 Tbps.

“I am … so happy to reach a single-lane 1 Tbps data rate,” Nagatsuma said. “That is a long-time dream of terahertz communication researchers.”

To measure the performance of their state-of-the-art system, the researchers used a 4-channel Keysight Infiniium UXR‑series oscilloscope coupled with vector signal analysis (VSA) software. According to Ducournau, “The combination of wideband terahertz photodiode, receiver and the unique performance of Keysight’s UXR really enabled [us] to succeed in these experiments.”

Ducournau said he was “excited to see that photonics enabled the first aggregated greater than 1 Tbps sub-THz system, as photonics technologies have accelerated to boost terahertz communication research”. Photonics is just one new technology that is being investigated to enable communications at sub-THz bands; whether or not it will be widely adopted in the future remains to be seen.

Image credit: iStock.com/ko_orn

Engineers create hack to make automotive radar 'hallucinate'

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The technology can hide the approach of an existing car, create a phantom car where none exists or even trick the radar into thinking a real car has quickly deviated from its actual course — and it can achieve this feat in the blink of an eye, without having any prior knowledge about the specific settings of the victim’s radar.

“Without knowing much about the targeted car’s radar system, we can make a fake vehicle appear out of nowhere or make an actual vehicle disappear in real-world experiments,” said Associate Professor Miroslav Pajic, who co-led the research. “We’re not building these systems to hurt anyone; we’re demonstrating the existing problems with current radar systems to show that we need to fundamentally change how we design them.”

In modern cars that feature assistive and autonomous driving systems, radar is typically used to detect moving vehicles in front of and around the vehicle. It also helps to augment visual and laser-based systems to detect vehicles moving in front of or behind the car.

Because there are now so many different cars using radar on a typical highway, it is unlikely that any two vehicles will have the exact same operating parameters, even if they share a make and model. For example, they might use slightly different operating frequencies or take measurements at slightly different intervals. Because of this, previous demonstrations of radar-spoofing systems have needed to know the specific parameters being used.

“Think of it like trying to stop someone from listening to the radio,” Pajic said. “To block the signal or to hijack it with your own broadcast, you’d need to know what station they were listening to first.”

In demonstrating MadRadar, the research team showed off the capabilities of a radar-spoofing system they’ve built that can accurately detect a car’s radar parameters in less than a quarter of a second. Once they’ve been discovered, the system can send out its own radar signals to fool the target’s radar. Each demonstration of MadRadar was done on real-world radar systems in actual cars moving at roadway speeds, showcasing its impressive accuracy — if the spoofing radar signals are even a microsecond off the mark, the fake datapoint would be misplaced by the length of a football field.

In one demonstration, MadRadar sends signals to the target car to make it perceive another car where none actually exist; this involves modifying the signal’s characteristics based on time and velocity in such a way that it mimics what a real contact would look like. In a second and much more complicated example, it fools the target’s radar into thinking the opposite — that there is no passing car when one actually does exist. It achieves this by delicately adding masking signals around the car’s true location to create a sort of bright spot that confuses the radar system.

“You have to be judicious about adding signals to the radar system, because if you simply flooded the entire field of vision, it’d immediately know something was wrong,” said David Hunt, a PhD student working in Pajic’s lab.

In a third kind of attack, the researchers mix the two approaches to make it seem as though an existing car has suddenly changed course. The researchers recommend that carmakers try randomising a radar system’s operating parameters over time and adding safeguards to the processing algorithms to spot similar attacks.

“Imagine adaptive cruise control, which uses radar, believing that the car in front of me was speeding up, causing your own car to speed up, when in reality it wasn’t changing speed at all,” Pajic said. “If this were done at night, by the time your car’s cameras figured it out you’d be in trouble.”

The team’s research, set to be presented at the 2024 Network and Distributed System Security Symposium in late February, shows that manufacturers should immediately begin taking steps to better safeguard their products.

“These lessons go far beyond radar systems in cars as well,” Pajic said. “If you want to build drones that can explore dark environments, like in search and rescue or reconnaissance operations, that don’t cost thousands of dollars, radar is the way to go.”

Image credit: iStock.com/JIRAROJ PRADITCHAROENKUL

ARCIA update: welcome to 2024

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

Welcome to 2024 — we hope all our members have managed to recharge their batteries for another year ahead.

ARCIA has an extensive event plan for 2024, including one-day conferences and networking dinner events. Key events are 14 March (Perth), 30 May (Sydney), 25 July (Brisbane), 11 September (Adelaide), and the big one in Melbourne on 16 October. Make sure you check out https://arcia.org.au/events/ for all the events and training sessions.

To make the most of these events, ARCIA is working on new content and subjects that many in our industry will find interesting. We would encourage you read the details of your local event to see if there are topics of interest to you or your team. Of course, we are always on the lookout for new and interesting content about the people, places and projects that our industry works on every day.

A consistent theme from ARCIA and likeminded associations around the world, such as RFUANZ and the FCS, is hiring and training technical staff for our industry. The challenge has only been exacerbated by COVID as every industry is struggling to find staff. On the ARCIA website you will find planned training sessions for 2024, and the association will continue to expand training content and courses through the year. Make sure you check this out and take full advantage of what is available.

In the latest edition of Critical Comms there is an article concerning the federal government’s work on considering communications systems as part of the nation’s critical infrastructure. This is a long overdue decision and something ARCIA has been advocating for. However, we need to also acknowledge the huge effort that Geoff Spring and The University of Melbourne have put into this work.

Given all the new technology options coming to the public safety market with hybrid devices, new satellite connectivity options and MCPTT services, it is pleasing to hear about the considerable investment that state governments are making in critical communications around the country. Over 2023 we had many user presentations on this theme and we expect to see more in 2024. It’s amazing to see how far communications technology has advanced in the last 10 years. While we all know the basics of LMR have not changed, all these new options are providing great solutions to extend the effectiveness of communications for many important user groups.

As always, our Industry Gala Dinner in Melbourne is a significant event, and last year it gave me great pleasure to confer life membership on two individuals who have been committed supporters of ARCIA for many years. David Cox was one of the founding members of ARCIA and a driving force in raising the profile of the industry dinner; serving as Treasurer for ARCIA for several years, he has been a tireless worker for our association and our industry for many years. The second life membership was awarded to Steve Jacques, who recently retired from RFI. Steve has been a strong supporter and mentor for the ARCIA committee for many years; his wise words and experience in many markets helped ARCIA develop to the powerful organisation it is today. Life membership is the highest accolade that ARCIA can offer, and these two gentlemen are very worthy recipients; we thank them for their ongoing support.

Finally, the first committee will be gathering in Melbourne for our annual planning day in February to set the agenda for the year. We are very fortunate that committee members can make time available to participate in this important day.

Hamish Duff, President, Australian Radio Communications Industry Association.

Top image credit: iStock.com/sutlafk

Public safety broadband investments to exceed $5.7bn by 2026

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

With the commercial availability of 3GPP standards-compliant MCX (mission-critical PTT, video and data), HPUE (high-power user equipment), IOPS (isolated operation for public safety) and other critical communications features, LTE and 5G NR (New Radio) networks are increasingly gaining recognition as an all-inclusive public safety communications platform for the delivery of real-time video, high-resolution imagery, multimedia messaging, mobile office/field data applications, location services and mapping, situational awareness, unmanned asset control and other broadband capabilities, as well as MCPTT (mission-critical PTT) voice and narrowband data services provided by traditional LMR (land mobile radio) systems. Through ongoing refinements of additional standards — specifically 5G MBS/5MBS (5G multicast-broadcast services), 5G NR sidelink for off-network D2D (device-to-device) communications, NTN (non-terrestrial network) integration and support for lower 5G NR bandwidths — 3GPP networks are eventually expected to be in a position to fully replace legacy LMR systems by the late 2020s. National public safety communications authorities in multiple countries have already expressed a willingness to complete their planned narrowband to broadband transitions within the second half of the 2020 decade.

A myriad of fully dedicated, hybrid government-commercial and secure MVNO/MOCN-based public safety LTE and 5G-ready networks are operational or in the process of being rolled out throughout the globe. The high-profile FirstNet (First Responder Network) and South Korea’s Safe-Net (National Disaster Safety Communications Network) nationwide public safety broadband networks have been successfully implemented. Although Britain’s ESN (Emergency Services Network) project has been hampered by a series of delays, many other national-level programs have made considerable headway in moving from field trials to wider scale deployments — most notably, New Zealand’s NGCC (Next-Generation Critical Communications) public safety network, France’s RRF (Radio Network of the Future), Italy’s public safety LTE service, Spain’s SIRDEE mission-critical broadband network, Finland’s VIRVE 2.0 broadband service, Sweden’s Rakel G2 secure broadband system and Hungary’s EDR 2.0/3.0 broadband network. Nationwide initiatives in the pre-operational phase include but are not limited to Switzerland’s MSK (Secure Mobile Broadband Communications) system, Norway’s Nytt Nødnett, Germany’s planned hybrid broadband network for public safety organisations, the Netherlands’ NOOVA (National Public Order & Security Architecture) program, Japan’s PS-LTE (Public Safety LTE) project, Australia’s PSMB (Public Safety Mobile Broadband) program and Canada’s national PSBN (Public Safety Broadband Network) initiative.

Other operational and planned deployments include the Halton-Peel region PSBN in Canada’s Ontario province, New South Wales’ state-based PSMB solution, China’s city and district-wide Band 45 (1.4 GHz) LTE networks for police forces, Hong Kong’s 700 MHz mission-critical broadband network, Royal Thai Police’s Band 26 (800 MHz) LTE network, Qatar MOI (Ministry of Interior), ROP (Royal Oman Police), Abu Dhabi Police and Nedaa’s mission-critical LTE networks in the oil-rich GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, Brazil’s state-wide LTE networks for both civil and military police agencies, Barbados’s Band 14 (700 MHz) LTE-based connectivity service platform, Zambia’s 400 MHz broadband trunking system and Mauritania’s public safety LTE network for urban security in Nouakchott. There are also local and regional-level private LTE networks for first responders in markets as diverse as Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Lebanon, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Madagascar, Mauritius, Canary Islands, Spain, Turkey, Serbia, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as multi-domain critical communications broadband networks such as MRC’s (Mobile Radio Center) LTE-based advanced MCA digital radio system in Japan, and secure MVNO platforms in Mexico, Belgium, Netherlands, Slovenia, Estonia and several other countries.

Even though critical public safety-related 5G NR capabilities defined in the 3GPP's Release 17 and 18 specifications are yet to be commercialised, public safety agencies have already begun experimenting with 5G for applications that can benefit from the technology’s high-bandwidth and low-latency characteristics. For example, the Lishui Municipal Emergency Management Bureau is using private 5G slicing over China Mobile’s network, portable cell sites and rapidly deployable communications vehicles as part of a disaster management and visualisation system.

In neighbouring Taiwan, the Kaohsiung City Police Department relies on end-to-end network slicing over a standalone 5G network to support licence plate recognition and other use cases requiring the real-time transmission of high-resolution images. The Hsinchu City Fire Department’s emergency response vehicle can be rapidly deployed to disaster zones to establish high-bandwidth, low-latency emergency communications using a satellite-backhauled private 5G network based on open RAN standards. The Norwegian Air Ambulance is adopting a similar private 5G-based NOW (network-on-wheels) system for enhancing situational awareness during search and rescue operations.

In addition, first responder agencies in Germany, Japan and several other markets are beginning to utilise mid-band and mmWave (millimetre wave) spectrum available for local area licensing to deploy portable and small-scale 5G NPNs (non-public networks) to support applications such as UHD (ultra-high definition) video surveillance, control of unmanned firefighting vehicles, reconnaissance robots and drones. In the near future, SNS Telecom & IT also expects to see rollouts of localised 5G NR systems — including direct mode communications — for incident scene management and related use cases, potentially using up to 50 MHz of Band n79 spectrum in the 4.9 GHz frequency range (4940–4990 MHz), which has been designated for public safety use in multiple countries including but not limited to the United States, Canada, Australia, Malaysia and Qatar.

SNS Telecom & IT estimates that annual investments in public safety LTE/5G infrastructure and devices reached $4.3 billion in 2023, driven by both new projects and the expansion of existing dedicated, hybrid government-commercial and secure MVNO/MOCN networks. Complemented by an expanding ecosystem of public safety-grade LTE/5G devices, the market will further grow at a CAGR of approximately 10% over the next three years, eventually accounting for more than $5.7 billion by the end of 2026. Despite the positive outlook, some significant challenges continue to plague the market. The most noticeable pain point is the lack of a D2D communications capability.

The ProSe (proximity services) chipset ecosystem failed to materialise in the LTE era due to limited support from chipmakers and terminal OEMs. However, the 5G NR sidelink interface offers a clean slate opportunity to introduce direct mode D2D communications for public safety broadband users, as well as coverage expansion in both on-network and off-network scenarios using UE-to-network and UE-to-UE relays respectively. Recent demonstrations of 5G NR sidelink-enabled MCX services by the likes of Qualcomm have generated renewed confidence in 3GPP technology for direct mode communications.

Until recently, another barrier impeding the market was the non-availability of cost-optimised RAN equipment and terminals that support operation in spectrum reserved for PPDR (public protection and disaster relief) communications — most notably Band 68 (698–703/753–758 MHz), which has been allocated for PPDR broadband systems in several national markets across Europe, including France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Italy, Estonia, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Other countries such as Greece, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands and Belgium are also expected to make this assignment. Since the beginning of 2023, multiple suppliers — including Ericsson, Nokia, Teltronic and CROSSCALL — have introduced support for Band 68.

The report ‘The Public Safety LTE & 5G Market: 2023 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts’ presents an in-depth assessment of the public safety LTE and 5G market, as well as global and regional market size forecasts from 2023 to 2030. It will be of value to current and future potential investors into the public safety LTE and 5G market, as well as LTE/5G equipment suppliers, public safety and government agencies, critical communications service providers, mobile operators, MVNOs and other ecosystem players who wish to broaden their knowledge of the ecosystem.

Image credit: iStock.com/Talaj

RFUANZ report: setting our sights on 2024

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

The Radio Frequency Users Association of New Zealand (RFUANZ) celebrated its 25th year running recently, and we owe a big thanks to our members, partners and sponsors, plus everyone who has supported the radio frequency industry of New Zealand. We have come such a long way in such a short amount of time but there are still a few hurdles to jump.

For some time now we have identified that the telecommunications industry is rapidly moving towards a crisis in the availability of skilled radio technicians. What RFUANZ wants to see is a formal career pathway for new people entering the workforce and a foundation course for existing staff who have no formal training but want to gain their qualification.

With this in mind we have been supporting industry training provider E-tec for the past few years in their development of a Level 4 qualification that’s suitable for training radio technicians for the radio industry. We are thrilled to welcome all personnel into this course, and with rolling enrolments open as of October 2023 you can join any time!

In our eyes the availability of a suitable training course is paramount for the future of our industry, and while that was a major milestone for our 2023, we remained busy in other sectors as well.

Engaging with our membership has been a big point of focus. We introduced a photo competition to increase engagement online (keep an eye out for this year’s entries and winners!) — this also allowed a personalised RFUANZ calendar to be sent out at Christmas. We are also working on new initiatives to bring our members and industry leaders together (currently this only happens at our AGM).

And of course, there was a lot of admin… The new Incorporated Society rules are changing and so we too must adapt. This is a meticulous process, but we will have an update and changes to our rules ready for discussion at this year’s AGM.

Last year saw the implementation of a few things and the maintenance of others, but our sights are set on an engaging 2024! We aim to see and hear from our membership more often, creating scenarios where this can happen. We hope to improve our industry relationships to better support those without a voice of their own, and most importantly, we strive to protect, promote and preserve the radio frequency industry of New Zealand for years to come.

We wish you a happy 2024 full of success and look forward to seeing you at our Annual Gala Dinner and Awards Night in June.

Ngā mihi Nui.

Justin Wonderlick, Chairman — ARE182, Radio Frequency Users Association of New Zealand.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Chonlatee Sangsawang

Critical infrastructure — is communications really part of it?

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

For many years there have been submissions to government at many levels attempting to gain recognition that communications are an essential part of our daily life, and that they must be treated as part of critical infrastructure.

Geoff Spring, an Honorary Fellow and Senior Industry Advisor at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety (CDMPS) and a Project Officer for the Australian Radio Communications Industry Association (ARCIA), has been making submissions and representations to multiple government committees of inquiry pointing out the criticality of our public safety communications networks. In several cases the outcomes from these inquiries endorsed the position and recommended that public safety communication be accepted and treated as ‘critical infrastructure’, only to see the recommendations ignored or in some cases no follow-up due to changes of government.

In addition to the submissions to the various Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) inquiries, there were also submissions to bushfire inquiries and smart cities inquiries, all of whom accepted that communications were an essential part of the eco-structure that supports the public safety communications operational capabilities for our first responders, yet there was little or no action towards recognition of them as part of our national critical infrastructure. Perhaps that is because everyone just treats communications systems and platforms as being ubiquitous and like they will always be there? Recent history shows that not to be the case.

Since 2015 Spring has been pushing the case for public safety communications systems to be recognised as being part of Australia’s critical infrastructure, something that public expectations would support. When there is an emergency, we all want to feel assured that those saving our lives and protecting our properties have excellent communications systems. That expectation hasn’t changed and is still something that must happen; however, the needs and expectations of our public safety agencies have continually increased and will continue to do so, causing all sections of our communications network to become critical.

The recent problems with the public carriers’ networks have highlighted the problems, but just consider two examples some years apart:

Back in 2012 the Telstra network suffered problems when a fire in a Telstra building in Warrnambool caused interruptions to phone and data networks across much of south-western Victoria. Many businesses suffered some interruption to their businesses but in general many could still operate; it was hardly a business-critical failure on a large scale.
Late last year the Optus network had a significant network failure, probably no worse than the Telstra failure of earlier years, yet the outcome was much worse. It became a business-critical failure for many users, both large and small. In fact, news reports showed that businesses including hairdressers and coffee shops had to stop operating during the outage.

So why are these two instances so different? Well, the public expectations of the ways in which we conduct transactions with governments and businesses have substantially changed and will continue to do so at an increasing pace, thanks to the continuing evolution of digital technologies — so not only are we more connected than ever before, we are now also more dependent. In today’s modern world, close to 70% of payments are done by credit card or other electronic means, whereas several years ago it would have been around 20% of transactions.

So, for a small business, not having connectivity means electronic payment systems are not available, and in the case of a small coffee shop in a ‘bolt hole’ location in the CBD of any of our cities, the loss of 90% of the business between 6 am and 10 am on a weekday probably equates to the profit for that week, maybe even that month; a business-critical failure. For bigger businesses, given that most operations are now utilising cloud-based software, losing connectivity means that the business can hardly operate without having access to the cloud.

In a modern world, losing general connectivity is now a business-critical situation for every transaction-oriented industry, from the coffee cart to the cellar door and restaurants. In many ways these businesses rely on their connectivity as much as public safety agencies rely on communications to provide essential services, hence the terms ‘mission critical’ for these agencies and ‘business critical’ for the daily requirements. Both of these are of such importance that they should be included in the consideration of what is the critical infrastructure required now and even more importantly being actively planned for ‘essential services’ in the future.

Historically, the critical communications networks for our public safety agencies were designed, installed and maintained by the radio communications industry, the members of ARCIA. The equipment utilised for primary communications was specifically selected and tested to the five nines level — 99.999% availability of service. This was also extended to cover the ancillary services required for continued operation. System design was built around the availability of support services; within metropolitan areas probably 48 hours’ back-up, regional services with 3–5 days’ back-up and remote areas much longer.

In the modern world we rely much more on the mobile phone suppliers and their wireless data networks, and these are designed around a consumer-grade network, probably 2–4 hours’ back-up in metro areas, maybe 8 hours in regional areas and perhaps 12 hours for key sites, a long way short of the power back-up at mission-critical levels. Why isn’t it longer, you ask? Well, the carriers are private companies and need to make a profit so their shareholders can receive dividends on their investment.

As we identify the concerns around the ‘always there’ public carrier communication networks, we must accept that it just isn’t practical to build them to always be there; the network owners and suppliers have to work to a commercial return-on-investment formula as part of their investment philosophy. This is also exacerbated by the ever-faster technology developments that mean that the network infrastructure also needs to be upgraded as technology changes. Most of us have seen the 3G, 4G and 5G technology implemented, and 6G is already being planned; technology leads to constant change.

The second big issue with technology advances in such a speedy fashion is that often the technology hasn’t had time to be fully explored and tested before it is installed; think about the updates to programs on your phone and laptop. Imagine the stress for a system engineer as he hits the <update> tab on software in a major network, and then watches to make sure that everything he has assured will be alright actually works. In most cases it does, but if it doesn’t then often there isn’t a ‘Plan B’ or maybe the Plan B is to forewarn the CEO that the TV stations are on the way for an interview, oops.

So what is the solution? As Spring has been trying to highlight for nearly a decade, a key part of any solution is to acknowledge that there could be a problem and, through well-coordinated planning and review, to highlight where the issues might come from. This planning and review should be done as a part of a regular and peer-reviewed process included in national programs to review the protection of our critical infrastructure. Just as our power and water companies must provide plans for the protection of supply and maintenance of services during incidents, so too should our communications industry be required to be transparent and provide an overview of its plans on how to address as many known (and unknown) risks as possible.

There should be no single point of failure, there should be alternative or parallel pathways to avoid known risks, and perhaps most importantly, our governments should insist on having the powers to permit access to other networks in times of critical incident failures. A business that depends on connectivity for daily operations should have access to other networks to ensure that business doesn’t grind to a halt with a network failure, and in some cases maybe the networks need to accept that mission-critical operations should just seamlessly switch to another network to ensure ongoing operations without interruption. How long have we had to wait for a PSMB capability to become available to our first responders? Simply put, too long!

For almost a decade the CDMPS and ARCIA, primarily through the efforts of Spring, have been lobbying for these types of considerations, and during that period the demand has now developed from just being mission critical to now including business critical as well. The wireless data networks that are ‘always there’ sometimes are not, and as a nation we cannot afford to continue to accept that as an ongoing situation.

The ongoing review of our nation’s critical infrastructure must include our public safety communications networks and the formal recognition of the ecosystem in which they reside; inherent and evolving risks should be identified and effectively managed to minimise their impact. These processes must be done in a transparent fashion so that concerns are not just accepted as being part of system or commercial design by our public carriers. It is in our national interest to make sure our systems are robust and, given the changes in our society, they remain ‘fit for purpose’.

On 13 November 2023 the Minister for Home Affairs announced that telecommunications will be recognised as critical infrastructure, with the Minister saying, “These rules, frankly, should have been in place years ago.” This is a very welcome small first step, but the remainder of the journey cannot be allowed to take another decade, and maybe the next step is to recognise the need for planning and transparency of the planning process. We should also recognise the efforts of people like Spring, the CDMPS and ARCIA for continuing to raise awareness of the need for recognition and protection of communications as part of our critical infrastructure.

*Ian Miller is the Spectrum & Technical Coordinator for the Australian Radio Communications Industry Association (ARCIA), and has over six decades of experience in the radio/wireless communications industry.

Top image credit: iStock.com/AlenaPaulus

From novice to NIST: a non-technical journey into public safety comms

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

My first day working on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus fell on the anniversary of 9/11 — a day, annually, that carries with it the heavy-hearted reminder of tragedy in American history. Though purely coincidental, my happenstance start date was an underscore of the important mission I was joining. The Public Safety Communications Research Division (PSCR) within NIST came about in direct response to the first responder fatalities on that horrific day in 2001 and still today serves as the primary US federal laboratory conducting research and development to advance future public safety communications technology.

I came to PSCR with a background in program management and my initial role was to provide contract support to the division as a management consultant. I managed a team responsible for general program support, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement. Though I had little to no technical acumen at the time, the significance of the research I was supporting was palpable.

To do this job well, I wanted to speak the same language as the scientists I engaged with and truly comprehend their specific research goals. I became committed to learning the technical subject matter behind communications technology through independent study, observation and conversation with the experts. I asked as many questions as I could and paid close attention to the challenges they were encountering. I knew I wasn’t going to become an engineer or data scientist, but if I could understand the rudimentary concepts behind each project, I could bring something equally as powerful to this program — an ability to translate. At PSCR, we work with stakeholders across sectors, and it’s crucial that we can deliver updates and exchange information with non-scientific audiences — from the general public to policymakers to the commercial industry and, most importantly, to boots-on-the-ground first responders.

The more I learned, the more I was hooked, so when an opportunity arose to join PSCR’s federal team, I applied without hesitation. Now, as the Strategy and Operations Lead at PSCR, I bring the skillsets I honed as a consultant to apply strategic thinking, partner engagement, process development and organisation to the setting of a government research laboratory.

One of my favourite efforts from this past year has been developing an international engagement strategy. Advancing communications for first responders is a worldwide challenge, so it’s essential that we partner to exchange knowledge and demonstrate the critical mass of the global public safety market. At PSCR, we’ve developed strong relationships throughout North America, Europe and Australasia and have already begun collaborating with international governments on research efforts, engagement opportunities and programmatic resources. I’m grateful for the opportunity to bear witness to various approaches and advancements in public safety technology around the globe and to connect with a diverse group of leaders all passionate about the same cause I am.

PSCR brings together pioneering innovation with government standards and exacting science. I could not have found a career path more perfect for my creative but punctilious personality. I hope more people with a non-technical background consider a career in research and development because so much more than the technical research itself makes a laboratory successful. Moreover, we need a diversity of opinions engaged in this industry, people of all backgrounds with all sorts of experiences, because that’s who public safety is for: it impacts all of us.

As for me, I imagine a future where the technology we are researching today — augmented reality heads-up displays, indoor location tracking, device-to-device communications on LTE, 3D mapping drones and everything else — feels as obvious as oxygen. Someday it will be difficult to remember a time before our first responders had these capabilities, and that’s a promise that keeps me showing up.

Brianna Huettel is the Strategy and Operations Lead for the Public Safety Communications (PSCR) Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States, having been with PSCR since 2017. Utilising her subject matter expertise in current public safety technology challenges and the horizon of broadband technology, Brianna implements programmatic strategic planning and stakeholder and partner engagement to augment PSCR’s mission of advancing communications technology capabilities for first responders.

10 predictions for mission-critical comms in 2024

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100

“The past decade has brought seismic change in the way that first responders communicate,” said Pierre Hagendorf, Softil’s CEO. “The year 2024 will see life-changing technology continue to broaden its outreach in public safety agencies and extend its functionality and usage in MCX and FRMCS deployments.”

1. 5G private networks

When it comes to MCX deployments, the most typical scenario is deployment in service provider networks such as AT&T FirstNet, KT SafeNet, Southern Linc’s Critical Linc, etc… At the same time, as MCX technology is already mature, it is a perfect candidate for deployment outside a major service provider’s reach — especially when it comes to, for example, utilities or oil, gas and mining. Utility companies often operate their own private communication networks, and considering the level of maturity of MCX, group communications technology is perfectly suitable for private network deployments — which align very well with the increased proliferation of 5G private networks. We should expect to see more and more deployments of MCX within private 5G networks in 2024.

2. 5G-Sidelink, V2X and device-to-device

For many verticals, it is imperative that devices be able to discover each other and then communicate with each other anywhere in the world. Most importantly, device-to-device (D2D) communications should work when no network is available. D2D communications without using the network (whether the network is available or not), often called Direct Mode, is a critical success element in a variety of applications, but of all the use cases, the ones that clearly stand out are communication between cars and infrastructure (V2X) and communication between first responders, or any public safety users for that matter. Implementation of such D2D solutions for broadband devices was attempted before, but only now, with the advancements in 5G, real solutions are starting to appear in the form of the 5G-Sidelink standard.

The year 2023 has already seen serious advancements in this space with Qualcomm, the major mobile chipset supplier, bringing 5G-Sidelink implementations for the MCX interoperability testing event (ETSI MCX Plugtest #8); Softil was delighted to be a part of the D2D interoperability demonstration in front of observers at the Plugtest. 5G-Sidelink with its groundbreaking technology can provide at least 1.2 km line-of-sight communication capabilities on standard cellular handheld devices, solving the important challenge of enabling forces on the ground to communicate with each other no matter what. All in all, this is an important step in the right direction, and we expect more advances in this space in 2024.

3. Internet of Life Saving Things

One of the key goals of 5G technology is efficient machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. As 5G is advancing along the Plateau of Productivity (see the Gartner hype cycle), it enables better and more efficient communication for the myriad of devices comprising the Internet of Things (IoT) universe. Many verticals are set to benefit from advancements in the IoT space, including public safety and first responders. For example, think about the great number of sensors that can be placed on a first responder’s uniform — body vitals, temperature, barometric pressure, shot detection and so on — and all of this data available in real time in the decision centre, all thanks to ubiquitous 5G connectivity. We expect to see more and more solutions in IoLST (Internet of Life Saving Things) this year, and every year after that.

4. Machine learning for MCX

It is well known that ubiquitous broadband enables the opportunity for a data flood. With billions of devices connected to the broadband network, the amount of data available for processing is simply immeasurable. Specifically in MCX, the amount of data that is available and needs to be processed in real time is huge — sensors, audio streams, video streams from multiple sources (body-worn cameras, street cameras, traffic cameras), location data, images and lots more. Considering this ‘data ocean’, machine learning (ML) comes to the rescue: computers can take on processing and analysing the data and make recommendations to a dispatcher — learning in the process and improving its algorithms to be able to help better next time. We predict significant advances in ML applications for MCX use cases in 2024 and beyond.

5. MCX in the cloud

In simple terms, MCX is just a standards-based group communications technology. While public safety was the primary beneficiary of new open-standards-based broadband group communications technologies, it was also clear that many other user types, from utilities to transportation to mining to even retail, can also take advantage of the same standard. At this point in time, MCX communication solutions have already reached an advanced stage, where core technology is stable and can now extend its reach to the 5G Cloud, offering the same group communications benefits to enterprise users. As 5G Cloud deployments grow, we expect to see more MCX cloud deployments in the years to come.

6. FRMCS

FRMCS (Future Railway Mobile Communications System) is a critical technology for high-speed railways and an essential part of the European Green Deal. Today’s high-speed train communications are based on the GSM-R, an old 2G technology that is rapidly sunsetting; thus FRMCS, a 5G-based technology, needs to become fully operational during the next decade. FRMCS, actively being developed by the UIC with the assistance of 3GPP, ETSI, UNIFE and many other organisations, will enter the second phase of trials this year and we expect that further development of FRMCS technology and FRMCS products and services will accelerate in 2024 and beyond.

7. MCX applications

Being an open global standard supported by mobile operators around the world, MCX offers an opportunity for application developers to enrich broadband group communications solutions for public safety, utilities, transportation and other verticals benefiting from group communication capabilities. For example, mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) functionality can be easily added to situational awareness solutions for public safety, reaching a group of first responders with the push of a button, or mission-critical video (MCVideo) sent directly to first responders from a video analytics application when certain criteria is met. The possibilities are endless, and we expect to see more MCX applications helping public safety, utilities and transportation users to be more effective in their daily work in 2024.

8. CAD + MCX

CAD (computer-aided dispatch) is an integral part of first responder operations. Today, CAD is still all about ‘secret sauce’ — all CAD vendors operate on their own proprietary datasets, and literally every delivery requires specific integration. MCX offers common operational paradigms of CAD, such as resources, their locations, group chats and more. As MCX solutions are increasingly deployed, there is a greater need for CAD to be integrated with MCX systems for both interoperability and operational efficiency. We expect the first CAD/MCX integrations to come to life in 2024, and to steadily increase from there on.

9. MCX and NG911 integration

The emergency communications available to the general public, commonly known as 911 in the USA and Canada, 112 in Europe and 999 in the UK, are increasing being upgraded to broadband SIP-based architecture, officially known as NENA i3 in the US, but commonly referred to as NG911/NG112 (NG stands for Next Generation). MCX technologies were developed especially for and deployed on broadband networks and it makes perfect sense that both MCX and NG911 technologies can be tightly integrated. When needed, audio, live video, text messages, images and more can be delivered directly from a citizen’s mobile phone to first responders equipped with MCX devices. As both MCX and NG911 technologies become more widespread, we expect to see an increased number of deployed MCX/NG911 integrations in 2024 and beyond.

10. More MCPTT traffic, more MCPTT minutes

This might be the easiest prediction… we expect to see more MCPTT calls on service providers’ networks and that will lead to better uptake among public safety users, more devices and applications supporting MCPTT, more use cases, more verticals, more traffic and more MCPTT minutes. While revolutionary in nature, MCX technology is akin all other ‘revolutionary technologies’ that came before and will come after. The path is simply an evolution; thus we simply expect ‘more’.

Image credit: iStock.com/allanswart

World Radiocommunication Conference revises ITU Radio Regulations

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +1100

The agreement on updates to the Radio Regulations identifies new spectrum resources to support technological innovation, deepen global connectivity, increase access to and equitable use of space-based radio resources, and enhance safety at sea, in the air and on land.

“WRC-23 puts the world on a solid path towards a more connected, sustainable, equitable and inclusive digital future for all,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General. “Key regulatory achievements on spectrum for space, science and terrestrial radio services build on the momentum of ITU’s ongoing work to achieve universal connectivity and sustainable digital transformation.”

A total of 151 member states signed the WRC-23 Final Acts. The Final Acts constitute a record of the decisions taken at the conference including both the new and revised provisions of the Radio Regulations, all Appendices, and the new and revised Resolutions and ITU-R Recommendations incorporated by reference into the treaty by the conference.

“The agreements reached at WRC-23 are a testament to the unwavering spirit of cooperation and compromise among all of our members,” said Mario Maniewicz, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau. “Navigating the complexities of spectrum sharing to update the Radio Regulations has helped us forge a path that provides a stable, predictable regulatory environment essential for the development of innovative radiocommunication services for all.”

Among the decisions, WRC-23 identified spectrum for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), which will be crucial for expanding broadband connectivity and developing IMT mobile services, also known as 4G, 5G and, in the future, 6G. That new spectrum includes the 3300–3400 MHz, 3600–3800 MHz, 4800–4990 MHz and 6425–7125 MHz frequency bands in various countries and regions.

WRC-23 also identified the 2 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands for using high-altitude platform stations as IMT base stations (HIBS) and established regulations for their operations. This technology offers a new platform to provide mobile broadband with minimal infrastructure using the same frequencies and devices as IMT mobile networks. HIBS can contribute to bridging the digital divide in remote and rural areas and maintain connectivity during disasters.

For non-geostationary fixed-satellite service Earth stations in motion (ESIMs), the conference identified new frequencies to deliver high-speed broadband on board aircraft, vessels, trains and vehicles. These satellite services are also critical following disasters where local communication infrastructure is damaged or destroyed. Provisions were included to protect ship and aircraft mobile service stations located in international airspace and waters from other stations within national territories.

To support the modernisation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), WRC-23 took regulatory actions including the implementation of e-navigation systems to enhance distress and safety communications at sea. The conference also provisionally recognised the BeiDou Satellite Messaging Service System for GMDSS use, subject to successful completion of coordination with the existing networks and elimination of interference.

“Across the globe, numerous countries, institutions and companies eagerly anticipate the outcomes of this conference,” said Al Ramsi, Chair of WRC-23 and Deputy Director-General for the Telecommunication Sector of the TDRA.

“We have emerged from this conference with significant results that contribute to the advancement of numerous radio services, serving the interests of countries, societies and humanity at large.”

Overall, WRC-23 approved 43 new resolutions, revised 56 existing ones and suppressed 33 resolutions. Other key WRC-23 outcomes include:

Allocation of additional frequencies for passive Earth exploration satellite services to enable advanced ice cloud measurements for better weather forecasting and climate monitoring.
Allocation of new frequencies to the aviation industry for aeronautical mobile satellite services (117.975–137 MHz). The new service will enhance bi-directional communication via non-GSO satellite systems for pilots and air traffic controllers everywhere, especially over oceanic and remote areas.
Allocation of the bands 15.41–15.7 GHz and 22–22.2 GHz in Radio Regulations Region 1 and some Region 3 countries to the aeronautical mobile service for non-safety aeronautical applications. This will enable aircraft, helicopters and drones to carry sophisticated aeronautical digital equipment for purposes such as surveillance, monitoring, mapping and filming, and have the capacity to transfer large data from these applications using wideband radio links.
Adoption of regulatory actions for the provision of inter-satellite links. This will allow data to be made available in near-real time, enhancing the availability and value of instrument data for low-latency applications such as weather forecasting and disaster risk reduction.
Endorsement of the decision by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) to adopt Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) as the de facto time standard by 2035, with the possibility to extend the deadline to 2040 in cases where existing equipment cannot be replaced earlier.
Recognition of the importance of space weather observation in a new Resolution and a new Article in the Radio Regulations to recognise the operation of space weather sensors as part of the meteorological aid service to observe space weather phenomena including solar flares, solar radiation and geomagnetic storms which can interfere with radiocommunication services including satellites, mobile phone services and navigation systems.
Approval of a recommendation by the Radio Regulations Board to allow 41 countries to acquire new and usable orbital resources for satellite broadcasting. The countries were unable to use their assigned orbital slots in recent years due to factors such as lack of coordination and interference from other satellite networks. The decision aims to enable countries to implement subregional satellite systems.

WRC-23 also approved the agenda items for the next World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27) and the provisional agenda for WRC-31.

Image caption: The ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) was held from 20 November–15 December 2023 in Dubai, UAE. Image ©ITU/D. Woldu under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Deed

Fleet management drives surge in GPS tracker market

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +1100

GPS tracking technology, relying on satellite signals for real-time location accuracy, is widely used by vehicle owners and fleet managers; its applications range from optimising routing to improving customer service and enhancing cargo security. Businesses of all scales, from small enterprises to large corporations, increasingly leverage GPS technology to manage and monitor expanding vehicle fleets.

Fleet-tracking solutions, enabled by GPS technology, offer numerous advantages. These include increased productivity, enhanced return on investment (ROI), theft recovery, and improved employee and asset safety. The accuracy of GPS technology is particularly useful in challenging situations such as vehicle breakdowns, fleet-related crimes and unauthorised stops.

“GPS tracking technology allows fleet managers to optimise routing, monitor vehicle locations and improve overall fleet efficiency,” said Sudip Saha, Managing Director and MD at Future Market Insights. “This leads to cost savings, increased productivity and better resource utilisation, and is considered one of the major drivers of the GPS tracker market.”

GPS tracking is also pivotal in critical situations involving potential threats to human lives, such as search and rescue operations, as this technology allows rescue teams to monitor search areas effectively and gather information from lost smartphones or GPS devices carried by individuals. GPS trackers in search and rescue operations provide essential functions, including tracking rescue teams, locating missing individuals, surveying hazardous areas, monitoring vehicles and equipment used in rescue missions, and ensuring situational awareness.

Manufacturers actively contribute to market expansion through initiatives focused on developing advanced and portable GPS trackers. Notably, integrating dash cameras into GPS trackers adds a layer of comprehensive tracking capability, providing real-time video features alongside location data.

A competitive landscape

The GPS tracker industry boasts a substantial array of market participants. Research and development play a pivotal role among these players, primarily focusing on introducing eco-friendly product lines as a core aspect of their manufacturing endeavours. Furthermore, they employ various expansion strategies, including collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, and diligent exploration of regulatory approvals to bolster their market presence.

In one recent development, Sierra Wireless has introduced the Acculink Cargo, a managed IoT asset tracking solution. This offering is designed to streamline the implementation of tracking systems, allowing companies to efficiently monitor the location and condition of high-value and sensitive assets in real time. Meanwhile CalAmp, a connected intelligence firm focused on enhancing work processes for individuals and organisations, has unveiled its latest innovation — the SC1302 single-use smart tracking gadget.

According to Future Market Insights, the GPS tracker market expanded at 7.6% CAGR between 2019 and 2023, and is valued at US$2887.6 million as of 2023. Standalone trackers are expected to dominate at a market share of 38.9% in 2024, while fleet management applications will register at a market share of 45.8%. The market has a projected CAGR of 8.7% from 2024 to 2034, by which time is it poised to soar to an estimated total valuation of around US$7.2 billion.

All that said, certain challenges remain which could hinder market growth, with concerns related to privacy and data security associated with GPS tracking systems posing as significant restraints. Addressing these issues while ensuring consumer data protection will be crucial for market players to maintain trust and sustain long-term growth.

Future Market Insights’ report offers an unbiased analysis of the global GPS tracker market — segmented by type, by application, by industry and by region — providing historical data for 2019 to 2023 and forecast statistics from 2024 to 2034. To view the report in full, visit https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/gps-tracker-market.

Image credit: iStock.com/ipopba

2023–24 Thought Leaders: Tim Karamitos

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +1100

What opportunities do you predict for the growth of your industry in 2024?

Demand for connectivity in emergency services vehicles has been building for a very long time and while the development of the PSMB capability will support better connectivity for critical communications, the rollout of this capability is still several years away. Cradlepoint has already seen increasing demand for in-vehicle cellular connectivity in various industries across Australia. With the advent of LEO satellite technology in Australia, this option is even more attractive for emergency services vehicles. Cradlepoint enables emergency services organisations to seamlessly combine the likes of Starlink with 5G and other WAN sources such as LTE and Wi-Fi as WAN. In moving vehicles, Cradlepoint enables critical applications to move from 4G/5G connectivity in urban areas to LEO satellite in remote areas where there is no cellular connectivity available. Likewise, where a LEO satellite service is degraded or unavailable due to challenges with getting a clear line of sight to the sky (due to buildings for example) or if there are adverse weather conditions, Cradlepoint will switch back to cellular connectivity. Emergency services will start to take advantage of this capability next year.

The benefits don’t stop in vehicles. We’ve seen that on the outskirts of small rural towns in Australia, there is already limited cellular coverage. So in many cases, emergency services can quickly find themselves with no connectivity at all. Using cellular and LEO satellite connectivity together will enable emergency services to have reliable connectivity in rural areas, connecting to cellular towers where they’re available and switching to LEO satellite connectivity where there is no cellular signal, and then back again, in order to keep satellite data costs to a minimum. Cradlepoint also provides a central network management platform (NetCloud Manager), which features true cellular intelligence. It provides a single pane of glass to manage sites, vehicles and IoT by orchestrating policies to ensure applications use the best available WAN source and have the appropriate security protection applied.

What is your company doing to make critical communication accessible and affordable in the current economy?

Whether an organisation’s IT team is large or lean, managing configuration changes, installing security updates, or setting one-off policies on each router within a fleet or across dispersed sites can quickly become expensive and operationally unsustainable. Cradlepoint Wireless WAN solutions are simple to install and manage. NetCloud Manager enables single pane of glass management, with centralised monitoring, configuration, traffic management and troubleshooting for network administrators and IT teams — including a wide array of dashboards with abundant insights and analytics about connection links and security incidents. Because devices are managed through the cloud, it’s far more accessible for organisations with distributed sites, large fleets or lean IT teams.

How can critical comms users protect themselves against data breaches and cyber attacks?

When human factors come into play, achieving absolute foolproof security is challenging. Even with meticulous attention to patching, configuration, implementation of multi-factor authentication and sophisticated threat detection systems, vulnerabilities such as zero-day exploits can pose a challenge. The most robust defence always lies in prevention as opposed to detection, particularly in the realm of the web. Cradlepoint’s Ericom isolation-driven solutions create a barrier between endpoints and the web, where websites are activated and scanned for activated malware in isolated cloud containers, delivering only a safe rendering to the end user. This approach proves equally potent against unaddressed zero-day vulnerabilities and aligns with various E8MM (Essential Eight Maturity Model) mitigation criteria.

What are the biggest challenges or threats facing your industry in 2024?

The biggest threats and challenges arise when organisations don’t embrace change. Everything in technology is changing. The connectivity infrastructure is changing and with that, organisations face new risks. For example, as the use of 5G for business increases, the cyber-attack surface is increasing. To succeed, organisations need to acknowledge that and then embrace it by acting accordingly. SASE and zero trust are especially critical for IoT devices, which are exploding in number and are rapidly becoming favourite targets of bad actors. In-vehicle use cases often transmit confidential information, requiring the data to be secured from end to end. Fixed sites and remote workers also need the broad protection provided by SASE and zero trust because of their frequent web activity and cloud application usage.

As 5G/cellular continues to gain momentum within the enterprise market for both 5G WAN and private cellular networks, Cradlepoint is uniquely positioned to deliver a complete end-to-end 5G/cellular SASE stack. Cradlepoint architecture offers connectivity with 5G; inherent security through zero trust; network slicing-based steering with 5G SD-WAN; and operational simplicity through NetCloud Manager.

Prior to joining Cradlepoint, Tim spent 15 years in several technical and sales roles at Citrix — most recently as a principal corporate account manager, responsible for transforming the way many large organisations work from anywhere. Prior to that, Tim held roles in pre-sales and senior technology consulting, responsible for major client project deployments ranging from small engagements to long-term, multimillion-dollar projects.

4G and the opportunity behind 2G and 3G network sunsets

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +1100

When 2G, the second generation of cellular communication technology, was commercially launched in 1991, its use of digital communication technologies rather than analog ones ushered in a new era of cellular communication with the introduction of data transfers and text messages. 3G followed in its footsteps, stepping up data rates and bringing us the mobile broadband experience we as consumers now take for granted.

But as the sun sets on 2G and 3G, it isn’t their initial beneficiaries — mobile phone users — that will be most affected. Over the course of three decades, their low cost of ownership, ubiquitous coverage and widespread roaming agreements have made 2G, and to some extent 3G, essential enablers of the Internet of Things.

Automotive emergency call systems, smart meters, vehicle telematics devices and tracking solutions are just a sampling of use cases that commonly continue to rely on 2G and 3G — and that will need to be upgraded as the technologies wind down.

Fortunately, the immediate inconvenience this will cause businesses and end users comes with a clear silver lining: not only will upgrading legacy solutions keep them from becoming obsolete along with the legacy networks they rely on, it will also allow IoT product developers and solution providers to tap into the value that today’s more advanced communication technologies provide, both to their and their customers’ benefit.

The sun begins to set

According to a GSMA report focusing on the Asia–Pacific region¹, the main considerations driving mobile network operators to sunset their 2G and 3G networks are cost reductions achievable by reallocating 2G and 3G spectrum to 4G and 5G. At the same time, mobile network operators (MNOs) are rightly wary to abandon 2G and 3G until both their own infrastructure and their customers’ solutions are prepared for the transition.

Because of regional variations of these opposing forces, sunsetting timelines vary from country to country (and even within individual countries, from operator to operator).

In North America, for example, US mobile network operators have been phasing out their 2G networks, and 2022 saw major 3G networks shut down their service, while Canadian MNOs will likely delay the transition to 2025.² The timelines are less aggressive in Central and South America, where at least some networks will continue to provide 2G and 3G service until more modern technologies have sufficient coverage to absorb demand.

In EMEA, where the installed base of 2G IoT devices is high, MNOs are pushing out 2G sunsets beyond 2025. Instead, 3G will by and large be the first to go. Enabled by a viable transition path from 3G voice services to newer technologies, many MNOs have already largely decommissioned their 3G services.

Finally, in the Asia–Pacific market, the transition strategy varies broadly from country to country, with markets where legacy 2G IoT devices are prevalent such as India expected to keep 2G networks up and running for longer. Others such as Singapore, New Zealand and Australia have already decommissioned their 2G networks. Generally, the timing of 3G sunsets will depend on the availability of alternative technologies capable of absorbing voice-based applications that are currently enabled by 3G.

Figure 1: Countries where at least one MNO has announced a 2G shutdown before 2025.

Figure 2: Countries where at least one MNO has announced a 3G shutdown before 2025.

4G is ready to pick up the slack...

With 2G and 3G on their way out, a common question will be whether to upgrade IoT devices to 4G LTE or whether to move straight to 5G. After all, 5G technology was specifically specced to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of use cases, including lightning-fast enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) and, tailored to the needs of the IoT, massive machine-type communication (mMTC).

But because IoT applications need neither the high data rates offered by eMBB nor the ultra-reliable low-latency performance offered by URLLC, the choice ultimately comes down to four potential candidates — see Table 1.

Low bandwidth (currently served by 2G)	Medium bandwidth (currently served by 3G)
4G LPWA (LTE-M or NB-IoT)	4G LTE Cat 1(bis) or LTE Cat 4
5G mMTC	5G RedCap

Table 1.

Considering that LTE-M and NB-IoT are 5G-ready technologies, meaning that they are included in the 5G spec and will continue to work on 5G mMTC networks once they are available, it becomes clear that LTE-M and NB-IoT offer the best of both worlds for use cases requiring low data rates.

The picture is even more clear-cut when it comes to use cases requiring medium data rates. The 5G spec covering these use cases, 5G RedCap, will only be completed later this year, and the first devices supporting the technology won’t hit the market until around 2025. Consequently, LTE Cat 1 (and where available, its stripped-down, lower-cost variant LTE Cat 1bis) will become the go-to solution for use cases requiring medium data rates.

...and provide connectivity for the foreseeable future

But first, is it wise to bet on an already 12-year-old technology to offer the longevity expected for professional applications? If past generations of mobile communication technology offer any insights, it is that each generation tends to outlive the devices it connects by a large margin. 2G, which saw its first shutdowns 25 years after it first rolled out, continues to represent 15% of global connections. 3G was intended to replace 2G, in the same way that 4G was to replace 3G.

Today, 2G, 3G and 4G LTE coexist with 5G, which was launched with the explicit goal of complementing, not replacing, 4G LTE. 4G LTE is still growing its footprint, so it’s safe to say that it is not only ready to pick up the slack as 2G and 3G phase out, it will also continue to deliver reliable connectivity well beyond the expected lifetime of IoT devices.

NB-IoT, LTE-M or LTE Cat 1(bis)?

The optimal choice of cellular technology will always be the one that best meets use case-specific requirements in terms of network availability, data throughput, power consumption and latency. Mobile use cases further require seamless handovers from one cell tower to the next, as well as roaming agreements for uninterrupted connectivity across national borders. And device developers targeting global markets with their products might prefer the simplified logistics offered by devices that work out of the box wherever they are deployed.

Figure 3 breaks down the application space according to data rate requirements and geographical coverage.

Figure 3.

NB-IoT: Static low-data-rate IoT use cases located in areas with NB-IoT network coverage will benefit from the technology’s ultralow-power demand, low cost of ownership and extended range compared to standard 4G LTE technologies. Typical use cases include smart metering, smart buildings and smart cities, as well as agricultural and environmental sensing.

LTE-M: Mobile and static low-data-rate use cases located in areas with the required network coverage will be well served with LTE-M, with its low power requirements, extended range over standard 4G LTE and seamless handover from one cell tower to the next.

LTE Cat 1: Most mobile and static use cases with low to medium data rate requirements will see their needs met by LTE Cat 1, which today comes closest to offering the robust coverage with seamless handovers and international roaming agreements that many mobile 2G and 3G solutions rely on. In addition to offering the lowest latencies in this cohort, LTE Cat 1, which supports receive diversity via two separate receive pathways, is designed to carry high-quality voice communication and deliver reliable performance in difficult coverage conditions. Because LTE Cat 1 is already available on most 4G LTE networks worldwide, with robust international roaming agreements, businesses can simplify their logistics by serving global markets using a single stock-keeping unit (SKU).

Cost-sensitive applications with weaker coverage requirements that do not require highly reliable communication can alternatively use a stripped-down variant of LTE Cat 1, LTE Cat 1bis. Supporting only a single receive antenna, LTE Cat 1bis offers the same data rates and mobility as LTE Cat 1, wherever it is supported by mobile network operators.

Finally, use cases with even higher bandwidth requirements (data speeds above 10 Mbps download, 5 Mbps upload) can migrate solutions to LTE Cat 4 or higher.

More than just a technology upgrade

The forced migration to 4G will push customers to leave technologies that were not developed with the IoT in mind. As a result, it comes with a clear silver lining — generally speaking, it will enable end devices to do more with less:

The new 4G technologies are, by design, much more power-efficient than the ones they are replacing, enabling up to 10 years of power autonomy. Gains in power autonomy translate directly to reduced maintenance and replacement costs.
Their increased spectral efficiency allows them to efficiently deliver higher data rates, both for upload and download.
Deeper in-building penetration allows them to meet the needs of more diverse use cases, in particular in metering applications.
Finally, 4G provides a robust replacement to the lost global 2G/3G coverage.

As a result, the improvements brought by NB-IoT, LTE-M and LTE Cat 1(bis) and the improved end-device performance they enable will futureproof existing use cases while at the same time increasing customer satisfaction. At the same time, it will enable new applications that were poorly served by 2G and 3G.

Summary

As mobile network operators rationalise their cellular communication infrastructure to free up resources needed to expand their 5G coverage, IoT device developers and IoT service providers are being forced to migrate their 2G- and 3G-based solutions to futureproof alternatives.

NB-IoT, LTE-M and LTE Cat 1(bis) offer the most viable migration paths for existing IoT solutions based on 2G and 3G technology. While the applicability of NB-IoT is limited to static low-data-rate solutions, LTE-M and LTE Cat 1 (and LTE Cat 1 bis) are strong candidates to replace 2G and 3G modems for applications requiring voice communication, seamless handovers and international roaming.

Due to the near-universal availability of LTE networks, LTE Cat 1 paired with an IoT SIM card enabling global roaming is particularly well adapted for devices serving global markets.

The takeaway for everyone whose business is affected by the 2G and 3G network shutdowns is clear: 4G LTE — NB-IoT, LTE-M, and LTE Cat 1(bis) — is ready to pick up the slack and deliver robust connectivity for the foreseeable future, offering businesses new growth opportunities and end customers a better user experience.

*Drazen Drinic is an electrical engineer from the Technical University in Dortmund, Germany. He has over 20 years’ experience working in various product management roles in telecom infrastructure and energy and automation technology.

_{1. https://www.gsma.com/spectrum/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Legacy-mobile-network-rationalisation.pdf

2. https://northernbi.com/3g-sunset-update-for-us-and-canadian-network-carriers/}

Top image credit: iStock.com/xijian

2023–24 Thought Leaders: Dr Paul Elmes

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +1100

What opportunities do you predict for the growth of your industry in 2024?

The land mobile radio (LMR) industry is set to continue to grow in 2024 — and at least for the next decade and potentially beyond. LMR technology remains unparalleled in delivering real-time, mission-critical voice communication. This assertion may challenge the convictions of some within the telecommunications community, but this is not an attempt to undermine cellular technology. I firmly believe that both LMR and cellular technologies have their roles in ensuring the safety of emergency services and critical infrastructure workers.

Voice communication remains the primary means by which we communicate with mobile field workers. Despite the preferences amongst our younger generations, text messaging is not an effective or efficient form of communication. Voice offers a far richer medium. The human ear has evolved to detect auditory cues, such as variations in tone, pitch and volume, which can convey emotional nuances. The ability to discern emotions like fear through tone of voice is hardwired into our biology. Identifying distress in a colleague’s voice triggers an instinctive response, with potentially life-saving immediacy.

LMR networks have undergone continuous refinement over five decades, tailored to the precise needs of the public safety community. One-to-many, all-informed group communication aligns with the standard operating procedures of the emergency services. Features developed by manufacturers often find their origins in real-world use cases, with the operating requirements specified by the radio users themselves. Quality of service and quality of experience are not just defined but vigorously demanded by end users.

In contrast, cellular networks were originally designed for consumer-grade one-to-one communication. While there have been strides in developing push-to-talk and off-network capabilities, these features are yet to be proven at the coalface, so to speak. Evaluating a feature in a controlled environment is one thing, but relying on its performance when lives are on the line is an entirely different matter. Cellular technology has its place, but LMR has been forged and refined in the heat of real-world experience. It stands as the only serious choice.

What are the biggest challenges facing your industry in 2024?

The foremost challenge facing the LMR industry in 2024, as it has been for the past five decades, is the issue of interoperability, or more precisely, the lack of interoperability. Interoperability is the ability for different agencies, from different jurisdictions, to exchange voice communication on demand and in real time — usually to coordinate the response to an accident or natural disaster.

This challenge has been a known issue in Australia since the time of Cyclone Tracy’s devastation of Darwin in 1974. Subsequently, it has been repeatedly cited in inquiries and Royal Commission reports following natural disasters, particularly during the 2019–2020 bushfire season, as a significant impediment to coordinated response efforts. So what limits interoperability?

The transition from analog to digital technology has brought the adoption of open standard protocols. In Australia, public safety organisations opted for the North American P25 standard, while non-public safety entities turned to the European Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) standard as a more cost-effective alternative to P25. This divergence has led to a diverse array of user groups, including utilities, local government authorities, transportation organisations and mining operations, embracing DMR technology for their critical communications. However, there is no inherent interoperability between the P25 and DMR standards.

Moreover, due to constraints in device technology, it was not feasible until relatively recently to manufacture a single device capable of spanning the frequencies most commonly used for radio communication. The industry has thus adopted internationally recognised frequency bands. Numerous factors, including licensing regulations and spectrum availability, dictate the choice of a particular frequency band for any given network. Even when two adjacent networks use the same technology (such as P25), if their frequency bands differ, they lack native interoperability. While workarounds exist, technology choices and frequency band selections have resulted in the creation of ‘islands of operation’.

What is your company doing to make critical communication accessible and affordable in the current economy?

Tait has recently introduced the TP9800 multiband P25 and TP9700 multiband DMR radios. These devices encompass a transceiver spanning 136 to 941 MHz, thanks to advancements in semiconductor technology. These radios are expected to significantly enhance interagency and interstate radio communication, potentially rendering moot the recurrent recommendations for interoperability in the inquiry and commission reports.

Next year, Tait will release the TP9900, a multiband and multiprotocol P25 and DMR radio. With the TP9900, any first responder agency in need of interoperability between P25 and DMR can effortlessly achieve it through a mode change — simply switch from a P25 VHF channel to a DMR UHF channel, or vice versa, with the turn of a knob. The TP9900 represents a substantial stride towards eliminating the existing ‘islands of operation’ and bridging the interoperability requirements of both P25 and DMR users who need to exchange voice communication.

An engineer by training, Paul began his career as a research scientist at the UK’s Defence Evaluation and Research Agency while also completing his doctorate. Paul has a broad background across both the public and private sectors, holding senior positions in government, education and commercial enterprises. Paul has held senior product management roles at Tait Communications; most recently, he was the VP of Product Management, responsible for Tait’s global product portfolio.