Software Defined Radio for Public Safety

communicationsGovernment Services, Incorporated

Software Defined Radio for Software Defined Radio for Public SafetyPublic Safety

Presentation to the National Conference on Emergency Communication

13 December 2005Fred Frantz

Director, Law Enforcement Programs, L-3 GSIChair, Software Defined Radio Forum Public Safety Special Interest

Group

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OutlineOutline

• Background

• Potential benefits of software defined radio technology for emergency communication

• Critical issues in technology development and deployment

• Future steps


Background - 1Background - 1

• L-3 GSI activities funded by the National Institute of Justice CommTech Program– CommTech program goal is facilitate

development and deployment of communications technology to (primarily) state and local public safety personnel/first responders

• Voice over IP• Advanced wireless data• Non-terrestrial communications• Software defined radios• Cognitive radios


Background – 2Background – 2

• What is software defined radio?– Technologies that enable reconfigurable system

architectures for wireless networks and user terminals (SDR Forum)

– E.g., technology that implements control of radio operating parameters (frequency, modulation type, power, etc.) in software.


Work with SDR ForumWork with SDR Forum

• SDR Forum – international consortium of organizations dedicated to advancing SDR technology

• Established the Public Safety Special Interest Group– Representation includes public safety organizations, traditional

public safety LMR vendors, commercial companies, regulators, military

• Over past year the Public Safety SIG has been drafting a report analyzing issues associated with developing SDR technology for public safety


SDR Technology for Public SDR Technology for Public SafetySafety

• Today’s public safety radios are SDRs—providing multi-protocol radios– Conventional, legacy, P25

• Beyond multi-protocol– Multi-band– Multi-service– Cognitive applications


Potential Benefits of SDR for Potential Benefits of SDR for Public SafetyPublic Safety

• Seamless interoperability– Multi-band– Multi-service

• Support for highly dynamic networks• Support for “system of system”

• Life cycle cost reduction– Reduce cost of upgrading and reprogramming– Simplify technology upgrades

• Foundation for cognitive applications that can yield performance enhancements


Technical Challenges—Antennas Technical Challenges—Antennas and Front Endsand Front Ends

• Portable multi-band antennas across VHF/UHF/800

• Size/weight/power constraints on processing in portable devices

• Support for processing across broad range of frequency bands

• Support for processing across diverse services– Linear vs non-linear wave issues may limit types of modes that can be

cost-effectively implemented in single device


Technical Challenges—Technical Challenges—SecuritySecurity

• Capabilities such as potential over-the-air reprogramming add significant security challenges– Interoperability could be impacted if security

regimes are not coordinated/interoperable


Technical Challenges—Technical Challenges—StandardsStandards

• Role of additional standards in public safety SDRs is open question– Traditional approach in public safety such as

P25 defines standard interface between devices, between systems, between device and infrastructure

– Alternative such as JTRS SCA defines standard interfaces within a device


Technical Challenge—Cognitive Technical Challenge—Cognitive ApplicationsApplications

• Focus on performance enhancement– For example, adjust waveform parameters to

adjust to dynamic RF environment

• Spectrum sharing requires significantly more spectrum utilization data– No comprehensive studies of spectrum

utilization have been done to look at spectrum utilization across public safety and non-public safety bands during major events and incidents


Where Are We Headed?Where Are We Headed?

– SDR Forum Public Safety SIG Report scheduled for completion in January, 2006

• Multi-band capabilities are on the near-term horizon– NIJ currently working multi-band operational pilot to collect

operational lessons learned– NIJ currently sponsoring and soliciting R&D in multi-band SDRs

• Multi-service capabilities will require some additional refinement of functional requirements within marketplace

• Cognitive applications will be overlaid over time


So What Does This Mean for So What Does This Mean for Emergency Communications?Emergency Communications?

• SDR multi-band radios can address multi-band interoperability issues– Does not directly address the issues of legacy

proprietary systems

• Future capabilities such as multi-service SDRs and cognitive performance enhancing capabilities on the horizon

Software Defined Radio for Public Safety

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