Recommendations and Next Steps

Three major types of recommendations are made throughout this report: technology research, cost models, and outreach. These recommendations are further discussed below.

6.2.1.1 Technology Research

The Public Safety SIG supports and encourages investments by government research programs and manufacturers to address the issues listed below:

1. Develop and deploy SDR technology that enhances public safety interoperability, especially for the radios’ front-end and high-speed sampling devices that will improve the performance/cost ratio for developing multi-band radios. (Section 3.1) 2. Identify the feasibility, technical issues, and cost trade-offs associated with

implementing multi-service radios, which include, but are not limited to, the combined implementation of the modulations (including linear), protocols, infrastructure, network, and regulatory implications. (Section 3.1)

3. More explicitly define how SDR technology can support the implementation and adoption of the P25 ISSI and how the ISSI might eventually be enhanced to support and exploit SDR capabilities. (Section 3.2)

4. Develop SDR technology that supports seamless migration of devices, authentication, and handling of encrypted information across systems. (Section 3.2)

5. Develop regulatory regimes needed to effectively implement standards, particularly as part of the cost/benefit trade-off analysis of an IDIS. (Section 4.2)

6. Assess the feasibility of a version or variant of the SCA that would meet device requirements (processing, memory, power, and so on) for public safety. The Public Safety SIG should support the ongoing work in the SDR Forum to investigate an “SCA-light.” (Section 4.2)

7. Assess the feasibility of an IDIS designed specifically for public safety application but not based on the SCA. (Section 4.2)

8. Engage appropriate standards organizations (e.g., TIA, ETSI, IEEE, OMG) as part of the process of assessing standards feasibility. If feasibility can be established, identify and develop standards. (Section 4.2)

9. Conduct additional research to identify the appropriate role of standards for software downloading. (Section 4.2)

10. Collect, document, and analyze additional spectrum usage monitoring data. (Section 4.3)

11. Delineate security requirements, beginning with a systems development life cycle model, to promote the development of appropriate architectures and secure systems. (Section 4.5)

12. Identify methods for integrating the P25 security architecture with SDR security architectures to ensure intra-device communication. (Section 4.5)

13. Develop key management and infrastructure options for the public safety community. (Section 4.5)

14. Work with groups such as the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) Security Architecture Committee and TR-8 to address security requirements and potential solutions to security issues. (Section 4.5)

6.2.1.2 Cost Models

1. Develop cost models for the terminals and infrastructure in the public safety domain to better understand the benefits versus cost trade-offs of implementing SDR in each of these devices. (Section 4.1)

2. Develop cost models for intra-device radio standards in the public safety domain. (Section 4.2)

3. Develop cost models for various multi-band and multi-service radios in the public safety domain to determine which combinations are most cost effective. (Section 4.4)

4. Develop individual cost models for phases of the radio system life cycle including:

(1) manufacturing, (2) user training, (3) routine system maintenance, (4) remote software downloads (including productivity improvements and additional manufacturing costs), and (5) system transitions. Once these five issues have been addressed, a more complete cost model for SDR technology can be developed. (Section 5)

5. Perform additional analysis on the cost trade-offs of various alternative public safety requirements. Characterize cost trade-offs for both individual units as well as overall system cost. Cost models reflecting the current national priority on enhancing first responder communications and the cost avoidance of improving interoperability also need to be characterized. (Section 5)

6. Build a Public Safety Business Case Model to a similar level of detail as the Business Case for Commercial Services (see Appendix B), noting that SDR can create new business cases and business models. (Section 5)

6.2.1.3 Outreach

1. Public Safety SIG should work with the public safety community to help determine the operational implications of the capabilities of SDRs and develop materials to assist in the dissemination of the information to public safety users. (Section 3.1) 2. The public safety community needs to investigate any possible synergies with other

users of frequencies at or near the public safety bands. (Section 4.4)

3. Enhance participation in the SDR Forum and other educational venues to better understand the benefits versus cost trade-offs of SDR technology.

6.2.2. Next Steps for the Public Safety SIG

1. Continue to monitor developments in the military’s GIG program (Section 2.3) and E2R (Section 2.4).

2. Continue to support the development of end user communities’ participation in the SDR Forum. (Section 3.3)

3. Follow this report with a review of the updates to the Public Safety Statement of Requirements document to confirm/update this analysis with respect to the revised and detailed requirements. (Section 3.4)

4. Approach Project MESA to determine whether there is a mutual benefit in reviewing this report based on the already defined Project MESA requirements. We anticipate that this dialogue would be maintained informally through the public safety representatives that support both Project MESA and the Public Safety SIG. (Section 3.4)

5. Engage TIA, ETSI, IEEE, and OMG in discussions regarding the feasibility of standards for SDR technology. (Section 4.2)

6. The Public Safety SIG should monitor and assist in the SDR Forum’s work on definitions. Responses relating to definitions and terminology should be referred to the relevant SDR Forum groups (Cognitive Radio WG and Cognitive Applications SIG) for inclusion in their ongoing work program. (Section 4.3)

7. The SDR Forum should devote continued emphasis on studies and promotion of these technologies to ensure that the developers of these technologies are cognizant of the public safety community’s requirements. (Section 4.4).