National Security/Emergency Preparedness Priority Telecommunications Services  Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS)  Wireless Priority Service (WPS)  Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Lee Johnson Outreach Coordinator NCS Priority Services National Communications System

2  The NCS works with the telecommunications industry to develop and deploy National Security and Emergency Preparedness Telecommunications Services  Priority telecommunications services are available to qualifying federal, state, local, and tribal government, and industry organizations

3 Problem: During an Emergency, Mass Calling Causes Network Congestion Congestion at many points! Local Switch Public Network Mobile Switch Home PBX Office Fax Satellite.. Cell PBX.. Demonstration

4 Recent GETS/WPS Experience  Damaged and Inoperative (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama)  More than 3 million customer phone lines  More than 1,000 cell sites  centers  33 central offices  During the period 29 Aug – 9 Sep, there were 32,829 GETS calls into or out of the Gulf Coast region.  The New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas originated 33% of all calls and were the final destination for 26%  There were 3204 attempted WPS calls Hurricane Katrina (29 August 2005)

5 Hurricane Rita and the Texas Coast Evacuation  Heavy public calling out of area to families, friends, hotels  Once the evacuation was underway, motorists made extraordinarily heavy use of Cell Phones  TELCO networks invoked Automatic Network Management Controls – limiting inbound traffic  Calls into 7 Area Codes begin to get “Fast Busy” 3 days before Hurricane Rita impacted the coast Network Congestion!

6 Solutions: The GETS Calling Card and Wireless Priority Service GETS is an emergency calling card service that can be used from virtually any telephone to provide priority for emergency calls WPS is an add-on feature subscribed on a per cellphone basis – works with existing cell phones in WPS equipped networks

7 GETS Overview 1.Dial GETS Access Number from any phone ( ).. 2. Network routes call to a GETS Carrier. As you are prompted, enter your PIN then Destination Number 3. Network routes your call to the Destination Number Local Switch Public Network Home PBX Office Fax Satellite.. Cell PBX.. Use GETS whenever you hear a fast busy signal, “All circuits busy” announcement, or otherwise cannot complete your call Mobile Switch

8 Making a GETS Call GETS Access Number Toll Free number for each GETS carrier (backup) Toll Free User Assistance number (24x7) 12 Digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) 1.Dial GETS Access Number 2.Listen for tone, then enter your PIN (do not enter # after last digit) 3.Listen for voice prompt: “Please enter your destination number now.” 4.Enter the destination number (omit the 1 before the area code) 5.You will hear an announcement “You are using GETS, AT&T/MCI/Sprint” 6.Network will route your call to the destination telephone number User Name and Organization Periods of silence are normal – particularly if call is queued during heavy congestion. Calls may take 30 to 90 seconds to complete

9 WPS Overview 1. WPS is an add-on feature subscribed on a per-cell phone basis – works with existing cell phones in WPS equipped networks 2. To make a WPS call, enter  272 followed by the Destination Number then press SEND WPS addresses congestion in the wireless segment of the network – most importantly the local radio access channel WPS Mobile Switch.. PBX PSTN.. 

10 Making a WPS Call Periods of continuous ringing and/or silence may occur – particularly if call is queued at several points during heavy congestion. Calls may take 30 to 90 seconds to complete 1.Confirm radio signal 2.Enter  destination telephone number and push SEND key (example:  SEND ) 3.Network will route call to the destination telephone number Screen messages vary among carriers and mobile phone models. WPS calls show same screen messages as regular calls While WPS calls are in queue screen message usually displays “Calling + Destination Number” Audible alerts vary among carriers and mobile phone models During WPS call set-up you may hear alternating periods of ringing and silence Busy signal, announcement, or extended silence indicates call cannot complete

11 Recent GETS/WPS Experience  Damaged and Inoperative (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama)  More than 3 million customer phone lines  More than 1,000 cell sites  centers  33 central offices  During the period 29 Aug – 9 Sep, there were 32,829 GETS calls into or out of the Gulf Coast region. 95% routed successfully.  The New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas originated 33% of all calls and were the final destination for 26%  There were 3204 attempted WPS calls (93%) were assigned a radio channel Hurricane Katrina (29 August 2005)

12 Hurricane Rita and the Texas Coast Evacuation  Heavy public calling out of area to families, friends, hotels  Once the evacuation was underway, motorists made extraordinarily heavy use of Cell Phones  TELCO networks invoked Automatic Network Management Controls – limiting inbound traffic  Calls into 7 Area Codes begin to get “Fast Busy” 3 days before Hurricane Rita impacted the coast  GETS and WPS  272 calls went through immediately from NCS North Texas location every time Network Congestion!

13 CircumstanceCalling FromUse Network congestion in local areaLandline* Network congestion at called locationLandline* No or slow dial tone on landlineLandline*Don’t hang up – wait at least 30 seconds for dial tone Network congestion in local areaCell phone Network congestion at called locationCell phoneor Network congestion at called locationSatellite phone GETS call doesn’t completeLandline or Cell phone Try different GETS carrier via Toll Free Number WPS call doesn’t completeCell phone WPS + GETS call doesn’t completeCell phoneDial  Toll Free Number for different GETS carrier Using GETS and WPS during an Emergency See back of GETS card for GETS and WPS Instructions * May need to dial 9 or other code for outside line

14 Locations/Functions  EOC Work Stations  Back-up EOC  City and County Operations Centers  PSAPs (911 Center)  Computer/IT Center  Police/Fire Dispatch  City/County Yards  Remote Offices/Stations  Power/Pump Stations  Shelters  Command Vehicles Who Should have GETS/WPS Organizations  Cities/Counties/States/Districts  Offices of Emergency Services  Police/Sheriff/Fire  Water and Power, Telecom  Public Works  Irrigation Districts/Flood Control  Public Health  Hospitals/Medical Services  Transit Agencies  Ports/Airports  Utilities/Transportation and other Industries  Search and Rescue  School and College Districts  Red Cross/Volunteer Agencies  Critical Infrastructure Suppliers  Other Agencies included in County Emergency Management Plans Individuals  Mayor, Council Members, Supervisors  City Manager and staff  Media Relations  OES Management and staff  Police/Fire Chiefs and staff  Police/Fire Field Command  Department Heads and staff  Team leaders  Subject matter experts/trained specialists  Individuals with an Emergency Preparedness and Response role.

15 Budgeting for Priority Services GETS  No charge for GETS cards  For organizations outside the Federal government, billing information is required to establish an account for GETS calls 10 cents/min). You will not normally be billed for:  Calls to confirm receipt of individual GETS cards  Test calls to the familiarization line ( )  Legitimate GETS usage in response to emergencies WPS  Ordered on a per-phone basis through the NCS  Now available: Cingular/AT&T, Nextel, T-Mobile, SouthernLINC  Planned: Verizon in 2006, Sprint in 2007  Per phone charge not to exceed $4.50/month and a $10 one-time set-up, plus no more than 75 cents per minute when WPS is invoked  Billed by the carrier on the cellphone invoice/bill

16 Order GETS and WPS on-line Establish on- line account Identify POC and Alternate Determine GETS/WPS Users Go On-line to Order GETS/WPS Note: Federal POC’s are already established for some organizations

17 Problem: During an Emergency, Critical Services May Experience Outages Damaged facilities and service problems can affect communications!  Emergency Operations Center  911 PSAP  IT Center  Critical Facilities Telecommunications Service Providers Circuits

18 Solution: Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP)  FCC mandated program - applies to all telecommunications service providers  Restoration Priority ensures restoration before non-TSP users  Provisioning Priority facilitates priority installation of new telecommunications services in a shorter than normal interval  Implementing TSP:  Download TSP Service User Manual and the TSP Service Request Form (Form 315)  Establish an on-line TSP account by going to  Determine candidate services  Request a TSP Code for each service via on-line TSP account  Upon approval, the NCS assigns a TSP code for each service  TSP is then ordered through your Service Provider TSP must be set-up in advance – before an emergency or disaster occurs

19 Is Your Agency Fully Prepared?  Are GETS/WPS/TSP part of your agency’s Emergency Planning, Preparation, and Drills?  Where can GETS/WPS/TSP augment existing emergency communications capabilities?  Which individuals, locations, and functions are candidates for GETS, WPS, and TSP?

20 Emergency Preparedness Challenge “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” - Yogi Berra

21 Resources For more information: For Assistance setting up on-line Accounts and ordering: Priority Telecommunications Service Center:  8am to 6pm Eastern Time  follow voice prompts for each service Regional Outreach Coordinator – Midwest/Mountain Lee Johnson / (Cell) National Communications System

22 How GETS Works Calls to the GETS Access Numbers are identified by local landline or mobile switch for HPC Treatment   Toll Free to each carrier (3)  Priority Telecom Service Center  User Assistance line (7 x 24)  NS/EP Call Marking  Signaling Priority  Alternate Carrier Routing High Probability of Completion (HPC) Features  Trunk Queuing  Exemption from Network Management Controls Calls route to one of the 3 GETS Carriers for:  PIN Validation  Destination Number  Routing to destination switch Calls complete via local landline or mobile switch  Origination to destination HPC treatment  Terminating Radio Channel Queuing in WPS FOC cellular networks.. Local Switch PIN Validation Input Destination Number Local Switch.. Mobile Switch Calling Party Called Party Mobile Switch

23 How WPS Works WPS adds Radio Channel Queuing between the mobile phone and base station and High Probability of Completion (HPC) features to Cellular Networks Originating Radio Channel Queuing  Provides priority access to radio channels when placing a cellular call  Requires WPS subscription and entering  Destination Number Terminating Radio Channel Queuing  Provides priority access to radio channels on inward NS/EP calls (WPS or GETS)  Requires WPS Full Operational Capability in the terminating Mobile Switch  Called Mobile Phone DOES NOT have to be subscribed to WPS WPS Equipped Mobile Switches  Treats WPS calls same as GETS calls, giving them NS/EP marking  Provides same HPC features as GETS without having to dial GETS access number and PIN  Long distance WPS calls are routed through HPC capable networks of the GETS carriers or Cellular carriers  Local calls route directly to local carriers Radio Channel QueuingHPC.. Other Cellular Service Providers Calling Party Called Party WPS Mobile Switch

24 Order GETS and WPS on-line 1.Identify a Point of Contact (POC) and Alternate to manage GETS/WPS for your organization 2.Have POC/Alternate POC go to Select first time requestor on left-side menu; then state, local, and tribal governmentwww.gets.ncs.gov  Follow step by step instructions to establish Point of Contact Account for POC and Alternate. They will receive User IDs, Passwords, and personal GETS cards within 10 days  POC and Alternate should review GETS/WPS information on Websites, familiarize themselves with on-line ordering system, and make GETS test calls 3.Determine which individuals, locations, and functions need GETS and WPS (use GETS/WPS User Data Sheet available from Outreach Coordinators) 4.POC/Alternate orders users’ GETS and WPS on-line  GETS cards with instructions are mailed to POC’s address  WPS subscription activation is confirmed by to POC Establish on- line account Identify POC and Alternate Determine GETS/WPS Users Go On-line to Order GETS/WPS Note: Federal POC’s are already established for some organizations

25 Managing GETS and WPS  Establish an appropriate number of POC accounts for your organization  Some cities/counties have 1 POC, others have separate POCs for Police, Fire, EOC, etc.  You can add/consolidate POC accounts and change POCs as needs dictate  Issue GETS cards with NCS provided User and Pocket Guides  Individuals: emphasize need to carry card at all times  Location/Functions: place card in accessible location with instructions  After WPS activation contact each user to confirm that WPS is working by having them make a test call  Be sure each user regularly makes GETS/WPS test calls  Use the on-line system to review GETS usage, perform administrative tasks, and to place orders or cancel GETS and WPS  Be sure to include GETS and WPS in your emergency procedures and exercises