Interoperability, Interworking, Sharing Risto Toikkanen Beijing November

Various dimensions of Interoperability - Global important issue in Public Safety & Security Organisational interoperability –Between agencies/organisations –Between people Regional interoperability –Between regions –Across national borders Technical interoperability –Between equipment The scope of this presentation

English language terms used in Europe Interworking: - Communication capability between two (different) systems Interoperability: 1.System interconnect to allow roaming & feature transparency 2.Technical interoperability of multi-sourced equipment This presentation does not try to follow this terminology literally

Why is interoperability so hot topic today? The world is changing 1.The world is not becoming an easier place to live in –Natural disasters –Man-made disasters –Increased requirements for efficiency 2.Communication technologies are developing –With old analogue FM radios interworking was easier (if common frequencies were available) –But new technology also provides much better tools for managed cooperation

Number of disasters is increasing Source: GSM Association: The role of mobiles in disasters and emergencies

And so is the number of terrorist incidents Source: GSM Association: The role of mobiles in disasters and emergencies

Organisational dimension Organisational interoperability: “Capability for agencies to communicate with each other” –On a daily basis –In emergency situations What makes it difficult? –Legislation and/or regulation –Operating procedures & practices –Information security –Radio spectrum –Incompatible equipment

Inter-regional interoperability: “Capability for peer agencies to communicate across borders” –Between regions –(Across national borders) –New dimension: cross-agency & cross border What makes it difficult? –Legislation and/or regulation –Politics –Operating procedures & practices –Information security –Radio spectrum –Incompatible technologies/equipment Inter-regional dimension In Europe the cross-border interoperability is a requirement. In Europe the cross-border interoperability is a requirement.

Technology dimension Technical interoperability: “Process to ensure that equipment from multiple vendors are compatible” –Problem-free operation –Wanted functionality –In practice it is about protocol conformance What makes it difficult? –Standardisation –Standard conformance –Verification and certification –Competitive environment –Customer preferences –Backward compatibility This is covered by another presentation

Organisational interoperability: solutions Operating procedures –Agreements –Training Dedicated radio channels (mutual aid) –Common technical specification –Agreed procedures Radio spectrum harmonisation –In some form this is a must Technology harmonisation – standards –Necessary to gain radio compatibility Shared networks –By far the most efficient tool –Requires high-tech system to ensure privacy –Both operational benefit and cost benefit = BEST RESULT

Regional interoperability: solutions 1. Political & organisational readiness 2A. Conventional technical measures –Extra equipment like mobile phones –Extended coverage across border or repeaters –Control room interconnect by wireline –Radio swap between control rooms –Radio swap between users 2B. Network interconnect –Gateways –TETRA Inter-System Interface (ISI)

Sharing a network Now common practice with TETRA in Public Safety –Requires VPN and controlled privacy –Services and parameters per user organisation –Fleet & service management per user organisation Leads to big savings in CAPEX & OPEX Leads to nationwide high-capacity networks –TETRA has shown that it can perform –Nationwide networks Belgium, Finland The Netherlands, United Kingdom, …

Shared multi-agency network is an optimum solution for authority communication All agencies share the same TETRA network instead of having their own separate networks The wider, the better: nationwide, province wide, city wide All authorities retain their privacy with VPN (Virtual private Network) technology provided by TETRA Fire Dept Hospitals First aid Rescue Fast responders Police

Benefits of shared TETRA network for everybody Cost savings through shared use Enables efficient co-operation between authorities, yet retains privacy Equal communication readiness everywhere No barriers caused by incompatible technologies, because all authorities use same technology Seamless integration with ‘112/911’ emergency response centres and early warning centres for better coordination of operations Improved emergency preparedness for the safety of the citizens

Conclusions Interworking between users of existing radio networks can be improved by using telephone lines, mobile phones, gateways, analogue trunk lines etc arrangements –But the achieved level of functionality is limited Shared government networks give the best protection to citizens at lower total cost than building many systems -The technology needs to provide secure and managed sharing of resources and privacy as wanted -With TETRA systems this is reality today

Thank You