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Voice&Data - GoldBook

Radio Trunking: Time to Go Digital Technology Options ANALOG protocols: Smartnet: This supports a set of features for the public safety market. These include better security, emergency signaling, dynamic regrouping, and remote radio monitoring. The protocol can support 328 channels, thousands of users, up to 4,000 talkgroups, single site, APCO 16, and analog and/or digital voice. The bands supported are: UHF, VHF, 800 MHz, and 900 MHz. Logical trunked radio (LTR): LTR systems typically do not have a dedicated control channel. Each repeater has its own controller, and all the controllers are synchronized together. Even though each controller monitors its own channel, one of the channel controllers is assigned to be the master to which all controllers report to. Each of these controllers send out a data burst every 10 seconds, so that the subscriber units know that the system is there. Two flavors of LTR systems are available today: LTR Regular Systemstypically designed for SMR type operations, business, etc LTR MultiNet Systems: These offer a complete set of features for the public safety market. Features include an emergency system access switch, the ability to set priority levels, priority queuing, and the ability to operate in the conventional mode if the need arises.

EDACS: EDACS systems are generally used in captive radio trunking networks. The handsets are very bulky. EDACS sites do not rely on a central controller for continuous trunking operations. In normal operations, a central controller controls the trunking operation of a site. When the central controller fails, trunking cards located in each base station control trunking operations at the site. When this happens, some non-critical features are lost, but radio users generally do not notice a difference in operation as basic trunking is unaffected. Every working channel in an EDACS network can carry different kinds of traffic, including analog and digital voice calls, encrypted voice calls, mobile data transmissions, and telephone interconnection calls. The network uses a digital control channel operating at 9.6 kbps. This technology reportedly offers fast channel access and channel drop times. The most basic EDACS system can be expanded to include additional features. The technology is available in the VHF, UHF, 800 MHz and 900 MHz bands, and in wideband and narrowband configurations. MPT 1327: It is an industry standard for trunked radio communications networks and is semidigital in nature. Developed in 1988 by the British Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), it is primarily used in the UK, Europe, South Africa, and Australia. Systems based on MPT 1327 generally consist of several radio channels. At least one of these

Voice&Data - GoldBook channels is defined as the control channel (CC) while all other channels are known as traffic channels (TCs). Data messages between mobiles and the network are exchanged on the CC at 1,200 bps. Each subscriber in an MPT-1327 trunked radio network has a unique call number. It consists of a prefix (three digits), the fleet number (four digits) and the subscribers call number within the fleet (two or three digits). After it has been entered, the call number will be converted in the mobile to a 20-bit address. For the duration of this call, a subscriber is exclusively allocated a TC from the available trunk. This is primarily used in captive networks.
Digital Protocols: In India, IDEN and TETRA are the two digital technologies being examined by the operators planning to migrate to digital systems. While IDEN is a proprietary technology, TETRA is an open-industry protocol. IDEN: First introduced in 1994, this technology offers business workers with four services in one handset, including: Two-way radio, which allows users to rapidly communicate with one person or a large group. Telephone interconnect provides full-duplex telephone capabilities, including voice mail, call hold, call waiting and call forwarding. Alphanumeric messaging displays 14-character messages on a multi-line screen, with message alerting and one-button call back. Data/fax transmission offers Internet microbrowse packet data, two-way messaging with IP address and wireless modem functionality.

The IDEN technology offers frequent communications within a mobile workforce or a workforce in multiple office/plant locations. IDEN is capable of holding a conference with up to 100 people, allowing users to quickly access and use the collective knowledge of co-workers for solving business problems. The technologys messaging capabilities include voice messaging, text messaging and numeric paging. The units display icons explain what type of message is waiting and when it was sent. Alphanumeric messages enable users to receive messages even if a unit has been turned off, messages are stored in the network and forwarded once a handset is turned back pushing the send key. Features such as call waiting, call forwarding, no-answer transfer, busy transfer, call restrictions and voice mail are offered through the digital cellular phone capability. Motorola developed a voice corder technology that compresses voice signals into digital packets of informations that are time assigned, transmitted and received on the network. The vocoder, vecto sum excited linear predictors (VSELP), compresses voice signals to reduce the transmission rate. TETRA: This is the new standard for digital trunked radio systems, which is changing the nature of the professional mobile radio business. The standard is defined by ETSI to meet the needs of

Voice&Data - GoldBook the most demanding professional mobile radio users in their dynamically evolving environment.
The salient features of this new protocol include: Specified in open standards Efficient use of the available spectrum Internetworking with other communications networks via standard interfaces Support for wide area roaming Call hand-off between calls Virtual network environment, which allows an organization to share a common physical network with others, yet maintain privacy and have full control over its own communications functions Capacity of over 16 million identities per network; over 16 thousand networks per country Direct mode operation (DMO), which allows communication between mobiles without the network. DMO supports repeater and gateway functions to increase coverage

TETRA is still under trial, and Dolphin, the only operator which commercially launched it in UK and Germany, has filed for bankruptcy. TETRA handsets are priced prohibitively. APCO 25: APCO-25 is a project headed by The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials to create a common architecture for two-way digital radio technology. APCO-25 defines the standards that two-way digital radio communications networks will use, so that interoperability is a success and effective bandwidth utilization is maintained. It also defines technical standards, such as Vocoder, bandwidth, and signaling. The primary goal of APCO-25 digital modulation is to reduce bandwidth requirements for public safety communications, not to prevent scanner listeners from hearing communications. This protocol is primarily used by law enforcement agencies.
Consulting Board Chandramouli Sarma, general manager, Omnitalk Rajen Kaul, CEO, Arya Communications & Electronics Services Sanjay Srivastava, CEO, Smart Mobile Vinayak Murthy, deputy general manager (telecom services), India Satcom

Buying Tips

Voice&Data - GoldBook Choosing a public mobile radio trunking service (PMRTS) operator is often difficult as there are only a handful of players in this market. Following are some of the key parameters that will help you make the right choice:
Coverage: Look for the number of live systems/base stations your operator has in place. The location of the operators base station is also important, since coverage depends a lot on the location and height of the tower/mast. Operators footprint in the country: This will play a crucial role once PSTN interconnectivity is allowed. User can get the facility of wide area roaming in cities where the operator has its presence with telephone interconnect. Handset pricing: Since the service charges are fairly consistent among all operators, look at the subsidy being offered by the operator on the handset. This is important because of the fact that radios are not available in the general market and the user will have to buy it through the operator. For organizations where security is the prime concern and who have a requirement of more than 150 handsets, captive system is the way to go. If corporates have a small requirement, say less than 50 handsets, it would be ideal to hook on to the PMRTS systems operating in their locations and go live right away. Now, with frequency clearances being very difficult to come by, this is the most logical step. Choosing turnkey service provider: When you choose a turnkey service provider, select the one that will cater to the entire hardware and software needs of the RF networkright from site survey, to installation and commissioning. The turnkey partner should take care of not only system planning and installation, but also do smaller tasks like installation of masts and construction of shelters and buildings. Requirement analysis: This has to be meticulous in terms of the area to be covered, number of portable handsets and mobile units to be purchased, etc. The choice of handset will depend on three parametersfeatures, requirement and cost. As for the infrastructure equipment requirement, a private system can support 60 handsets per channel on the digital front and 90 on the analog front. Government clearance and installation: The turnkey service provider has to get the SACFA clearance for setting up the network. One has to get clearances from 28 other departments, including Central Bureau of Investigation, Ministry of Railways, defence forces, the concerned municipal corporation, and Airports Authority, before setting up radio links. Infrastructure equipment comprises master switching center (MSO), base station, operation management control, antennae, RF cables, and trunk site controller. Market Information The PMRTS industry in India is still a small and fragmented sector. As a niche segment, this

Voice&Data - GoldBook industry has managed to attract some attention, with DoT finally coming out with guidelines for the migration of existing operators to digital technology and allowing PSTN and inter-site connectivity. Once these guidelines are translated into policy, the process of consolidation in the industry is expected to be catalyzed.
During the fiscal 2000-01, the total PMRTS subscriber base was 24,345, a 26 percent growth as compared to 19,269 in the fiscal 1999-2000. But this was not in step with the global trend, as elsewhere the radio trunking industry is estimated to be around 1 percent of the total cellular market.
Service Providers at a Glance
Service Provider Footprint Tech nolog y GPS services, Smart messaging net LTR LTR GPS and data transfer applications Provides GPS services Highlights

Arya Only operator present in all four metros. Also operational in Communica Vizag, Indoor, Jamnagar and Pune tions India Satcom Omnitalk Smart Mobile Bangalore Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Baroda and Surat

Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Jaipur, Provides GPS based Ludhiana, and Jalandhar Smart services net

There was a positive change in the revenue front as well, a growth from Rs 29.75 crore in 19992000 to Rs 35.80 crore in 2000-01. That this services segment is maturing was evident from the fact that services formed 70 percent of the revenue, as against 10 percent of radio handset sales. The average price of a mobile radio trunking handset during the fiscal 1999-2000 was Rs 15,000 while the total handset market stood at Rs 10.65 crore. According to the guidelines of DoT, the existing operators will be allowed to migrate to digital technology and will be given preference for migration. Fresh licenses will be considered after verifying the requirement of frequency spectrum in particular service areas. Many PMRTS operators feel that the current subscriber base is too small for digital MRTS service to be commercially viable. An operator should have enough subscribers for a minimum of 25 to 30 channels in each licensed area. Another hurdle is that the existing subscribers on analog systems will necessarily have to procure digital radios to avail of the services. Since digital radios are prohibitively priced, many of them may not be willing to continue MRTS services at such additional costs. Then there is stiff competition from technologies such as WLL and CDMA. However, there is a business case for digital PMR technologies. This will enable operators to

Voice&Data - GoldBook offer a suite of value-added services and the handsets will be more easier to operate, with contemporary looks. In India, Smart Mobile is planning to migrate to IDEN, while Arya and India Satcom are closely examining TETRA. Omnitalk is also weighing the options, waiting for more cheap digital technologies to come into the market.
The DoT guideline stipulates that the license fee for commercial PMRTS system shall be 5 percent of the adjusted gross revenue. Operators feel that this is flawed, since, unlike basic or cellular services, MRTS subscribers cannot procure handsets from the general market. Radio handsets can be bought only through operators, and PMRTS providers subsidize handset prices. Operators are now lobbying with the government to exclude handsets from AGR. For captive PMRTS systems, the license fee will be Rs 300 per annum per terminal, with a minimum of Rs 25,000 per annum per licensed area.

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