Alcatel-Lucent trials US first responders 4G LTE public safety mobile broadband network in Las Vegas

Alcatel-Lucent and the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, along with the Nevada Department of Transportation and other first responders, conducted a six-month trial of a 4G LTE public safety network in a designated section of the city of Las Vegas in the United States.

The trial used spectrum allocated to the First Responders Network Authority (FirstNet), an independent authority set up by the United States government’s Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration to facilitate the building of a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network.

FirstNet is permitting trials with its dedicated 700MHz spectrum on a limited basis to gain valuable and necessary input for the planning of the nationwide network rollout. By using real-time video, vehicle tracking, WiFi, multiple devices and other data access and communications tools, organisations can quickly and securely obtain and share detailed information in day-to-day emergency situations. This will provide an integrated approach and improve the services that these organizations deliver to their communities.

The trial featured 4G LTE public safety mobile broadband technology from Alcatel-Lucent to provide the first responders with the ability to gain insight into the use and benefits of mobile broadband with several new capabilities as well as use of key existing systems.

The 700MHz Band 14 spectrum was provided by FirstNet, the independent authority set up by the U.S as a response to the attacks of 9/11. It demonstrated the need to improve communication interoperability between public safety entities. Lack of information by first responders and interoperability among public safety organisations can hinder the response time in emergencies where seconds count.

The 4G LTE trial was part of an ultra-broadband network design that enables real-time use of video gathered from the Las Vegas area, collaboration, real-time vehicle tracking, remote office applications, WiFi and a secure virtual private network (VPN) to trial participants.

A key trial milestone of demonstrating these capabilities to Las Vegas area Law Enforcement Agencies was successfully completed in October 2013. Alcatel-Lucent provided an LTE eNodeB, a 7705 SAR-8 service aggregation router, a 5620 service aware manager (SAM),a local serving/packet data network gateway, and a hosted LTE core to provide coverage and deliver advanced IP services.

Technologies from members of Alcatel-Lucent’s external linkngConnect Program, (an ecosystem of companies delivering anytime, anywhere access, across all devices and networks) assisting in the trial include:

• Axis Communications for its ruggedised, vibration-resistant AXIS M3114-R fixed dome network camera to provide 720p HDTV-quality video, embedded active tampering alarm and multiple H.264 and motion JPEG streams
• CalAmp Fusion broadband multi-network LTE/FirstNet ready router with WiFi enables real-time access to mission-critical information for collaboration and decision-making to improve response time and increase security
• Cassidian Communications broadband vehicle router 700 deployed in both vehicles and buildings to provide secure  connectivity (WiFi or Ethernet) for a wide variety of commercially available devices and applications to the LTE Band 14 network
• LiveViewGPS Live Trac G5 vehicle tracker for GPS vehicle tracking
• Mutualink interoperable communications solution for inter-agency resource-sharing of voice, video and data among participating agencies, including mobile deployment
• Vidyo HD multipoint videoconferencing with LTE, 3G networks and smartphones to enhance collaboration and decision-making – HD multipoint videoconferencing on any device with LTE, 3G and WiFi networks to enhance collaboration and decision-making.

Michael Barnbeck, director, radio systems bureau, of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said: “This trial demonstrated how an IP-based 4G LTE network can leverage resources and use officers more efficiently through the use of an interoperable, high-speed mobile broadband network.

Three separate critical first responder agencies have the ability to access their own data and provide real-time sharing between dispatch and first responders at an incident. “The trial also highlighted how information sharing in a secure, controlled manner between multiple first responder agencies to more effectively respond to a specific incident is enabled with this LTE network and can involve additional support from private sector entities on an ad hoc basis, such as accessing private video cameras in real time to monitor an incident.”

Fred Scalera, director, public safety strategies of Alcatel-Lucent, said: “For more than ten years Alcatel-Lucent and Bell Labs have been promoting the use of open standards-compliant commercial broadband technology to build a nationwide interoperable public safety network. Our work with the departments in Las Vegas is another step closer to our country having that network. “Also, with our Public Safety LTE solution at the centre of the trial we are delivering ultra broadband and advanced IP networking functionality with flexibility and speed, which is a key element of our recently announced ‘Shift Plan’ strategy.”