Advanced communication framework for video quality in public safety

Abstract

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long-term Evolution (LTE) cellular network technology was selected as the basis for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). Deployment of the nation's first high-speed broadband network for public safety should be strategically planned and considered to avoid potential operational issues, especially for video. The demand for the video services would likely be high, especially during emergencies, requiring efficient management of the limited supply of LTE resources. Though capabilities and capacities of 4th generation (4G) LTE networks are a significant improvement over earlier generation radio access technologies, the network resources are still expected to be limited, especially during emergency incidents with higher demand. The resources required to support video over wireless networks are significant. Thus, research is needed to determine the efficient utilization of NPSBN bandwidth for video content transmission. After providing relevant background on video data and LTE networks, this paper proposes an advanced communication framework of the Mission, Content, and Transport network (MCTn) for considering the wireless video transmission in a holistic fashion. The MCTn framework conceptualizes: 1) the Mission requirements that define the video quality requirement for the intended purpose and priority of the intended end user(s) to be successful in completing the operational objectives; 2) the owner's responsibility to capture and package video Content efficiently for distribution to the end user based on the mission needs; 3) the operator's responsibility for the Transport network to understand priority and video quality requirements of the mission and utilize features available on the LTE network to prioritize and deliver video to the intended end user(s) during times of congestion or peak demand. The conclusion of this paper provides recommendations on areas for additional study.