Third-generation wireless services for homeland security

Abstract

Commercial third-generation (3G) cellular technologies being deployed worldwide offer a host of services that can be used to support communications among public safety officials and members of government agencies and to disseminate information to the general public. This paper reviews some of the unique requirements for voice and data services in the context of homeland security and describes how 3G CDMA2000 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">∗</sup> and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) networks satisfy many of them. It also discusses how the broadcast/multicast services (BCMCS) currently being standardized for 3G cellular technologies can provide team∗∗∗oriented voice and broadband data communications for public safety users. Finally, it proposes an architectural framework that allows the services and capabilities of homeland security wireless networks to be upgraded using commercial 3G cellular technologies while preserving the investment in legacy public safety networks.