14 From water buckets to satellite multicast: how advanced comms give militaries an edge in the modern battlefield
18 How the right connectivity enables smarter, faster emergency response
23 MCPTT certification launched
25 Empowering first responders: Samsung completes Australia’s first demo of MCPTT solutions
29 Onboard AI for CubeSats enables earlier bushfire detection
30 Using AI to build your next-gen wireless system
33 High-frequency operation in a dynamic metasurface antenna
The DAMM VHF TETRA solution has been developed to bring the reliability, security and advanced performance of TETRA to operations where it was previously not possible. The innovative technology enables improvements in staff safety and operational efficiency even in vast outdoor remote sites or complex underground networks and offers a breakthrough in the consolidation of multiple networks into one cost-effective mission-critical solution.
The VHF TETRA solution makes TETRA more accessible to operations where distance is the primary need. Above or below ground, VHF signals carry further than UHF and therefore offer a less complex and more cost-effective solution to extend radio coverage in wide, rural outdoor areas or extensive underground environments.
The VHF TETRA solution offers a resilient, proven and secure communication solution for voice, messaging and data that is designed for use in any critical situation.
The DAMM BS422/BS424 MultiTech Base Station frequency sharing capability makes it possible to build coverage in a new way. Addressing many of the challenges facing modern-day network design engineers and operators, this innovative ability enables adjacent base stations to share frequencies and create extended RF zones.
Attendees at Comms Connect Melbourne 2024 are encouraged to visit the DAMM stand, where they will be able to learn how the VHF TETRA solution can enhance critical communications within their industry.
Damm Australia www.damm-aus.com.au/
Do
The last couple of months have been particularly busy when it comes to critical comms events, with Comms Connect New Zealand bringing over 550 visitors, 45 exhibitors and sponsors, and 34 expert speakers to the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre for two exciting days in late June. You can read some of the conference highlights on page 6 of this issue, plus a short recap of the RFUANZ Gala Dinner on page 28.
The conference and expo came just one month after Critical Comms co-hosted two breakfast seminars on the importance of connectivity for emergency response, highlights of which can be found on page 18. Meanwhile, on page 16, our friends at ARCIA outline some of their recent and upcoming events, with their Gala Dinner and Industry Excellence Awards set to coincide as always with Comms Connect Melbourne in October (turn to page 8 for a look at one of last year’s award winners).
You’d think with all these events that the critical comms industry would run out of things to talk about, but with new technology being developed, refined and rolled out all the time, that certainly doesn’t look to be happening anytime soon. On page 29 of this issue, you can read about how South Australia’s first cube satellite will be used as an early fire detection system. On page 23, learn about the Global Certification Forum’s recent certification for MCPTT, enabling vendors to prove that their products are compliant to the 3GPP mission-critical standards. And on page 30, discover how AI-native design principles can be incorporated into the next generation of wireless systems.
By the time our next issue comes out, all of Australia’s 3G networks will be officially shut down, marking the end of an era that began 21 years ago. It is highly unlikely that anyone reading this magazine would still be dependent on a 3G device, but can you say the same for all your friends and relatives? If in doubt, you should know that AMTA has just launched a new web-based tool to help Australians quickly and easily determine if their mobile device will be fully supported after 3G networks close, including the ability to make emergency calls to Triple Zero. The tool can be found at www.amta.org.au/3g-closure/check-my-device/.
Circulation: Alex Dalland circulation@wfmedia.com.au
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Tim Thompson Ph 0421 623 958 tthompson@wfmedia.com.au
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Calendar
August
APCO 2024
4–7 August 2024
Orange County Convention Center, USA www.apco2024.org
September
IEEE PIMRC 2024
2–5 September 2024
Palacio de Congresos de Valencia, Spain pimrc2024.ieee-pimrc.org
AFAC24 Conference & Exhibition
3–6 September 2024
ICC Sydney www.afacconference.com.au
SA State Networking Dinner 11 September 2024
The National Wine Centre, Adelaide arcia.org.au/events/arcia-sa-state-networking-dinneradelaide-11-september-2024
October
IEEE 100th Vehicular Technology Conference 7–10 October 2024
Washington DC, USA and online events.vtsociety.org/vtc2024-fall
ARCIA Industry Gala Dinner 16 October 2024
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre arcia.org.au/events/arcia-industry-gala-dinner-2024melbourne
Comms Connect Melbourne 16–17 October 2024
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre melbourne.comms-connect.com.au
International Conference on 6G Networking 21–24 October 2024
Paris, France 6g-conference.dnac.org/2024/ 5G Techritory
30–31 October 2024
Riga, Latvia and online www.5gtechritory.com
November
PMRExpo 2024
26–28 November 2024
Koelnmesse, Germany www.pmrexpo.com/en
For a full list of industry events, see criticalcomms.com.au/events
COMMS CONNECT NZ 2024:
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
The Southern Hemisphere’s premier critical communications event, Comms Connect, has once again returned to New Zealand, bringing hundreds of curious comms users to Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre from 26–27 June.
Over 550 visitors attended over the course of the event, which saw 45 exhibitors and sponsors showcase their wares on the expo floor while 34 expert speakers shared their insights across two conference streams.
“The expo floor was a hive of activity and the main plenary conference room was packed on both mornings, featuring strong keynote speakers and panel sessions,” said Comms Connect Events Director Geoff Hird. “We could not have been happier with the turnout and the positive energy that buzzed around the fantastic Te Pae venue throughout the event.”
The importance of interoperability
A key theme of the event was the importance of interoperability — the ability for different radio systems to talk to each other. The Director of the Project 25 Technology Interest Group, Stephen Nichols, said the benefit of this 34-year-old suite of standards — which are constantly being updated with new capabilities — is that they create seamless interoperability between different manufacturers of land mobile radio (LMR) devices, enabling different public safety agencies to securely and confidently communicate and share data.
Sadly, when two agencies don’t share the same standards or frequency bands, the results can be fatal. This was noted by Dr Paul Elmes, Managing Director APAC at Tait Communications, who recounted the 2021 drowning of a teenage girl at Auckland’s Karioitahi Beach when the police encountered difficulty contacting the local surf club. Meanwhile, here in Australia, there are cases going back as far as Cyclone Tracy where lack of interoperability has caused problems during natural disasters, with last year’s Public Safety Mobile Broadband Strategic Review finding that existing LMR services provide “limited interoperability”. The good news, Elmes said, is that Tait has developed its own multi-band, multi-protocol radios that can switch between P25 and digital mobile radio (DMR) just by changing the channel — so users can have access to both without carrying more than one device.
Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) meanwhile has its own interoperability solution, as detailed by the organisation’s Communications Systems Manager, Andrew Ugarte. He noted that SLSNSW has full search-and-rescue (SAR) interoperability with all agencies in part thanks to its Omnitronics omni core radio management system, which lets users access P25, analog and DMR all from the same
console. Furthermore, the organisation is cur rently collaborating with the state government to integrate its system into the NSW Public Safety Network (PSN), providing coverage of the coastline that the PSN is otherwise lacking. SLSNSW can even move onto the PSN when working away from the coast, such as when assisting with flood rescue elsewhere in the state.
Natural disaster preparedness
In a ‘sequel’ to his presentation last year, Michael Healy from Christchurch City Council detailed how the council’s new early fire detection network, installed following the 2017 Port Hills fires, fared during the 2024 fire. Five solar-powered, automated fire detection units, which use 4G to communicate early signs of fire back to the command centre and so serve as a 21st-century version of an old-fashioned fire tower, were put in place at Christchurch Adventure Park. Meanwhile, co-presenter Wayne Hamilton from Fire and Emergency New Zealand noted that firefighters prevented fires from reigniting by using drones to identify ‘hot spots’ — a task that would have previously required handheld thermal cameras.
Lauren Davis
prone to wildfires in future. And they’re not the only technology that can be used to sense impending disaster, with Josh Solomon, from Go Wireless NZ and Scopious, promoting the use of LoRaWAN sensors — known for their impressive range and low power consumption — for monitoring everything from excessive temperatures to rising water levels, gas leaks and more.
Another way to prepare for natural disasters is through augmented reality (AR) video games, which can be used to simulate situations such as floods. Misha Mirza, from HIT Lab NZ, designed several such games as part of her PhD, with in-game tasks including collecting important objects before evacuating and moving electrical equipment to higher ground before the water level causes an electrocution risk. Players can learn skills such as situational awareness, navigation and the ability to keep calm under pressure, which will help them prepare for emergencies in the real world.
but what does the future hold?
As noted by Pete Bains, Director of BAINZ Consulting, the next generation of comms networks needs to be resilient enough to handle any future hazards or natural disasters — bearing in mind that such disasters are likely to increase in frequency thanks to climate change. This may mean assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different network topologies (ring, star, bus, etc); looking into architecture which can operate in isolation after catastrophic failure of the primary core; or utilising ETSI’s Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) capability, which allows software applications to tap into real-time information about local-access network conditions.
In the panel session ‘Non-terrestrial vs terrestrial networks’, participants discussed the pros, cons and synergies of both types of
networks. Next Generation Critical Communications (NGCC) Relationship Manager Paul Smith confirmed that New Zealand’s incoming PSN has been designed for future resilience, with satellite connectivity being a part of that. One NZ CTO Tony Baird added that his company signed a deal with Starlink following New Zealand’s 2023 disasters, to add satellite coverage to augment its terrestrial networks (with One NZ’s Starlink SMS service set to begin later this year, followed by voice, data and IoT services in 2025). Rohde & Schwarz Head of Telecommunications Senthil Sundram meanwhile acknowledged that non-terrestrial networks have their own challenges that need to be addressed (including synchronisation, signal fading and power savings optimisation), with different satellite options having different strengths and weaknesses.
Comms Connect will return on 16–17 October (plus pre-conference workshops on 15 October) with its flagship show at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, with over 80% of the expo floorspace already sold at the time of writing. We are now also seeking case studies and technology papers to be presented at the conference, with abstract submissions closing on 2 August. More information — including visitor registration, the call for papers and exhibition/ sponsorship opportunities — can be found at https://melbourne.comms-connect.com.au/.
As per tradition, the Melbourne event will be held alongside the Australian Radio Communications Industry Association (ARCIA) Industry
Gala Dinner — a night to network and celebrate all that is the radio and critical communications industry with colleagues, food and entertainment. As always, the dinner will take the time to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in the sector through the Industry Excellence Awards, with one of last year’s worthy winners profiled in the short article below.
Good things come in small packages: Recognising ARCIA’s 2023
In 2023, ARCIA shook up its annualcellence Awards with the addition of the Small Business Award, launched to recognise smaller companies that not only survive but thrive. With nominations for this year’s awards closing on 20 September, Critical Comms checked in with the inaugural Small Business Award winner, Spectrum Engineering, to see how the company came to receive this prestigious honour.
Established as a sole trader in 1986 and incorporated in 1988, Spectrum Engineering is a Canberra-based firm providing engineering consultancy services to major corporate and government clients in the telecommunications, broadcasting and radiocommunications industries. Operating in the niche market of radio frequency management, its core business is assisting clients with the licensing of their radiocommunications systems via the ACMA accreditation system.
Spectrum Engineering really made its mark when, in 1990, the company submitted a proposal to a parliamentary inquiry into the management of the radiofrequency spectrum, suggesting that frequency assignment work that was being done exclusively by government be opened to private practitioners. The
Small Business Award winner
result was the ACMA accreditation process, which meant that licences that once took several weeks, if not months, to issue could now be acquired typically within a few days. Now almost all apparatus licensing is done by Accredited Persons, with one of Spectrum Engineering’s own staff becoming the first person to be granted accreditation by the (then) Spectrum Management Agency in 1996.
Spectrum Engineering has gone from strength to strength ever since, with the company’s Executive Manager, Andrew May, saying its success as a small business is largely due to its people.
“We provide a working environment that encourages commitment and acknowledges contributions from everybody,” May said. “We operate a flat organisational structure within which all employees feel confident to contribute ideas.
“The result of our ‘people first’ policy is that we have a strong staff retention record upon which we are able to build enduring expertise,” May continued. He added that Spectrum Engineering’s singular focus on radio frequency licensing enables it to maintain this expertise, shared in the form of its high-quality customer service.
The company also demonstrates its expertise regularly at industry conferences, including Comms Connect, where it often provides spectrum updates from ACMA. May explained that ACMA’s ever-changing
regulatory environment requires Spectrum Engineering to pay constant attention to new developments and to regularly upgrade its frequency management software, which enables the company to assign frequencies strictly in accordance with ACMA’s RALIs.
“The software attends to the computation detail of the assignment task, thereby freeing the assigner to focus on the suitability of the result,” he said.
When asked what the Small Business Award means to his company, May said, “It is very satisfying to receive the recognition of your peers. It is a source of pride and encouragement to those working within the business, and it is public testament to the quality of the service that the business provides to its clients.”
In addition to the Small Business Award, ARCIA is also encouraging nominations for the Local Manufacturing Award, the Major Project Award, the Industry Innovation Award and Outstanding Industry Individual of the Year. All these awards, as well as two preselected awards, will be presented at the Industry Gala Dinner, to be held following day one of Comms Connect Melbourne on 16 October. To nominate for the awards, visit https://arcia.org.au/standard-page/industryexcellence-awards/.
TELSTRA OPENS PUBLIC SAFETY EXPERIENCE CENTRE ON GOLD COAST
Telstra has officially opened its new Public Safety Experience Centre — a dedicated space at the Telstra 5G Innovation Centre on Queensland’s Gold Coast — to showcase the latest critical comms technology for police and emergency services in Australia. Open to visitors by appointment, the centre will offer live demonstrations of a variety of public safety capabilities enabled by Telstra’s network.
“We are thrilled to open this space, to serve as a hub for stakeholders to explore new connectivity solutions and show our commitment to supporting public safety agencies across Australia,” said Peggy Renders, Telstra’s Head of Industry and Government.
Among the technologies on display is a 3GPP-compliant mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) solution supporting a wide range of devices including Samsung, Apple and Sonim. Supporting this is a 3GPP-compliant Interworking Function (IWF) that will enable public safety land mobile radio networks to interoperate with 4G and 5G carrier solutions.
“If deployed, this technology would change the game for emergency response agencies who want to communicate between users like they are using a radio, but with priority on our commercial network,” Renders said.
“For example, it means a dispatcher could initiate an MCPTT group call with an officer and other responders at a scene all on different devices and leveraging the IWF platform. It means faster, more seamless and secure sharing of information to better respond in an emergency scenario.
“We also have a simulation of Telstra LANES, a world-first mobile broadband data capability designed specifically to give emergency services prioritised access on our commercial 4G network,” Renders continued. This technology provides emergency services guaranteed throughput to use data-intensive applications, such as video streaming, so they can improve their operations.
The centre was officially opened by Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan, who said it is important that frontline emergency services operations stay abreast of the latest technology developments.
“The new Public Safety Experience Centre will provide police with another important avenue for ensuring they are appropriately informed about technologies that may enhance the Queensland Police Service’s operational capabilities,” Ryan said.
“It’s great to see that Telstra recognised that Queensland, and in particular the Gold Coast, was the best location for the new national Public Safety Experience Centre.
“It’s particularly appropriate due to the fact that Queensland’s exposure to severe weather events means its frontline emergency services officers and volunteers are the busiest and best in the nation.”
GOVT AUDITS NATIONAL MOBILE COVERAGE
The Australian Government has announced it is auditing mobile coverage and capacity around the country, with a pilot audit currently underway and an initial tranche of data already published.
To be delivered by Accenture over the next three years to 30 June 2027, the National Audit of Mobile Coverage will help to better identify mobile coverage black spots and inform future co-investment with industry, while also assessing the accuracy of carrier coverage maps made available to the public. The data will also be considered in the context of the ongoing review of the Universal Service Obligation — a longstanding consumer protection that ensures everyone has access to landline telephones and payphones regardless of where they live or work.
The pilot audit will cover three roads and three locations in each state and territory, and is expected to be completed in the next three months. Identified locations for the pilot were chosen because of concerns about mobile coverage and performance, including a need to understand the impact of changing seasonal demands like tourism.
Following the pilot audit, Accenture will conduct the main audit by drive testing about 180,000 km of regional and rural roads every year for three years; static testing devices will also be placed in up to 77 locations. The audit will measure coverage and performance across Optus, Telstra and TPG networks — including 3G (while it is available), 4G and 5G services — with the drive testing and static testing data
to be complemented by crowdsourced data, published every quarter, from people using certain apps on their mobile phones.
“A national audit of mobile coverage is critical to identifying Australia’s coverage gaps and highlighting where industry maps might not reflect the experience of Australians on the ground,” said Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland.
“This audit will allow the government and industry to make better investment decisions that will actually make a difference for locals, motorists and small businesses in areas of patchy coverage.
“I look forward to the completion of this audit over the next three years … to help us deliver better mobile coverage right around Australia.”
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News
NOKIA ACQUIRES DEFENCE COMMS COMPANY FENIX GROUP
Nokia has officially completed its acquisition of Fenix Group, a privately held company that specialises in tactical 3GPP communications solutions for the defence communities. The acquisition was originally announced in December 2023.
Previously a portfolio company of Enlightenment Capital, Fenix Group is a leading provider of innovative tactical communications products, including the Banshee product family. Its systems are designed to provide high-speed, low-latency data connections to many devices and users simultaneously, making them useful for supporting a wide range of military applications.
By adding Fenix’s broadband tactical communications products to its existing solutions portfolio, Nokia will be able to offer a more comprehensive suite of 3GPP-based solutions to its defence customers worldwide. Interoperable, 3GPP-based mobile networks that are built for data-hungry applications will play an important role in the digitalisation of military communications, according to the company.
The closing of the acquisition, including the associated Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review and approval, underscores Nokia’s commitment to being a trusted provider of secure and innovative solutions to the US Government. With Fenix’s established support to various US Department of Defense programs, Nokia is now in the position to expand its role as a pivotal technology provider for mission-critical needs.
“The closing of the Fenix Group acquisition marks a significant step forward in our strategy to grow our defence business, as well as our overall US strategy,” said Mike Loomis, President of Nokia Federal Solutions. “Fenix’s expertise in broadband tactical communications perfectly complements our existing offerings, and together we will be even better positioned to deliver highperformance, secure and reliable solutions to our defence customers, helping them achieve mission-critical objectives.”
Dave Peterson, CEO of Fenix Group, added, “We are excited to officially join forces with Nokia. By combining our innovative solutions with Nokia’s global reach and resources, we can create even greater value for our customers and make a significant impact on the future of secure military communications.”
DRONESHIELD OPENS NEW GLOBAL HQ IN SYDNEY
AI-based counter-drone technology provider DroneShield has opened its new global headquarters in Sydney, tripling its R&D and manufacturing capacity to more than $400 million in hardware and software sales annually. The new site in Pyrmont will be home to the company’s 120 Australian employees.
The 2000 m 2 facility includes a dedicated floor for R&D, engineering and manufacturing to fulfil orders from government, defence and commercial customers in 70 countries. It will also allow DroneShield to add 40 employees to its high-tech engineering and operations teams as the company accelerates development of fully sovereign, in-house artificial intelligence and machine learning engines for enhanced detection and response to drone threats.
DroneShield recently completed a $115 million capital raising, giving the company a market capitalisation of around $700 million, which makes it the second-largest publicly listed defence company in Australia after Austal. The company has a potential sales pipeline of over $500 million with more than 90 qualified projects at different stages and $27 million in orders currently being fulfilled.
DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik said the interest in the company demonstrates that the threats that drones can pose are finally being taken seriously.
“Whether it’s due to the turmoil they can cause on the battlefield or the countless ways they can disrupt everyday life — at airports, prisons and public events, for example — drone deterrence is now a priority for government agencies and authorities, in Australia and abroad,” he said. “We are seeing a major push for comprehensive counter-drone and counter-UAS capabilities — predominately from the US, but broadly across Five Eyes and allies, and slowly but surely in Australia. However, our equipment is sophisticated, AI-based technology that can take up to four months to build, containing up to 200 components that must be manufactured, assembled and quality controlled.”
Vornik said the new facility will help the company meet demands from global customers that expect high-performance equipment to be available right away.
In March, DroneShield was awarded a repeat order of $4.3 million from the US government for its handheld counter unmanned aerial systems units. In April, the company revealed it had increased its revenue for the March quarter by tenfold compared to the same quarter in 2023, achieving total revenue for the quarter of $16.5 million.
Dispatch system connecting mall security across the USA
Simon Property Group is a global leader in retail ownership and one of the largest retail real-estate investment trusts in the United States. To manage security for the group’s 190+ shopping centres across the United States, the company established a centralised Operational Intelligence Center (OIC) in Indianapolis, Illinois, that oversees critical specialised security operations and communications for all of their shopping centres.
Every day, over 3000 security professionals head to work at a Simon shopping mall prepared to provide security 24/7 in order to create a safe and secure experience for tenants and shoppers alike. Given the scale of the malls property portfolio across nearly 40 US states, including regional malls and premium outlets scattered across the country, it’s not surprising that Simon Property Group relies on a proven dispatch system at its OIC to manage communications — especially in mission-critical scenarios where health and safety of patrons are at risk.
Integration of geographically dispersed MOTOTRBO sites
The organisation required a dispatch system that could easily integrate communications from sites scattered across the United States into the one centralised control. An Omnitronics dispatch solution was selected as a replacement of an existing Omnitronics dispatch system that had been running since 2013.
This upgrade was necessary to expand capacity in support of the new state-of-the-art operations centre, which oversees the security of sites across the country — from Florida to California and everywhere in between. With the expansion to 92 staff at the OIC, which monitors 190+ sites, the increased scale of operations in the centre requires real-time information about the communications network with the ability to balance workload.
“The [190+] sites are scattered all across the country and beyond,” said the OIC’s Executive Director, Brian Burris. “People are really amazed … when we show them the map of our properties that we can talk to all properties across the nation in real time on the radio from our Operational Intelligence Center.”
Real-time analytics and reporting
The upgrade was not only necessary to increase the number of channels/properties, it also gives security additional comprehensive business analytics to, among other metrics, view system and operator workloads in real time. Each site can operate standalone whilst being integrated into the operations centre.
As a variety of different IP links are used for the RoIP traffic, the Omnitronics gateways that interface the MOTOTRBO radios incorporate link quality statistics that can be used to measure the IP performance of each link. Features such as remote MOTOTRBO Channel Change from the operations centre allow operators to communicate with multiple teams.
An impressive set-up
“When we get tours from high-level people from Homeland Security, the FBI, the military [and] police department coming to our facility … watching all those property names [across the country] flash, they are all really amazed at all the different components that we have available to us,” Burris said.
The mall owners, Simon Property Group, and their security provider can thus rest assured that the state-of-the art Omnitronics dispatch system will serve them well in managing communications across the country whilst providing vital business insights to streamline operations.
Omnitronics Pty Ltd www.omnitronicsworld.com
FROM WATER BUCKETS TO SATELLITE
MULTICAST
HOW ADVANCED COMMS GIVE MILITARIES AN EDGE IN THE MODERN BATTLEFIELD
Military communications have come a long way since ancient times, when the Greek writer Aeneas Tacticus invented the hydraulic telegraph in the 4th century BC. This device used water buckets and rods with predetermined messages to convey detailed information over long distances, surpassing the limitations of torches and beacons that could only signal simple alerts.
Today, militaries need to transmit and receive large data files and video streams in real time, under challenging network conditions and to multiple fixed and mobile receivers. To achieve this, they need to use the most advanced communications technology available, such as algorithms that ensure secure and error-free delivery of data.
Covering the battlefield and beyond
During the most recent major conflicts — such as the war in Ukraine — the critical importance of verified, secure communications is abundantly clear. The importance and
complexity of military communications have increased significantly in the past decades, as modern warfare has become more diverse and dynamic. Military forces need to share and access various types of data and multimedia products, such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) video, imagery, intelligence, maps, weather, biometric data, and security and system software updates. These products can provide vital information for tactical and strategic decision-making, situational awareness and operational security. However, they also pose several challenges and risks for military communications, such as:
• The high volume and bandwidth requirements of the data and multimedia products,
which may exceed the capacity and availability of the network resources.
• The adverse and unpredictable network conditions, such as interference, congestion, latency, packet loss or fragmentation, which may degrade the quality and reliability of the data transmission.
• The hostile and sophisticated threats from adversaries, such as jamming, hacking, deception or interception, which may disrupt or exploit the data transmission.
• The fact that the increasing speed and mobility of modern weapons and vehicles require faster and more reliable communications to keep up with the changing situations.
Dr Henrik Axelsson, CEO, KenCast
• The diverse and changing scenarios and environments, such as urban, rural, mountainous or maritime, which may affect the network performance and coverage.
• The fast and frequent movement of the data sources and destinations, such as aircraft, vehicles or soldiers, which may cause network instability and disconnection.
To overcome these challenges and risks, militaries need to use the best content distribution techniques that can ensure the secure and error-free delivery of data and multimedia products over satellite and other networks.
Time to ditch the ‘spray and pray’
Large-volume data and multimedia is typically sent over satellite in a military setting. Troops are often on the move or in makeshift locations in which the only way of receiving a reliable signal from another unit is from a satellite link. Moreover, these networks operate
in a one-way transmission mode, where the sender does not receive any confirmation or response from the receiver. This means that the sender has no way of knowing whether the data was received correctly and completely, or whether it was corrupted or lost due to errors in the transmission channel.
To overcome this challenge, traditional methods relied on sending the same data multiple times, hoping that the receiver would eventually receive all the parts and reconstruct the whole file. This approach, known as carousel delivery or spray and pray, has a low probability of success and a high cost of bandwidth and time. It also becomes less efficient as the number of receivers increases, since each receiver may have different reception conditions and require different numbers of transmissions to receive the whole file.
A better solution to this challenge is to use a technique called forward error correction (FEC), which is a form of channel coding that adds redundant information to the original data before transmission, allowing the receiver to detect and correct errors without needing any feedback from the sender. FEC can improve the bit error rate and the data reliability of satellite communication, by reducing the number of transmissions and increasing the probability of successful delivery.
FEC can be thought of as a Sudoku puzzle, where the sender provides enough clues (parity bits) for the receiver to fill in the missing pieces (data bits) and complete the whole file. FEC algorithms use mathematical formulas to generate and decode the parity bits, ensuring that the receiver can recover the original data even if some parts are lost or corrupted.
However, not all FEC algorithms are the same, and some are more effective and efficient than others. The quality of FEC depends on several factors, such as the amount of redundancy, the error correction capability, the computational complexity and the adaptability to different channel conditions. Some common FEC techniques, such as Reed–Solomon or convolutional codes, may not be able to handle the high volume and variability of the data and multimedia products, or the high level and diversity of the network errors.
Therefore, defence forces need to use more advanced and robust FEC techniques, such as the digital delivery software developed by KenCast. Its patented Application Layer (AL)-FEC is applied across the entirety of the transmitted content, as opposed to other versions that can only correct very brief real-time errors. Accordingly, it adapts to the characteristics and conditions of the data and the network, and provides optimal performance and security for data transmission. It also supports multicast and broadcast
transmission, which can enable efficient and scalable data delivery to multiple receivers.
Case study: Defense Information Systems Agency
One agency that required a reliable and guaranteed way of transmitting data was the US Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), which in 1998 began to build out the Global Broadcast Service (GBS) to provide global connectivity via satellite to US joint forces in battle. Issues quickly emerged in the development stage, as personnel attempted to send encrypted content to troops on the move and into areas where atmospheric conditions were challenging. This was compounded by the impermissibility of a backchannel to validate received data — the military had little choice other than to spray and pray.
Having invited over a dozen major companies to address its need for secure and reliable delivery of critical content, DISA was impressed by the efficiency and operational effectiveness of AL-FEC as well as KenCast’s software suite of content delivery tools, known as Fazzt. KenCast was chosen to provide the content delivery solution for the GBS, working with Raytheon and then Lockheed Martin to integrate its software into the overall solution.
As the size of the GBS network has grown over the past 26 years, KenCast has been asked to add more servers and clients, along with continued technical support and feature upgrades. The company has also brought to market dozens of new AL-FEC-related patents, including versions specific to moving vehicles, terrestrial acceleration protocols and hardware appliances. Meanwhile, Fazzt has been used by various military and government customers to deliver large-volume data and multimedia products over satellite and other networks, while demonstrating its resilience and security against threats such as jamming, hacking and interception.
The better the algorithm, the better the delivery
It is important for militaries to remember that the better the algorithm, the higher the efficiency of error correction, the greater the reliability of delivery, the faster the speed for a complete transmission and the larger the cost savings on retransmissions. For any operation using this technology, it is important to know which level of FEC your network uses.
In conclusion, just as Aeneas Tacticus sought efficiency in his time, modern militaries continue to refine their communication strategies with technologies like AL-FEC and Fazzt. This commitment to innovation ensures that vital information flows seamlessly across the global theatre of operations, safeguarding missions and lives.
Industry Talking
Thank you to all the ARCIA members and partners who have shown terrific support for events so far in 2024. The Sydney conference and evening networking event were well attended and the buzz in the room suggested members enjoyed the events. As I write this the Brisbane event is about to happen, so make sure you book your tickets at https://arcia.org.au/events/.
Many Australian colleagues ventured to a cool Christchurch over the last week of June for Comms Connect New Zealand. Another very successful event was held, with many end users, some great content and partners showcasing the latest gear. We would like to welcome the new RFUANZ Chairman, Soren Low, and all the committee members who give up their time to assist the industry. We also witnessed the retirement of Debby Morgan, the long-time secretary for RFUANZ. From our side of the Tasman Debby has been fantastic to work with and she is also a passionate advocate for our industry.
ARCIA is running many Sundowners around Australia and they are also being very well attended by members; if you are after a quick casual catch-up with your local colleagues, please consult the ARCIA events calendar for details. The recent Melbourne event saw Matt Gibson awarded the Industry Advancement Award for Victoria; he will now be a nominee for the national award in October. I am also delighted to announce that for the first time there will be a Sundowner held in Newcastle on 26 September. A big thankyou to our Hunter committee members for organising the event; it will be tremendous to offer a catch-up for the locals and I am sure they will appreciate not having to travel to Sydney for an industry event.
ARCIA continues to advocate for an open-access policy for all areas of spectrum, with the underlying theory that effective spectrum management is about the productivity of the nation, and the association has now signed an MOU with the 450 MHZ Alliance. This may seem counterintuitive to the standard LMR market, as this would allocate spectrum to suit broadband technology normally reserved for LMR. However, if there is a market there for this technology and spectrum can be shared in a useful way then it may have a place. For example, an underground mine may prefer to use lower frequency-based LTE for broadband services; this would not present an interference problem to other services if managed correctly. A similar process is unfolding in the 6 GHz market, where many users are expecting to use this spectrum to expand Wi-Fi services. This has been approved in the USA, using an automatic frequency control to protect incumbent point-to-point users. For our major event in Melbourne, we are looking forward to a big year. The call for papers is now open for Comms Connect, so save the date (15–17 October) and put in your nominations for the annual industry awards; please don’t wait too long to nominate and miss out.
Finally, the committee has commenced work on making some changes to our constitution to keep up with our now national events and future rebranding. The major constitution change will be to have the three senior committee positions elected for a three-year period with alternating electoral periods; this is to ensure continuity of activities and planning efforts over several years, rather than a single-year approach as encompassed by our present constitution. In line with the changes made since the appointment of our CEO, plus the changes within the industry in general, the committee feel that the base of our association is moving away from ‘radio communications’ and being an ‘industry association’; as such the brand of the organisation should be reworked to reflect where we are in the modern communications ecosystem.
Hamish Duff President, Australian Radio Communications Industry Association.
DC-DC converter
The Eaton MCU-ES Energy Saver DC-DC Converter is designed for voltage boosting and regulation in 5G and communications networks. The 2 kW modular converter can be used to power 5G remote radio units by offering constant voltage during times of battery discharge. Its high power density (400% better than other Eaton modular converters), short depth and flexible mounting options make it suitable for limited-space applications, such as macro base station buildings and outdoor cabinets.
The converter features intelligent digital signal processing for enhanced control, producing peak efficiency up to 96% for typical operating loads, while also maintaining a minimum operating efficiency of 95–96% over a wide range of loads. In addition, it is fully compatible with existing Eaton DC systems and easy to use, with simple plug-and-go insertion. The converter operates under a wide range of DC power conditions and in temperatures up to 70°C.
Anritsu has announced the launch of its latest inline power sensor, MA24103A, designed to measure accurate peak and true-RMS average power measurements from 25 MHz to 1 GHz and 2 mW to 150 W.
Several applications demand accurate peak and average power measurements well below the frequency range of 1 GHz. Agencies in public safety, avionics (air traffic control and repair stations), railroads and more must maintain critical communications between the control centres and the vehicles. The slightest error in making measurements or maintaining a communication network in these markets could risk public safety or even have fatal consequences.
The advantage with lower frequencies is that they can propagate a longer distance and maintain communication with fast-moving vehicles. Normally, at lower frequencies the power of the transmitting signal is in the range of watts, which makes the MA24103A more suited to these types of applications. The inline peak power sensor communicates with a PC via USB or with an Anritsu handheld instrument equipped with the High Accuracy Power Meter (Option 19).
LMR network operators can deploy the sensor to measure forward and reverse power in P25, DMR and TETRA networks over a wide temperature range (0 to 55°C), making it suitable for field applications. With lab performance accuracy and low insertion loss the sensor may also be used in broadcast networks, railway signalling networks and avionics — such as civil and military airports for beacon, surveillance radar and marker testing.
Anritsu Pty Ltd www.anritsu.com
Inertial measurement unit (IMU)
The STMicroelectronics ISM330BX 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) combines edge-AI processing, an analog hub for sensor expansion and ST’s Qvar electric charge variations sensing with product-longevity assurance for energy-efficient industrial sensing and motion tracking applications.
The IMU contains a 3-axis gyroscope and a 3-axis accelerometer with a low-noise architecture and bandwidth up to 2 kHz, suitable for vibration sensing in machine-tool condition-monitoring applications. Additional use cases include industrial and domestic robots and automated guided vehicles (AGV), intelligent appliances and motion trackers. Also integrating ST’s edge-processing engine that teams a machine-learning core (MLC) with AI algorithms and a finite state machine (FSM), the product offloads the host processor and saves system power. The IMU also embeds ST’s Sensor Fusion Low-Power (SFLP) algorithm for 3D orientation tracking, which can enhance energy efficiency in applications like robotics and smart safety helmets. Leveraging adaptive self-configuration (ASC), the sensor can also automatically optimise its settings in real time for best performance and power. With its autonomous capabilities, the product alleviates data transmission between the IMU and host system, as well as offloading the main processor, for low latency and low power consumption. The integrated analog hub provides more opportunities for energy-efficient system integration by directly connecting external analog sensors to the edge-processing engine for data filtering and AI inference. The many power-saving aspects help engineers realise innovative industrial sensors and other battery-powered smart devices that can also be used to upgrade existing industrial assets, making them smarter and ready for Industry 5.0.
With ST’s Qvar electric charge variation detector also built in, the IMU can integrate touch and close-proximity detection, or value-added functionality such as water leak sensing, to boost system integration and energy efficiency.
STMicroelectronics Pty Ltd www.st.com
5G body camera
Hytera’s SC880 5G Body Camera, unveiled at Critical Communications World 2024, is a smart device featuring ultra-high-definition (UHD) video recording and live streaming.
Equipped with electronic image stabilisation (EIS) technology and a high-power infrared LED light, the product provides stable and clear footage capture, whether in day or night conditions, serving as a critical component for revealing essential details during operations.
A single-button push-to-talk (PTT) function seamlessly transforms the camera into a two-way radio through Hytera’s PoC solution, providing added versatility for users.
Hytera Communications Co. Ltd www.hytera.com.au
HOW THE RIGHT CONNECTIVITY ENABLES
SMARTER, FASTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Lauren Davis
In today’s fast-paced emergency response environment, always-on, secure connectivity, reliable communication and real-time data sharing are no longer luxuries, but critical lifelines. That was the message delivered in a series of breakfast seminars held in late May, hosted by Critical Comms and GovTech Review magazines in partnership with Cradlepoint.
Under the theme of ‘Connectivity for Smarter, Faster Emergency Response’, the seminars offered deep insights into how emergency services agencies are enhancing safety and transforming operations through technology and secure connectivity. So what were the talking points from these two events? Read on to find out.
Surf life saving stories
Of course emergency services have not always had connectivity at their disposal, but that doesn’t mean they should stay that way. That was certainly the argument being made by Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) CEO Steven Pearce, who detailed how his organisation began in 1907 as a group of guys conducting rescues on Bondi Beach and has since grown to be the largest volunteer emergency service in Australia, with 79,000 volunteers, a State Operations Centre and even its own standalone digital radio network — powered by Cradlepoint.
According to Pearce, SLSNSW has always been ready and willing to support other agencies when needed, having been formally recognised as an emergency service in its own right in December 2018. But this support was crucial during the Black Summer bushfires, when the far South Coast found itself cut off from outside help and was entirely dependent on local emergency responders — with lifesavers assisting with rescues and surf clubs acting as evacuation and triage centres. This isolation continued
when bushfires took out the government radio network, threatening public safety communications — but because SLSNSW had its own network, they were the only ones that had radio connectivity, and the local police and ambulance services were able to use repeaters to jump onto that.
SLSNSW’s capabilities were further showcased during the NSW floods in 2021 and 2022, when they went out in their boats to support an overwhelmed SES — not only up and down the coastline, but also in Far West NSW. Here, one of SLSNSW’s greatest assets was in fact its status as the largest provider and operator of drones in Australasia, with 300 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 450+ pilots at its disposal. These drones were used for surveillance in flooded areas, livestreaming footage back to control centres so the SES could deploy their resources to the locations that needed them the most — a capability they had never had before.
Mapping out solutions
Sometimes, connectivity is about taking a basic form of equipment and enhancing it. For Lisa Dykes, Products Group Director at geospatial company NGIS, one of the most valuable pieces of kit anyone can have is a map.
Dykes described the humble map as one of the most important tools available to us in an emergency, as it offers a universal language that can be understood by everyone. During the same incident, firefighters could use a map
to decide how to best cut off a fire front, while residents can use the same map to navigate to safety, and community associations could use it to understand the accessibility of local evacuation centres. Plus maps now have so many more capabilities than they used to, thanks to enhancements provided by geographic information systems (GIS) — mapping software that stores, manages, analyses, edits, outputs and visualises geographic data.
How can geospatial technology such as GIS be used for emergency response? To give an example, Dykes noted that emergency services vehicles need to know the fastest route to an incident, and specialised software is now able to detect road and traffic conditions within seconds and provide updates to dispatchers in real time, reducing reliance on radio comms. Point of interest (POI) data can meanwhile provide emergency services with more than one data point to identify a location, while geocoding systems like what3words offer exact coordinates, down to one metre, anywhere in the world. These systems are particularly useful in large and remote areas such as farm stations and nature reserves, where a simple street address is not sufficient.
Vehicle connectivity
So what other technology is being used by emergency services vehicles? Nathan McGregor and John Hopping, representing Cradlepoint, noted that a lot of first responder vehicles these days are kitted out like a mobile office, with features like laptops, dashcams,
this question is the job of Natural Hazards Research Australia (NHRA), a not-for-profit organisation with a vision of building safer, more resilient communities through research and innovation.
NHRA’s CEO, Andrew Gissing, noted that the impact of climate change means we’re living in an environment of increasing natural hazard risk, and that we need to move from being behind the curve to getting ahead of it. This will require transformational thinking, looking one or two decades ahead to ask the big questions about what our society will look like in the future and what we can do now to prepare for that. Connectivity will play a key role here, as technology such as early-warning systems and evacuation alerts sent directly to people’s phones has already helped tremendously in reducing loss of life during disasters.
With this in mind, NHRA ran a project over the last 12 months with 300 different stakeholders from across the country to drive big and bold ideas. This culminated in the Be Ahead of Ready report, which imagines possibilities such as:
• Real-time forecasting to help emergency services predict the people and properties most at risk when hazards threaten.
• Autonomous assets, such as drones, being used for ongoing maintenance of critical infrastructure as well as search and rescue operations in dangerous areas.
• Augmented reality that could show you predicted flood levels and other risks to your property in the event of natural hazards.
And that’s all very well in urban areas, but as these vehicles move away from the CBD, and 4G and 5G networks become patchy, they need a reliable way to stay connected. For always-on connectivity on the go, McGregor and Hopping recommend using a software-defined wide area network (SDWAN). Users simply purchase a service such as a 5G SIM and/or LEO satellite connection, plug them into a router and the router will decide which service to use based on which is working best at any one point in time. For extra resilience, Cradlepoint offers three ‘intelligent bonding’ techniques:
• Flow balancing — where data is spread across two or more WAN links, providing a load-sharing ability. If one link fails or degrades, it goes over to the other.
• Flow duplication — where traffic is sent down two WAN links simultaneously, with the slower packet discarded once the first reaches its destination. If there’s
an interruption with one service, it will switch to the other.
• Bandwidth aggregation — combining two or more lower-speed WAN links into one higher-speed link to achieve greater bandwidth.
Apart from SD-WAN, vehicles in regional areas can be well served by vehicle-as-a-node (VaaN) technology, which creates a Wi-Fi ‘bubble’ around a vehicle enabling connection to the internet; mesh networks, which share WAN resources across multiple vehicles to enable communication over a large location (a fire ground, for instance); and Rapid Response Connectivity units — small trailers that can be wheeled into a large location to provide a private 5G network, with a cellular signal that can support up to 1000 users.
The future
All these technologies are being used to support our emergency services now, but what does the future hold? Answering
• Dynamic measurement to provide a continuous snapshot of natural hazard risk and resilience across the country, rather than relying on outdated, paper-based census data.
According to Gissing, public–private partnerships will be crucial to driving this sort of innovation, as will cross-sectoral collaboration; after all, emergency responders don’t create technology, they just use it. Conversations between tech companies and users will thus be key to addressing what responders actually want, and need, out of their technology.
Conclusion
As climate change takes hold on our sunburnt country, escalating the risk of natural disasters and other hazards, it is crucial to ensure always-on connectivity for our emergency responders — particularly those servicing regional and remote areas. In order to achieve this, public and private entities must work together to envision new technologies, as well as new use cases for existing technologies. Only then will we best be able to protect both our emergency services and the citizens they serve.
5G Redcap MediaTek-based module
The Quectel RG255G is a 5G RedCap MediaTek-based module. 5G Redcap, which is short for reduced capability, is a 5G variant defined in 3GPP Release 17 that combines the low latency of 5G with features such as network slicing in a chipset design with a lightweight architecture. RedCap is a suitable option for deployments that would benefit from these attributes but do not need the full capabilities of 5G.
The module, claimed to be the world’s first 5G modem-RF system-on-chip (SoC), includes MediaTek’s 5G RedCap UltraSave capability for low power consumption, as well as Release 17 power saving features. It offers downlink performance of 220 Mbps and uplink performance of 121 Mbps on 256 QAM or 91 Mbps on 64 QAM.
Available in three form factors — LGA, M.2 and Mini PCIe — the module family operates in 20 MHz bandwidth and offers support for LTE Cat 4 as well as GNSS. The modules also offer multiple interfaces, including USB 2.0 and PCIe 1.0.
The module is suitable for applications that include power monitoring, point of sale, industrial automation, smart energy and smart grid, mid-speed mobile broadband and wearable devices. The series will be available alongside a series of antennas, providing developers with the ability to purchase module and antennas at the same time.
Quectel
www.quectel.com
LTE Cat 1bis cellular modules
u-blox has expanded its range of R10 modules for the fast-growing LTE Cat 1bis cellular connectivity market. The latest additions strengthen the company’s LTE Cat 1bis portfolio, serving both the IoT and users migrating from legacy 2G/3G cellular connectivity.
The LEXI-R10 Global provides an ultracompact 16 x16 mm LTE Cat 1bis solution that can be used worldwide in size-constrained IoT applications such as people or pet trackers and wearables. It is being billed as the world’s smallest singlemode LTE Cat 1bis module with indoor location and a US MNO certified core.
Meanwhile, the SARA-R10 series brings the same capabilities as the LEXI-R10 Global to u-blox’s SARA form factor. With 2G and 3G sunsets continuing globally, the series offers product designers using 2G and 3G u-blox SARA modules a straightforward upgrade path to 4G LTE.
One of the variants is the SARA-R10M10, an ultrasmall LTE Cat 1bis module with embedded GNSS capable of concurrent communication and tracking. It is suitable for asset tracking and telematics applications that demand continuous connectivity as well as indoor and outdoor positioning anywhere in the world, due to the blend of GNSS, Wi-Fi scan and global LTE coverage. It is also 50% smaller than u-blox’s previous LTE Cat 1bis combo, the LENA-R8M10.
The two modules give product designers a 4G cellular connectivity solution for IoT applications that require medium data rates, worldwide portability, ultralow power consumption and compact sizes. They offer the option to embed an eSIM and also include an integrated Wi-Fi Sniffer, providing indoor localisation via the u-blox CellLocate service based on both a Wi-Fi and cellular networks.
u-blox Singapore Pte Ltd www.u-blox.com
Layer 3 10 Gb stackable managed switches
D-Link A/NZ has made two additions to its DXS-3410 Series Layer 3 10 Gb stackable managed switches: the DXS-3410-32SY and the DXS-3410-32XY.
The versatile, Layer 3 stackable switches provide adaptable, bottleneck-free 10G business connectivity. As they include powerful L2 and L3 features, they are flexible and capable of accommodating different network deployments. Each of the models features 10G fibre ports as well as four 10/25G SFP28 ports to provide versatility and speed, whilst providing either 10 Gb Ethernet or 10 Gb SFP+ interfaces, providing flexibility for any type of deployment.
The series allows multiple switches to be combined to form a single physical or virtual stack. This increases redundancy over multiple physical units, simplifies management and provides a single IP address to manage all members in the stack. Up to nine switches can be combined using DACs/fibre to make up to 252 10 Gb Ethernet ports available, allowing switching capacity to be increased with demand, while up to 32 units can be virtually stacked.
The series gives enterprises and organisations a network that allows for maximum business continuity, utilising built-in G.8032 Ethernet ring protection switching (ERPS) to help minimise recovery times to 50 ms. The switches also support an external redundant power supply so that business operations continue unimpeded.
The series provides users with the latest security features, such as multi-layer and packet content access control lists (ACL), storm control and IPMAC-port binding (IMPB). Features like DHCP snooping let the switches automatically learn and save IP/MAC pairs to the IMPB whitelist.
The series supports authentication mechanisms such as 802.1X, web-based access control (WAC) and MAC-based access control (MAC) for strict access control and easy deployment. After authentication, individual policies such as VLAN membership, QoS policies and ACL rules can be assigned to each host.
The series implements a rich set of multi-layer QoS/CoS features to prioritise critical network services such as VoIP, video conferences, IPTV and IP surveillance. With robust features including traffic shaping, L2 multicast, host-based IGMP/ MLD snooping and ISM VLAN, administrators can manage their traffic in a way that fits their needs.
D-Link Australia Pty Ltd www.dlink.com.au
Solution to Circumvent Voltage Drop in DC Power Cables
Power Engineers designing DC power systems for critical loads will include various backup power sources for best uptime reliability, generally incorporating lead-acid and lithium batteries. When the primary power source fails (AC mains, solar, generator), the batteries will discharge to support the DC loads. As the batteries release their stored capacity, the DC voltage is dropping, and an inverse increase in electrical current occurs. Electrical Engineers, in turn, specify large cables to suit the worst-case (highest) electrical currents. ere is no argument this has been the correct system design method, as it follows mandated electrical safety standards, but the cost of sourcing and deploying large DC cabling weighs heavily. Sites with long cable runs to devices across the facility, and/or where cabling extends up towers to equipment such as Remote Radio Units (RRU), have a snowball e ect of the voltage drop problem. E ectively the longer a cable run is, the higher the voltage drop and the larger the cable needs to be to deliver a suitable voltage to the equipment. Cable sizes typically are not a contested topic and when you asked an Electrical Engineer for a better solution in the past, you could expect to be told ‘it is what it is’.
Eaton’s Solution
e MCU-ES Energy Saver DC-DC Converter is a cutting-edge DC to DC converter designed for voltage regulation, to improve electrical isolation and surge protection of critical telecommunications, electrical utility, and industrial site equipment.
Industry Leading Power Density
The Eaton MCU-ES delivers 2kW of power in a high-density power module. Its compact size
and short depth make it ideal for limited-space applications such as macro base station buildings and outdoor cabinets. The MCU-ES is a hot swappable plug-and-go module that can be utilised with a range of Eaton power chassis to match the application, supported by the Eaton SC300 system controller.
E ciency Matters
Operating at peak e ciency of over 96% over a wide range (30–100% load), the MCU-ES minimizes waste energy. Whether powering 5G/LTE RRUs or providing a speci c voltage during battery discharge to electrically sensitive equipment, this converter delivers. Being fully compatible with existing current generation Eaton DC power systems makes integration seamless.
Robust Performance
An operating temperature rating up to 70°C, a wide DC input voltage range, and a fully user-settable output voltage ensure high reliability even in challenging conditions. e variable-speed fan keeps cooling e cient and quiet.
e Eaton MCU-ES Energy Saver DC-DC
Converter nds applications in various critical DC power systems where e cient voltage conversion and regulation are critical, such as: Communications base stations, where the MCUES e ciently powers the RRUs with speci c voltage even during battery discharge/recharge, reducing cable size/weight on the power, as well as providing galvanic isolation to communications equipment in the outdoor cabinet or Macro Base Station building. Data Centres, where a centralised DC power system requires long DC cable runs to DC distribution/equipment, in which cable sizes can be
signi cantly reduced due to the ability of facility engineers to control output voltage to the loads. Industrial Automation and Power Utility plants, where equipment often requires precise voltage regulation. e MCU-ES can power sensors, actuators, and control systems. e robust performance in harsh environments delivers high reliability where it is required the most.
For further information please contact your local Eaton sales o ce, Eaton partner or refer to www.eaton.com/au/dc
Written by Chris Barson, Product Manager Power Quality/DC Power Solutions
Compact cellular 5G antenna
Benelec has introduced its 024584 Compact Cellular 5G 3 dBi Base Dipole Antenna, designed and manufactured at the company’s Sydney facility to deliver dependable performance for a wide range of cellular applications.
The antenna offers seamless connectivity and is suitable for a variety of applications, whether indoor or outdoor, fixed or mobile. Its versatile design allows it to be compatible with 3G, 4G and 5G networks, giving the freedom to use it in any setting. The antenna is also ground-independent and can be used with an optional range of mounting brackets, further enhancing its adaptability.
Built to support various applications, the antenna will be useful for networking, IoT and M2M systems. Whether it’s for IoT intelligent sensors, fire monitoring and alarm panels, or M2M support of fleet management or automated machinery, the antenna will help to enable efficient and productive business connectivity in urban and rural areas.
Designed with 3 m of low-loss cable and an SMA male connector, the antenna has a compact design that makes installation effortless and can be mounted on wall or pole structures. It is pre-tuned across multiple frequency bands, including 690–960, 1710–2700 and 3500–3700 MHz.
Benelec Pty Ltd www.benelec.au
UTC timing services
VIAVI’s altGNSSSM GEO SecureTimeSM services deliver nanoseconds-accurate UTC timing via L-Band and Ku-Band satellite signals, for use in critical infrastructure including 5G networks, transportation, data centres, smart grid, high-frequency trading, military and first responder communications, and satellite terminals. Operating completely independently of traditional GPS and GNSS, the altGNSS GEO service is difficult to jam or spoof and features broad global coverage, improving resistance to attacks.
SecureTime features Navigation Message Authentication (NMA), which uses encryption to detect spoofing in any of the signals received from all sources — including GPS that does not support NMA. It builds on VIAVI’s existing multisource assurance, combining signals from government and commercial constellations across geosynchronous orbit (GEO), low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO).
The services have been tested in live-sky battlefield scenarios, including providing assured PNT in a simulated warzone with complete denial of GPS and GNSS services. VIAVI will integrate these services in its own products while also providing receivers for third-party solution providers wishing to leverage the altGNSS services in their own systems.
VIAVI Solutions Inc www.viavisolutions.com.au
Low-pass filters for harmonic suppression
The RLF and XLF series of low-pass filters, from CTS Corporation, are optimised to support 3GPP standards that require harmonic suppression through fifth-order harmonics. Both series provide complete solutions for harmonic rejection for wireless infrastructure applications.
The RLF family offers ultralow insertion loss (3 to 5 dB max) and good close-in rejection/attenuation. They are suitable for up to 20 W of average power and 200 W of peak modulated power.
The XLF family offers small size (6.5 x 5 x 2 mm) and low insertion loss. They are suitable for systems of up to 6 W of average output power per antenna port.
Featuring wide temperature ranges with tight stability, the high-performance filters can be used with other CTS products, as a standalone solution or as a complement to other filter technologies.
Richardson RFPD www.richardsonrfpd.com
Bayswater
MCPTT CERTIFICATION LAUNCHED
Harald Ludwig, Chair of TCCA’s Technical Forum
MCPTT is a voice service which is standardised by 3GPP to support the critical communications industry. It will be used in several sectors, such as public safety, railways, utilities and others. MCPTT and the other mission-critical services — MCVideo and MCData — are designed as an application which runs over a 4G/LTE or 5G broadband network.
The launch of the certification is a very important milestone. Now, for the first time, vendors can prove that their implementations and products are really compliant to the 3GPP mission-critical standards. We know from TCCA’s work with TETRA that such certification provides network operators and end users with confidence of standards’ compliance of the technology, and enables a true multi-vendor market
On 11 June 2024, the Global Certification Forum (GCF) announced the launch of certification for MCPTT (Mission Critical Push-To-Talk) products. This launch is an important milestone in the work GCF and TCCA (The Critical Communications Association) initiated in 2020 with the establishment of a joint taskforce which later became the Mission Critical Services (MCS) Work Stream for GCF.
which encourages further innovation as well as more product availability, quality and competition.
TCCA set up the TETRA interoperability testing and certification 25 years ago and continues to observe such success and outcomes. For broadband products TCCA partnered with the GCF to establish a certification program to address in a similar way the more complex broadband ecosystem device and client conformance demanded by users and operators.
The workstream is supported by members of both GCF and TCCA and has worked over the last years to establish the processes and an ecosystem for mission-critical product certification. This has resulted in the establishment of a validated test platform from Rohde & Schwarz; the RTO (Recognised Test Organisation) known
as AstaZero; and Ericsson acting as the ACE (Assessment Capable Entity) for 3GPP-mission critical products. It is expected that more test platforms, RTOs and ACEs for mission-critical products will be available in the future.
Just a day after the launch of the certification, the first product was certified. Frequentis has certified its MissionX Android SDK. Now that the certification program is established, it is expected that many other products will be submitted to confirm their conformance to 3GPP MCX standards.
The certification is important for purchasers of mission-critical products like operators or users. With a certified product, they can be sure that their solutions will be compliant to the 3GPP standards and thus later will also work together with implementations of other vendors. Purchasers are encouraged now to include certification as a requirement into their procurement specifications. TCCA’s Legal & Regulatory Working Group (LRWG) is establishing with GCF input sample texts which can be considered for inclusion in procurement specifications — an initial sample text is available upon request via TCCA.
TCCA will continue supporting the ETSI MCX and FRMCS (Future Rail Mobile Communications System) Plugtests. The Plugtests, while not intended to provide any formal certification, are an opportunity for vendors to test their implementations with each other and uncover any areas for improvement in the 3GPP standards. The fourth FRMCS Plugtests were held from 1–5 July 2024, and the ninth MCX Plugtests event is planned for early 2025.
The next steps will be to extend the GCF certification to include MCVideo and MCData services and later 3GPP Releases. The current certification covers MCPTT Release 14. Later releases are backwards compatible, allowing products which have implemented a later release to be submitted for certification now.
The GCF MCS workstream is continuing to work on other topics. For example, field tests are tests on live networks and, as soon as
Home mesh Wi-Fi router system
Cambium Networks’ latest residential Wi-Fi solution is designed to enable service providers to enhance the subscriber experience while lowering support cost.
The system is delivered by the RV22 Wi-Fi 6 Home Mesh Router with purposely designed efficient antennas; automatic mesh links multiple routers into a seamless, high-performance Wi-Fi network with symmetrical mesh links up to 2.4 Gbps. The router has an aesthetically pleasing design with a brandable area on the top of the AP.
The Subscriber App includes popular tools including family time, content filter, bedtime schedules, speed test, optimise Wi-Fi and more. The brandable app, with its consumer-friendly dashboard and convenient tools, is a key piece of the subscriber experience.
Finally, cnMaestro cloud management provides network provisioning, device management, remote diagnostics and a new subscriber workflow designed to simplify the steps to create services and link the subscriber and in-home access points.
Cambium Networks Ltd www.cambiumnetworks.com
THE CERTIFICATION IS IMPORTANT FOR PURCHASERS OF MISSION-CRITICAL PRODUCTS LIKE OPERATORS OR USERS.
mission-critical networks declare themselves as Field Test Qualified, the field tests can be launched. In the next phase the workstream will look into including interoperability and performance tests for mission-critical products.
So far certification is available for the mission-critical device and the mission-critical client on the device. Work has already started at ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute) to write conformance test cases for the server side, which will cover the server side of the mission-critical services as well as the serverto-server interface and the interworking interface (IWF) to other technologies like TETRA, P25 or GSM-R. These test cases will be brought to 3GPP and GCF for consideration in conformance testing and certification processes.
“Global certification of 3GPP MCX devices is crucial in this region at a time when private mission-critical LTE and 5G deployments are on the increase, the Public Safety Network rollout in New Zealand continues and the Public Safety Mobile Broadband program in Australia is in planning,” said Alan Seery, Chair of TCCA’s regional chapter, the Australasian Critical Communications Forum (ACCF).
“Certification brings many benefits to suppliers, network operators and end users, and greater certainty that implementations will deliver capability in a unified fashion, minimise project risk and underpin future network evolution as 3GPP MCX standards are enhanced.”
Pole/mast mount for dome antennas
Designed by Panorama Antennas for use with its L[X]M[X] M4[X]-6-60 Mako and L[X]M[X]M[X]-6-60 5G Great White antenna series, the SAB-342 provides a simple mounting solution for fitting these product lines to standard 38 mm diameter poles, thus adapting the dome-type antennas to fixed site applications.
The assembly allows the antenna to be mounted to the top of such a pole with the cables routed inside the pole. The bracket is mounted to the antenna using the M18 mounting thread on the antenna, locked in place with a grub screw. The entire assembly is fitted to the 38 mm pole using 3x additional grub screws.
Mounting these omnidirectional antennas on a pole allows for increased elevation and clearance from buildings or other obstructions. When mounting above a roofline or in an elevated position in areas prone to lightning, it may be prudent to consider lightning or surge protection.
SAMSUNG COMPLETES AUSTRALIA’S FIRST DEMO OF MCPTT SOLUTIONS
Australian first responder agencies face unique challenges when it comes to reliable and efficient communications. The country’s vast and diverse landscape, ranging from densely populated cities to remote rural areas, requires a robust and reliable communication system that operates effectively in any environment. In addition, Australia faces a variety of natural disasters such as bushfires, floods and cyclones, which intensify the need for advanced connectivity during critical situations.
Australia’s current public safety communication systems provide a mature and trusted voice capability, but often encounter challenges with coverage, audio quality, interoperability between different agencies and support for critical data including images, video and location information. Broadband mission-critical solutions help overcome these challenges and, by significantly augmenting communication capabilities, improve outcomes during emergencies.
To advance the national critical communications capability, the Australian Government formed a Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) Taskforce in late 2023. Samsung is a supporter of this national commitment and has powered an ongoing trial of its Mission Critical Push-to-X (MCPTX) solution to help Australia with its efforts.
This trial is the country’s first in involving MCPTX and interworking capabilities, and Samsung is showcasing its cross-regional efforts with Etherstack on a leading Australian mobile operator’s network. The collaboration underscores the capabilities of Samsung’s MCPTX in enhancing emergency responses, streamlining communication among first responders and ultimately keeping communities safer.
Back in June, the companies kicked off demonstrations as part of the trial with a showcase of various MCX features, including Mission Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT), MC Push-to-Video, MC Push-to-Data, location services and Land Mobile Radio Interworking
Function (LMR-IWF). These advanced functionalities provide means of reliable, seamless and secure communication for public safety agencies, first responders and mission-critical operations across different industries.
For Australia’s first MCPTX trial, Samsung is providing its 3GPP standard-compliant MCPTX solutions — MCX Core and MCX Client Application. These advanced MCX solutions are designed to leverage the proven technologies like 4G, 5G and mission-critical services to deliver robust and secure voice, video and data exchange capabilities even under challenging network conditions. Samsung is deploying Etherstack’s LMR-IWF in the trial, enabling seamless integration between the advanced MCPTX network and traditional LMR systems and allowing the users to communicate effortlessly.
“It’s great to have another carrier deployment of our IWF technology with Samsung in Australia,” said David Deacon, CEO at Etherstack. “This deployment demonstrates that standards-based interworking between traditional digital radio networks and nextgen 5G networks is feasible and mature enough to deploy in real-world scenarios. We are thrilled to be working with Samsung in supporting technology advances for public safety agencies in Australia.”
Samsung’s MCPTX supports interoperability with existing systems and allows a seamless transition from traditional technologies, meaning that organisations can leverage the benefits of MCX without completely overhaul-
ing their current set-up, saving both time and resources. Through enabling a smooth migration to MCX, Samsung helps organisations futureproof their communication capabilities while minimising disruption to their operations, by keeping the end-user experience front and centre. Even beyond public safety, MCX has significant potential for other industries that rely on mission-critical communications, such as utilities, mining and transportation, where reliable and secure communication is of utmost importance.
Looking ahead, the future of missioncritical communications is set to shift again with 5G. Enhanced mobile broadband capabilities and ultralow latency will bring new levels of performance and new capabilities through MCX, enabling novel applications and use cases that are bound to transform public safety and emergency management. Samsung is working closely with standards bodies to pave the way for 5G adoption in mission-critical services in the coming years, ensuring that its MCPTX solutions remain at the forefront of innovation.
*Yong Chang is Vice President and Head of B2B Business Development Group, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
^Matthieu Guyot is Director of Public Safety, B2B Business Development Group, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.
This article was originally published on the Samsung blog and has been republished here with permission.
Yong Chang* and Matthieu Guyot^, Samsung Electronics
5G & Satellite Connectivity: A Perfect pairing for emergency services
Emergency services in Australia have some very unique challenges that combine to require a unique solution. ese challenges include keeping data secure for moving vehicles that traverse many kilometres of diverse terrain, a vast number of rural areas that have little or no cellular connectivity, and often operating in extreme environments.
Emergency services with xed sites and vehicles need reliable and exible connectivity to ensure they provide services in the most e cient and secure manner. Because of these unique challenges, when choosing between satellite or cellular for the most reliable solution to provide connectivity for emergency services, the answer could be simple: use both.
What are LEO Satellites?
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite internet systems, such as Starlink by SpaceX, are tailored for
organisations operating in rural or remote areas lacking cellular infrastructure. Starlink provides an alternative connection when cellular service is spotty or not available. However, there are limitations surrounding LEO satellite capacity and cost. Set up costs and ongoing subscription fees, plus impacts from weather can make satellite as primary connectivity a challenge for emergency services that have vehicles moving between urban and rural areas.
The combination of LEO satellites and 5G provides enhanced connectivity by creating a more resilient network and supplying more bandwidth. Combining the strengths of Starlink’s expansive coverage and the advanced capabilities of 5G, emergency services can maintain operations, no matter the location. Pairing the two technologies offers high-performance, reliable, secure WAN access.
Use Case: Multi-WAN network failover
For organisations with xed sites, relying on wired connectivity as the primary link is common. However, ensuring reliable backup solutions are in place is crucial for maintaining uninterrupted operations. If a wired line goes down due to infrastructure or weather issues, using 5G as the failover link can mean zero connectivity loss for an organisation. Should the cellular link become unavailable, network tra c can then fail over to the satellite link.
Use Case: Failover from cellular to satellite
Consider an emergency services base with a xed site that needs to be online 24/7 but operates in a remote location with some cellular coverage available. Where wired lines are not available, cellular becomes the primary link. While the cellular link handles
tra c under normal conditions, it automatically fails over to satellite if the performance declines or the link is inaccessible for any reason.
Use Case: Critical communication in moving vehicles
Given that wired connectivity isn’t feasible in vehicles, leveraging a dual-modem router that supports multiple cellular carriers for wireless-towireless failover is optimal. Satellite can also be deployed as a third backup option where cellular isn’t available. For example, a re truck battling a wild re in a remote region might encounter limitations in cellular coverage. In such cases, satellite connectivity can serve as a failover link, ensuring continuous connectivity for missioncritical communications.
But what if there is no cellular coverage at all in the area that an organisation is operating in? It is
still important to deploy an enterprise class router for security and to provide advanced networking if dual Starlink connections are deployed. But which router and how connected devices are managed, is important.
Why Cradlepoint?
In addition to requiring an enterprise grade router that has the capability to manage complex link failover scenarios, there are three other key requirements to consider, especially for emergency services operators:
1. Simpli ed Management: Often emergency services organisations are under-resourced in IT and networking. Having a sophisticated network that can be easily managed by a small technical workforce is critical.
2. Security: While 5G cellular networks are well known for providing extremely secure
connections based on intrinsic encryption, most LEO satellite systems have limited inherent security features.
3. Link Bonding : In some instances, it makes sense to combine several links into a single virtual path, so it is important to have a solution that provides flexibility for all types of architectures.
Cradlepoint 5G routers o er users connectivity with cellular, LEO satellites, and even wired connections. Cradlepoint’s NetCloud Manager portal provides centralised management and visibility of all connected devices — including geolocation, connectivity status, and troubleshooting.
Even though the 5G network provides inherent security, Cradlepoint also offers comprehensive security to protect the connected IoT devices, users and applications connecting to the network. This includes a zero-trust network to replace traditional VPNs and private APNs. Zero-trust SD-WAN enables resilient WAN links with link bonding and through fast failover to a secondary link: for example, switching from one cellular carrier to another that has a stronger signal, or switching from a cellular link to a satellite link. Advanced web security protects users from email and web attacks.
A key differentiator is that Cradlepoint’s security is deployed and managed using NetCloud Manager, so lean IT teams are not required to manage and deploy a separate security stack. These solutions are quick to deploy and easy to manage from anywhere.
Cradlepoint provides a portfolio of rugged and reliable wireless router solutions and cloud network management software for in-vehicle, headquarter offices, and IoT connectivity — helping teams stay safer, respond faster, and perform better. Cradlepoint vehicle routers are ruggedised for extreme conditions, built to withstand humidity, movement, and temperatures ranging from -30 to +70°C. They are also IP64 rated for dust and water protection.
Regardless of the approach your organisation may take, the powerful pairing of cellular and satellite promises a more resilient network for seamless connectivity.
Cradlepoint Australia Pty Ltd www.cradlepoint.com/au
Radio Matters
RFUANZ is here to protect, promote and preserve the New Zealand radio spectrum for all users, and this also includes celebrating the industry’s incredible achievements!
Ngā Mihi to everyone that submitted a nomination for this year’s Industry Awards; without you the awards evening is not possible. A huge thanks is in order to all of our Partners and Members — RFUANZ would not be the same without your ongoing support and mahi. We are not slowing down, and knowing we are working with and for such a strong industry only pushes us further.
The Gala Dinner and Industry Awards evening continues to grow. In 2024 there were more nominations than previous years, 240 attendees and eight award winners! Such strong applications for the nominees caused a lot of healthy debate between our judges and resulted in two categories with joint winners.
The 2024 RFUANZ Industry Award winners are:
• Young Achiever — Cody Barriball (Outback Communications)
• Focus On Customer Service — Jerame Ashton (Mount Campbell Communications); Chris Grala (Dove Communications)
• Stand Out Performer — Kushla Sproull (Logic Wireless)
• Lifetime Service — Gamini (Sirilal) Mallawa-Arachchi (Retired NZ Police)
• Advocate For Health & Safety — Scott McMillan (Hi-Tec Aerials)
Congratulations to all winners for 2024. It was such a close call between the nominees and we wish you all the very best for the year ahead.
There was a bittersweet ending to the evening as we said goodbye to both Debby Morgan (Treasurer/Secretary) and Desiré Morris (Events Coordinator). Debby leaves us after a decade on the committee; she has been paramount to the growth of RFUANZ and her expertise is second to none. We wish you both well with your upcoming adventures and your contributions will not be forgotten.
This year brings a new Chairman (Soren Low), a new Vice-Chairman (Justin Wonderlick) and a committee of nine. Your committee for 2024–2025 is:
• Soren Low — Chairman
• Justin Wonderlick — Vice-Chairman
• Mike Head — Treasurer
• Trinity Matika — Secretary
• Carl Garner
• Corey Weir
• Daniel Miller
• David Johnston
• Lorna Goulding
Annalise Mokalei-Smith is our new Events Coordinator.
There is a contact button on our website where you can leave any questions, concerns or feedback; as always, we implore you to reach out to any one of us!
Radio Frequency Users Association of New Zealand
25G PON fibre modem
Nokia’s symmetrical 25G PON fibre modem, which helps to further accelerate 25G PON deployments, is a compact solution that can easily be installed on a wall, inside a building or in an outdoor enclosure to immediately deliver internet speeds that are 20x faster than current gigabit solutions. Once deployed, operators can leverage their existing fibre network to offer premium residential, business or anyhaul services that unlock additional revenue streams.
25G PON is an easy and powerefficient way for services providers to upgrade and maximise the use of their existing fibre network to deliver ultra-fast broadband access. The modem is an efficient 25G solution that can support all types of services and applications in the fibre-for-everything era.
The product allows operators to establish a future-ready network that can immediately address the growing demand for more capacity and enhanced broadband services. It enables operators to quickly upgrade their existing GPON or XGS PON network to deliver true 10 Gbps speeds and beyond with ease. For enterprises, this can help improve business productivity and enhance connectivity to the cloud or value-added applications located in data centres. For consumers and power users, it provides immediate access to additional capacity needed to support bandwidth-hungry applications such as AI, gaming or security.
Key features include: coexistence with GPON, XGS-PON and 50G PON on the same ODN; a hardened and compact design for various deployment practices and environments; symmetrical 25 Gbps throughput using pluggable optics; frequency and time-of-day synchronisation functions for mobile transport; and the ability to connect cell sites to transport mobile traffic over a PON network in plugand-play mode, delivering the required capacity, latency and synchronisation required for 5G networks.
Nokia Solutions and Networks Australia Pty Ltd www.nokia.com
EARLIER BUSHFIRE DETECTION ONBOARD AI FOR CUBESATS ENABLES
A new project led by the University of South Australia (UniSA) has used cuttingedge onboard AI technology to develop an energy-efficient early fire detection system for South Australia’s first cube satellite, Kanyini.
The Kanyini mission is a collaboration between the SA Government, SmartSat CRC and industry partners to launch a 6U CubeSat satellite into low Earth orbit to detect bushfires as well as monitor inland and coastal water quality. Equipped with a hyperspectral imager, the satellite sensor captures reflected light from Earth in different wavelengths to generate detailed surface maps for various applications, including bushfire monitoring, water quality assessment and land management.
Lead researcher UniSA Dr Stefan Peters said that, traditionally, Earth observation satellites have not had the onboard processing capabilities to analyse complex images of Earth captured from space in real time. His team, which includes scientists from UniSA, Swinburne University of Technology
and Geoscience Australia, has overcome this by building a lightweight AI model that can detect smoke within the available onboard processing, power consumption and data storage constraints of cube satellites.
“For most sensor systems, only a fraction of the data collected contains critical information related to the purpose of a mission,” Peters said. “Because the data can’t be processed onboard large satellites, all of it is downlinked to the ground where it is analysed, taking up a lot of space and energy. We have overcome this by training the model to differentiate smoke from cloud, which makes it much faster and more efficient.”
Compared to the on-ground-based processing of hyperspectral satellite imagery to detect fires, the AI model reduced the volume of data downlinked to 16% of its original size, while consuming 69% less energy.
The model also detected smoke 500 times faster than traditional on-ground processing — even before they take hold and generate large amounts of heat — allowing on-ground crews to respond more quickly and prevent loss of life and property.
“Smoke is usually the first thing you can see from space before the fire gets hot and
big enough for sensors to identify it, so early detection is crucial,” Peters said.
The team demonstrated their AI model with simulated satellite imagery of recent Australian bushfires, having used machine learning to train the model to detect smoke in an image. Using a past fire event in the Coorong, south of Adelaide, as a case study, the simulated Kanyini AI onboard approach took less than 14 minutes to detect the smoke and send the data to the South Pole ground station.
“This research shows there are significant benefits of onboard AI compared to traditional on-ground processing,” Peters said. “This will not only prove invaluable in the event of bushfires but also serve as an early warning system for other natural disasters.”
With their results now published in the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth and Remote Sensing, the research team hopes to demonstrate the onboard AI fire detection system in orbit in 2025 when the Kanyini mission is operational.
“Once we have ironed out any issues, we hope to commercialise the technology and employ it on a CubeSat constellation, aiming to contribute to early fire detection within an hour,” Peters said.
USING AI TO BUILD YOUR NEXT-GEN WIRELESS SYSTEM
MathWorks
The wireless industry is experiencing an unprecedented surge in demand, with more than 7.1 billion human mobile users and a growing number of wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) connections. The central challenge engineers face when designing wireless systems and networks is their complexity.
Traditional predefined designs are inadequate or inflexible when handling system complexity and unadaptable when requirements and environments change. Founded on the principle of learning and adaptability, emerging AI-native technologies promise to address the complexity challenge.
The wireless standard organisation, 3GPP, has been vocal about AI’s significant role in the forthcoming 5G Advanced and 6G standards. They propose AI’s functionality for enhanced positioning, beam management, and channel state information (CSI) feedback. The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) also touts AI for its ability to help wireless engineers in indoor positioning and beam management. The industry consensus is clear: engineers must integrate AI-native concepts to stay ahead in the next-gen wireless system race.
What are AI-native wireless systems, and why are they superior to traditional designs?
An AI-native wireless system inherently incorporates AI algorithms into its operational framework. AI-native systems offer three primary benefits for wireless engineers: better coverage, higher capacity and reliable robustness.
AI-native wireless systems are designed to learn from and adapt to their environment. This approach significantly differs from traditional designs based on more rigid, predefined models that have scalability limitations and often require costly, time-consuming signal processing resources.
Engineers designing AI-native systems need large real-world measured datasets. Most of this data is sourced from physical prototypes or by measuring real-world sig-
nals. However, most engineers use digital twins — representative virtual models that can be simulated — to augment data to train AI-native systems. Digital twins ensure that AI-native systems have sufficient data to handle adverse situations and efficiently manage system elements.
Designing
and
integrating an AI-native wireless system
Developing an AI-native wireless system is a complex process that involves creating a design workflow that includes gathering data, training and testing the model, and implementing and integrating the model into the wireless system.
1. Gathering and generating data
The first step in creating an AI-native wireless system involves data collection, by either
acquiring over-the-air (OTA) signals or synthesising data from a digital twin. Synthetic data is especially useful, as it facilitates scalability testing, fault tolerance and anomaly detection while also aiding in environment modelling and system configuration optimisation. Maximising model efficiency requires that training data is representative of real-world scenarios the system will face. Engineers can use the collected data to perform training and validation of AI models, testing and simulation, and optimisation and performance tuning. With the data gathered, the next step involves simulation and modelling.
2. Training and testing the model
When training an AI model for a wireless system, it is essential to determine the quantity of system parameters, including bandwidth allocation, latency, signal strength, modula-
tion and coding. Using these parameters and the comprehensive dataset obtained in the first step, the engineer selects and optimises machine learning algorithms for key system functions like autoencoders, channel estimation, channel feedback optimisation and resource allocation. During the training process, engineers must consider factors that affect real-time performance, including computational complexity, memory usage, and parallel processing on GPUs or clusters.
After an AI model is trained, the model is tested to ensure reliable performance in real-world systems. At this stage, the model’s performance is iteratively adapted to correct for biases, errors and inefficiencies. Once the adaptation is complete, the AI network should be pruned. Pruning involves converting the model to a fixed point and removing the neural network layers that do not contribute to the system’s overall behaviour. At this stage, the model is ready to be implemented in the wireless system.
3. Implementing the AI model
An AI model is only useful when it is implemented as part of a real-world system. The first step involves scaling and resource assessment. This involves evaluating the processing power, memory requirements and data throughput needed for the AI models to operate efficiently.
The second step is to use automatic code generation for deploying pretrained AI models on desktop or embedded targets using low-level code. This step automates the implementation process and reduces manual coding errors.
The final implementation step is the validation process that compares the performance of the implemented system to that of the original AI model. After engineers have identified and addressed discrepancies or performance issues, they are ready to perform model integration.
4. Integrating the model
The final step involves the integration of the implemented AI models within the overall wireless system. This phase ensures that the newly implemented AI solution works harmoniously with the rest of the legacy system. Before full-scale integration, engineers must ensure interoperability with existing system components by analysing the end-to-end system performance rather than individual algorithms and subsystems.
MATLAB can help engineers throughout all these stages of wireless system development. In MATLAB, they can perform tasks such as data generation, algorithm optimisation, code generation for implementation and model validation.
Challenges of using AI to design wireless systems
Integrating AI into wireless systems presents a variety of hurdles, including balancing conflicting performance metrics and ensuring superior performance relative to legacy systems. The goal is to achieve a balance that supports operational objectives by delivering high-quality overall performance.
Balancing performance metrics
In a typical design scenario, optimising a metric often compromises another, which makes it crucial to find an acceptable balance that meets the system’s overall goals. For example, increasing the network’s throughput may lead to higher power consumption and latency, necessitating a trade-off to maintain energy efficiency. Engineers can use modelling and simulation to explore various scenarios and configurations to balance the desired metrics. This predictive approach helps in making informed decisions and identifying optimal configurations without disrupting the actual system.
Ensuring superior performance
Transitioning from legacy wireless systems to AI-enhanced systems without disruption is challenging, but essential for achieving superior performance. AI models that continuously learn are key to this transition, as they enable the system to adapt to dynamic network conditions. Achieving superior performance requires training models using diverse, representative datasets.
One solution is to simulate the integrated system before full-scale deployment to ensure AI components will interoperate properly with legacy systems. Engineers use tools like MATLAB to facilitate interoperability testing and identify potential compatibility issues and performance bottlenecks.
Conclusion
The wireless industry is at a critical juncture. With the upcoming rollout of 5G Advanced and 6G standards, the next generation of wireless systems will deploy more AI-native technologies. Engineers tasked with designing modern wireless systems have realised that integrating AI is no longer optional; it is essential. By incorporating AI-native design principles, wireless engineers can develop systems and networks that meet today’s needs and are equipped to evolve with tomorrow’s wireless requirements and advancements.
For more information about MathWorks solutions for wireless communications, visit https://au.mathworks.com/solutions/wirelesscommunications.html.
4G/5G network coverage platform
Powertec Wireless Technology has introduced the National Coverage Model (NCM), a cloud-based platform used to analyse the coverage and performance of Australia’s 4G and 5G networks. Empowering technology professionals with insights that were not previously available, the model is designed to revolutionise the way cellular technologies can be deployed and optimised.
The platform provides a true, high-resolution snapshot of Telstra, Optus and Vodafone 4G/5G networks across the entire country and out to sea. With an intuitive and familiar interface, users can check and compare mobile coverage for any location in the country.
NCM enables technology professionals to plan, deploy and optimise wireless solutions reliant on 4G and 5G connectivity right from their web browser. For consultants and property developers, the platform provides insights into the availability and speed of 4G/5G mobile networks, whether the task is understanding mobile coverage of a new subdivision, drone BVLOS flight planning or identifying blackspots along a traffic corridor.
Simply type in an address or GPS coordinates to check the availability of Telstra, Optus and Vodafone 4G/5G at that location. A signal level estimate (RSRP), based on real-world data, can be obtained with a single click.
With mobile data speed prediction, users can understand the performance capabilities of the 4G/5G network and how data speed is impacted by terrain, vegetation and buildings between them and the tower. They can also understand which tower is providing signal to a location, along with alternatives for effective emergency outage and disaster planning scenarios.
Users can plan their technology deployment with detailed information on terrain and distances, and optimal antenna height and azimuth for aiming equipment at the tower. Extensive graphical mapping features allow for the easy generation of connectivity reports, including ability to assess sites in bulk.
Savox Pack-COM, a wireless team communication system from Savox Communications, is designed to enhance team efficiency, safety and security with good sound quality, ultralow latency and full duplex capability. Engineered to meet the rigorous demands of tactical environments, the product enables seamless and secure communication to help improve coordination, responsiveness and situational awareness of the whole team.
The system features a portable base station that creates a secure communication bubble, allowing teams to move freely and work securely. AES-256 encryption provides confidentiality and security for all communications, protecting sensitive information in real time.
A robust, full-duplex connection within a 400 m LOS (line of sight) range of the portable base station enables effective communication even in the most challenging environments. The product also includes the Savox TRICS series tactical radio and intercom control system, to enhance the team’s operational capabilities in demanding conditions.
Providing clear communications, the wireless team communication system is designed to reduce misunderstandings and enhance operational efficiency through its high sound quality. It integrates effortlessly with existing radio infrastructure by connecting up to two external radios. This feature enhances versatility and interoperability, catering to each team’s specific requirements.
Savox Communications www.savox.com
4x4 MiMo antenna range
Panorama Antennas’ CASEANT[[X]4-6-60[X] range is a 4x4 MiMo antenna solution for 4G/5G, specifically designed for deployable cases. The 4G/5G antenna elements cover 617–960/1427–6000 MHz, providing a robust communications link to enable high data rates even in challenging network coverage areas. The efficient element design allows the antennas to work when the case is open or closed.
Variants include a GPS/GNSS module with advanced filtering covering either L1/E1/G1/B1 or L1/E1/G1/B1 and L5. Additional variants also contain two, three or four Wi-Fi elements which cover 2.4–7.2 GHz for Wi-Fi 6e.
The antenna is supplied with integrated low-loss, flameretardant cables fitted with protective sleeving to assist with routing within the case and right-angled connectors for easy installation. Panorama can provide RF measurement services for case products and design of foam inserts, ducting and other installation collateral upon request. Panorama Antennas Pty Ltd www.panorama-antennas.com
A research team led by the University of Glasgow has developed an innovative wireless communications antenna which combines the unique properties of metamaterials with sophisticated signal processing.
Described in the IEEE Open Journal of Antennas and Propagation, the team’s prototype digitally coded dynamic metasurface antenna, or DMA, is controlled through a high-speed field-programmable gate array (FPGA). It is believed to be the first of its kind to be designed and demonstrated at the operating frequency of 60 GHz millimetre-wave (mmWave) band — the portion of the spectrum reserved by international law for use in industrial, scientific and medical applications.
The DMA’s high-frequency operation is made possible thanks to specially designed metamaterials — structures which have been carefully engineered to maximise their ability to interact with electromagnetic waves in ways that are impossible in naturally occurring materials. These fully tunable metamaterial elements manipulate electromagnetic waves through software control, creating an advanced class of leaky-wave antennas capable of high-frequency reconfigurable operation.
The matchbook-sized antenna prototype uses high-speed interconnects with simultaneous parallel control of individual metamaterial elements through FPGA programming. It can shape its communications beams and create multiple beams at once, switching in nanoseconds to ensure network coverage remains stable.
“This meticulously designed prototype is a very exciting development in the field of nextgeneration adaptive antennas, which leaps beyond previous cutting-edge developments in reconfigurable programmable antennas,” said Glasgow’s Professor Qammer H Abbasi, one of the paper’s lead authors.
“In recent years, DMAs have been demonstrated by other researchers around the world in microwave bands, but our prototype pushes the technology much further, into the higher mmWave band of 60 GHz. That makes it a potentially very valuable stepping stone towards new use cases of 6G technology and could pave the way for even higher-frequency operation in the terahertz range.”
HIGH-FREQUENCY
OPERATION IN A DYNAMIC METASURFACE ANTENNA
The DMA’s capabilities could find use in patient monitoring and care, where it could help directly monitor patients’ vital signs and keep track of their movements. It could also enable improved integrated sensing and communications devices for use in highresolution radar and to help autonomous vehicles like self-driving cars and drones safely find their way around on the roads and in the air. The improved speed of data transfer could even help create holographic imaging, allowing convincing 3D models of people and objects to be projected anywhere in the world in real time.
Ultimately, the DMA’s ability to operate in the higher mmWave band could enable it to become a key piece of hardware in the stilldeveloping field of advanced beamforming metasurface antennas. It could help future 6G networks deliver ultrafast data transfer with
high reliability, ensuring high-quality service and seamless connectivity, and enable new applications in communication, sensing and imaging.
“6G has the potential to deliver transformative benefits across society,” said Glasgow’s Dr Masood Ur Rehman, who led the antenna development. “Our high-frequency intelligent and highly adaptive antenna design could be one of the technological foundation stones of the next generation of mmWave reconfigurable antennas. The programmable beam control and beam-shaping of the DMA could help in finegrained mmWave holographic imaging as well as next-generation near-field communication, beam focusing and wireless power transfer.
“We’ll work toward the extension of this design in the near future to offer more flexible and versatile antenna performance and continue to play our part to meet the needs of our increasingly connected smart world.”
University of Glasgow.
Spectrum
Six steps to accelerate the journey to cloud-native 5G
We are in the midst of a mobile telecom revolution. By 2029, 5G standalone (SA) connections are expected to represent over half of all mobile connections (GSMA). As 5G becomes the dominant mobile standard, the transition from physical network functions to cloud-native operations is undeniable and unstoppable.
The significance of cloud-native architecture cannot be overstated. Cloud-native design, characterised by its modularity, scalability and resilience, aligns seamlessly with the demands of 5G, promising unprecedented speeds, ultra-reliable low latency and massive device connectivity. In other words, if telcos are to deliver on the promises of 5G, they need the flexibility and resources to orchestrate their services efficiently.
Risk — and reward — with 5G cloud transformation
5G SA is ramping up fast and now has 51 live commercial deployments by more than 120 operators across 55 markets. Despite the notable acceleration in 5G rollouts, telcos face significant challenges. 5G SA requires new technical capabilities and an evolving, robust ecosystem to deliver the expected speeds, agility, business opportunities and efficiencies.
The problems associated with establishing this new ecosystem include compliance with equipment, security and privacy standards, and the challenges of speeding up deployment timelines from weeks to hours. It’s not only an engineering leap but also a major business leap. 5G standalone will finally allow telcos to pursue business opportunities in whole new segments in the enterprise space and new sector opportunities such as smart cities or self-driving cars.
There will inevitably be bumps in the road to cloud-native 5G deployment, but the threat associated with not embracing cloud — and risking obsolescence — now far outweighs the risks of cloud transformation. Here are six essential steps to streamlining 5G cloud-native adoption and accelerating the path to revenue creation.
1. DO start now
A new study by the Capgemini Research Institute predicts that almost half of global network capacity will be cloud-native in the next three to five years. Early adopters can expect to gain $110–210 million in additional revenue, and telco companies that have already initiated their cloud transformation cite notably increased customer lifetime value.
2. DON’T get stuck in cloud silos
According to research by Analysys Mason, many operators are still buying virtualised functions integrated with dedicated cloud infrastructure. This halfway house on the journey to cloudnative means that telcos end up with “multiple cloud silos that hamper the development of end-to-end services such as network slicing and add significantly to the cost of delivery”. Vendor lock-ins are another potential problem with this approach. So, telcos need to think horizontally, deploying a cloud-native infrastructure that can support multiple functions from multiple vendors, essentially ‘baking in’ business agility so their BSS and OSS systems can adapt to future developments.
3. DO supercharge automation for faster deployments
Cloud-native architecture enables telcos to develop, test and deploy applications more rapidly and at scale, achieving a much faster time to market. In addition to improved service delivery, automation and orchestration capabilities in cloud-native environments allow telcos to optimise operations, reduce manual interventions and improve overall service quality.
4. DON’T view cloud-native transformation as just another upgrade
It’s a complete revision of the traditional, physical — or even virtualised — way of doing things. Cloud-native operations offer
CSPs cost efficiency, scalability, agility and new monetisation strategies. Alongside these game-changing advantages come tough lessons: transforming business operations to support 5G SA involves leadership vision and commitment, a culture shift and a steep learning curve.
5. DO optimise energy consumption
The 5G core is designed with radical energy efficiency in mind. In practice, early examples of 5G energy consumption have shown mixed results. Still, the direction is towards a greener future with new energy-efficient innovations constantly emerging. For example, a recent collaboration between Nokia and Intel evidenced 40% runtime energy savings. Furthermore, the flexibility inherent in 5G means that some networks, like 5G private networks, can simply be switched off overnight to reduce energy usage, as demonstrated by Orange’s Pikeo initiative.
5G’s open, flexible architecture departs from traditional telco security postures. By using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to analyse vast swathes of telco data, cloud-native 5G enables advanced anomaly detection, helping to identify unusual usage patterns that could indicate a breach as well as drastically cutting the mean time to detect (MTTD) incidents and pinpointing their root cause.
The cloud-native imperative
Once hailed as the primary route to substantial CapEx and OpEx savings, it is becoming increasingly clear that transitioning to a cloud-native architecture is about much more than cost efficiency. Adopting a cloudnative approach enables agility, allowing for the rapid deployment of new services and efficient resource utilisation — and, importantly, it is future-ready.
This agility is crucial in the face of evolving consumer expectations and the rise of digital service providers (DSPs), constantly innovating to introduce new digital experiences and leverage the BSS data to carve out new revenue streams. By embracing cloud-native architectures, telcos position themselves at the forefront of the digital transformation wave, ensuring they remain competitive and relevant in a 5G-driven landscape.
Craig Clapper is VP, Global Managed Services & Support at telecom cloud company Optiva. He has over 20 years of experience in growing and scaling businesses, operations and global management, having previously led support and services teams for Ericsson, Tait Communications and Aeris Communications.
