Talking to each other - a major theme for 2009

For each of the last three years, I seem to have said the same thing - RadioComms Connect is better, bigger, more crowded; there is more enthusiasm, more positive feedback than the last one; and in 2009 I am saying it all over again.

But first a few statistics: there were 24 speakers from all over the world who between them delivered 26 papers in two streams. More than 250 delegates attended the conference sessions and nearly 500 people visited the exhibition where there were 40 stands. And on the Wednesday night, there was a grand ARCIA dinner and awards night at the Palladium restaurant in the Casino that attracted 370.

The event was a triumph if comments made by the exhibitors, visitors and speakers are to be taken half seriously. There was a real buzz throughout the two-day event at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.

Groups of people were to be found all over the exhibition area earnestly discussing some aspect of the show, a contra view on a presentation and maybe just catching up as people with similar backgrounds and outlook do when given a chance to network.

The stands with their variety of exhibits attracted a lot of interest and comments such as “best ever”, “we’ll be here again next year, for sure”, ”well worth the effort” and “we’ve had some really serious enquiries” were typical throughout both days.

In fact it was hard to fault as an event. Even the distraction of riggers and other workers erecting a huge steel lattice-framed stage for the pop group Pearl Jam’s concert in the arena failed to draw many attendees away from the main action for more than a few minutes.

For the first time and reflecting the number of papers given, there were two streams of presentations for part of both days. While plenary sessions attracted big audiences of up to 100, even the two concurrent streams had good attendance.

The overall theme, perhaps unintentionally, was undoubtedly that buzz word of today - interoperability.

With last year’s Victorian bushfires still high in everybody’s minds and the prospect of even worse weather conditions for some parts of the country threatened, it was an apt choice and several speakers had viewpoints that together might see some worthwhile progress being made.

The opening keynote speaker was Sir Chris Fox, who was sponsored by Airwave Solutions Australia. Taking his theme of interoperability, he urged thinking before action. Hardware is easy to come by and the technology exists for elaborate radio coverage in almost any condition. But to define first what is needed is as important as choosing the right radio system.

As a one-time English bobby and a former president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, he painted a grim picture of England, Wales and Scotland before there was some fundamental thinking forced into focus by terrorist activities. Before the big think he drew a black picture of emergency services and their communications.

There were 150 different radio systems serving 56 different police forces plus the fire and ambulance services. Overall there was 17% radio coverage throwing up some strange anomalies. For example, it was found that while police in Sheffield, in the Midlands, could talk to trawler men in the North Sea, they could not communicate with their own local control centre. Meanwhile, thieves were scanning all the unencrypted police radio traffic and successfully staying one step ahead of the law.

Although many attempts to establish a workable system had been started, including the latest in 2001, it was 2005 and the London bombings and the shortfalls in interoperability that this disaster revealed that really put the spur into the horse’s side for a serious system.

One side issue of this inability of the police to talk to the other services was that it was impossible go keep firemen and ambulance officers away from the bomb sites where they inadvertently destroyed or muddled potential vital forensic evidence.

Prime minister at the time, Tony Blair, threatened to make it a political issue if a system was not up and running within 18 months. However, everyone had got to want it, the culture of non-cooperation and disinterestedness had to be abolished and the decision to find out what was wanted was more important than the technical hardware.

So the message, said Sir Chris, is to think up front and save up to 30% of the overall costs by determining exactly what you want before even looking at hardware. Define target levels of capability, achieve those target levels and assess preparedness.

He defined interoperability as: “The capability of organisations or discrete parts of the same organisation to exchange operational information and to use it to inform their decision-making.

“Technology is part of the solution but it is only a tool. It works for you - not you tailor yourself to it. You need to know what you want that technology to do before talking hardware,” he emphasised again.

Today, England, Wales and Scotland have a radio system that is a unified voice and data communications platform; it is secure; it can handle any crisis; it delivers cost efficiencies and it minimises technology, financial and operational risks.

But to achieve all this required hard work and a rethink of attitudes and prejudices. Regional committees worked closely with national interoperability committees to establish operational needs.

Only when these needs had been established was it time to talk to hardware producers and use their expertise to get a practical solution. Following this order of events has produced the workable system of today.

A second keynote address, by Phil Godfrey, who is chairman of the International TETRA Association, focused on choosing the right technology and reducing the pressure on spectrum demand by coming down to 6.25 kHz from the current 25 kHz channel separation as a way of improving spectrum efficiency. He discussed some of the merits and demerits of P25, TETRA and other PMR radio technologies. (His paper on the global technology of TETRA is elsewhere in this issue.)

Day two’s keynote address by the CEO of APCO Australasia, Des Bahr, looked at the effects climate change is likely to have on public safety communications. He, too, painted a grim picture but this time it was the extreme weather conditions with loss of life and property caused by bushfires.

While there may be little we can do about the weather, his organisation is only too well aware of the need for reliable communications at times of emergency, he said.

These extremes in conditions have resulted in APCO reviewing its preparedness, planning, training and response to this type of event resulting in five new initiatives:

• The introduction of mass notification systems to alert whole communities to potential events;

• The development of ‘emergency services’ jurisdictional hazard profile facilitating priority-based expenditure and focused risk mitigation projects’;

• Establish an ‘emergency services grade’ communications standard in telecommunications infrastructure to withstand events of greater magnitude. APCOA is leading this area, he says.

• The development of interoperable communications between emergency service agencies;

• Establish an interim portable interoperable telecommunications system able to be deployed in remote areas until fixed infrastructure can be built.

Paul Isaacs, Airwave Australia’s engineering manager, talked about the technical considerations surrounding interoperability in his presentation. He outlined how a successful system, with the integration of interoperable networks, demands that all equipment and software be rigorously tested and certified to ensure they work together effectively.

The topical issue of spectrum and how to make the most of it was featured quite prominently in a couple of the papers that included one from the allocating authority itself, the ACMA, that is working towards a final solution for the 400 MHz band.

Peter Hilly, managing director of Spectrum Engineering, looked at the wider context of the regulatory arrangements and discussed the efficacy of a planning and licensing system that has been in place for several decades.

Spectrum requirements and future management were discussed by AA Radio Services and ARCIA stalwart Ian Miller. He looked at the issues from the industry viewpoint and how any changes will affect radio communications.

Radio and IT convergence is a current technology that was covered by Phil Lonsdale of Omnitronics and the business side of the industry was not forgotten in a presentation by Craig Lloyd of the Emergency Services Policy and Support Department of Justice, government of Victoria.

A technical session on multiple antennas for high data rate communications was given by Dr Y Jay Guo of the CSIRO while hardware with infrastructure and towers came under examination by Andrew Findlay from Vertel.

Yet other papers looked at getting the maximum benefit from a radio network, meeting the demands of the mobile market and digital networks on buses, metros and railways.

Only a few papers are mentioned here but delegates who would like more information can email Kelly Hamence on khamence@westwick-farrow.com.au.

In addition, it is intended to publish some more papers in forthcoming issues of Radio Comms Asia-Pacific.