IMPROVING SPECTRUM ACCESS FOR MILITARY LTE SYSTEMS

Transcription

1 IMPROVING SPECTRUM ACCESS FOR MILITARY LTE SYSTEMS Michael W. Jacobs Chief Engineer Booz Allen Hamilton Collaboration space, Alexandria, VA MARCH 2018

2 LTE TECHNOLOGY FOR MILITARY APPLICATIONS LTE IS A POWERFUL WIRELESS NETWORKING MEDIUM The Army has long recognized a need for mobile networking technology. LTE has won the technology battle in the commercial sector to provide mobile wireless broadband service. The massive commercial investment in LTE technology is being leveraged to provide wide area wireless broadband LAN access for a variety of military applications: Tactical Operations Expeditionary Communications Support, Sustainment, Test, and Training CHALLENGES FOR LTE DEPLOYMENT Adapting civilian technology to military use is an increasingly important development area. Successful LTE deployment presents three key challenges: Spectrum Availability Hardware Suitability Information Assurance and Security 1

3 SPECTRUM AVAILABILITY Desirable low band spectrum provides the best combination of range, penetration, and bandwidth, and has been targeted by commercial interests, but difficulty of compact antenna and filter integration has tempered interest somewhat for consumer applications in favor of higher bands for emerging 4G/5G applications. 2

4 REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL LTE DEPLOYMENT Access the electromagnetic high ground to provide spectrum access when and where needed to achieve mission success. Draw from full range of commercial technology developments. Be cognizant of the demands and limitations of commercial applications, use them to our advantage. Flexible spectrum deployment options - LTE deployment in allocated military spectrum - LTE deployment in unlicensed and unallocated spectrum - LTE deployment in unused carrier network spectrum - Spectrum sharing with existing carrier networks 3

5 NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR LTE SPECTRUM ACCESS New spectrum bands offer more opportunities for LTE system deployment and deconfliction from commercial services MHz LTE band offers excellent propagation characteristics, but international harmonization outside U.S. remains to be seen (could be a good thing) GHz band is available internationally, with carriers seeking to control access. New standards to support LTE operation outside of 3GPP defined bands enabling full spectrum LTE operation. - MulteFire proposes an unlicensed LTE technology for Internet of Things and private venue applications using small cell technology. 4

6 ENABLING FULL SPECTRUM LTE OPERATION Software Defined Radio technology allows frequency agility, with the ability to operate an LTE network anywhere from 30 MHz to 30 GHz. - There are still limitations associated with analog RF components. Analog Frequency Agility uses external RF components to extend the frequency range of commercial chipsets and devices. Time Division Duplex (TDD) LTE operation reduces the need for fixed-tuned duplex frequency filters. 5

7 ENABLING FULL SPECTRUM LTE OPERATION Higher Power User Equipment increases range compared to commercial devices. Proximity Services enable direct device to device communications where there is no network. Cognitive Spectrum Technologies allow sense and avoid operations - Software defined networking builds the network to meet the mission requirements. - Central clearinghouse approach may not work with limited connectivity or may introduce security concerns. - Some missions might require ability to operate in impolite mode. 6

8 FOLLOW UP Technical POC Michael Jacobs Chief Engineer Army Account POC Felix Yao Distinguished Engineer 7