National Communications System Briefing Template

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Wireless Priority Service (WPS) Overcoming
Wireless Congestion in Emergencies Kathy
Blasco WPS Operations, NCS blascok_at_ncs.gov (703)
607-6131 www.ncs.gov
National Communications System Briefing Template
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Agenda

• Network Congestion
• 9/11 and Wireless Demand
• WPS Overview
• WPS Availability
• How to Order WPS
• WPS Milestones
• WPS Contacts

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The Fundamental IssueNetwork Congestion

• Congestion,at many points, can block a call !

ATT WorldCom SPRINT
Local Exchange Networks
Local Exchange Networks
Mobile Switch
Mobile
Switch
Government Emergency Telecommunications Service
addresses wireline congestion
Wireless Priority Service addresses wireless
congestion at
call origination
and call termination
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ATTACK ON AMERICA September 11, 2001

• During peak, wireless traffic increased by 50 to
  100 percent nationwide
• One wireless carriers traffic ballooned by 400
  percent in Washington and 1,000 percent in a NY
  area switching center
• Urgent requirement for wireless priority access
• Wireless congestion reported everywhere, not just
  in WTC and Pentagon areas

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Wireless Priority Service
A Single Program Two Phases

• Immediate Action
• NCS will move forward on implementing an
  immediate solution (target within 60 days)
  using channel reservation capability from one
  vendor for the Washington, DC area based on
  lessons learned in DC, NCS will make a
  recommendation on whether to expand the immediate
  solution to other metro areas.
• Longer-Term
• In parallel, the NCS will proceed with deploying
  a priority access queuing system for wireless
  nationwide (target within one year).

National Security Council October 2001
National Security Council Memorandum, October 9,
2001, SUBJECT Minutes from October 5, 2001
Meeting on Select NS/EP Telecommunications
Projects
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What is WPS?

• An enhancement to basic wireless service that
  allows your National Security/Emergency
  Preparedness (NS/EP) calls to queue for priority
  service in order to complete the call
• Together with GETS, WPS dramatically improves
  end-to-end call completion during emergencies

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Why Do You Need WPS?

• Disasters, terrorist attacks, and major accidents
  trigger tremendous telephone traffic in the
  landline and wireless networks
• NS/EP personnel at all levels of government
  compete with the public for these congested
  landline and wireless resources
• GETS provides the means to get your landline call
  through
• WPS provides the means to get your wireless call
  through

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Eligibility and Priority Assignment

• Who Is Eligible?
• Persons in NS/EP leadership positions
• Applicable at all levels Federal, State,
  Regional, Municipal

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Typical WPS Users

• President, Governor, Mayor, County Executive
• Cabinet Secretary at Federal or State Level
• Chief of Staff Military or Civilian
• Emergency Management Director
• Chief of Police, Fire Chief
• Director of Emergency Medical Services
• Chief Operating Officer of a Public Utility
• Director, Incident Command Center

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Typical WPS User Functions

• Managing the initial response to an emergency at
  the local, state,
  regional and federal levels
• Leadership of departments and agencies including
  key support staff
• Insuring reconstruction of the basic
  infrastructure
• Essential Continuity of Government (COG) and
  national security
  functions
• Operations critical to life, property, and
  maintenance of law and order immediately after an
  event
• Managing public works, utility infrastructure
  damage assessment, restoration efforts and
  transportation to accomplish emergency response
  activities
• Managing medical resources
• Managing a variety of recovery operations after
  the initial response
• Establishing and sustaining shelters
• Obtaining detailed damage assessments

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Wireless Priority Service (WPS)
Interexchange
ATT
Local
Local
Local
Local
Carrier Networks
Worldcom
Networks
Networks
Networks
Networks
SPRINT
Wireline
Wireline
Wireless
Wireless
Wireless
Network
Network
Air
Air
Networks
Networks
Networks
Interface
Interface
Interface
Interface

• OMNCS will
• Engineer, fund, and acquire services
• Restrict service to NS/EP events on
  call-by-call basis
• Administer WPS authorization priority
  assignments
• Manage program

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Immediate WPS Solution Salt Lake City /
Washington, DC / NYC

• Salt Lake City (successful Support for Olympics)
  February 2002
• GlobalStar Satellite service with increased
  trunking
• Commercial Verizon Wireless service programmed on
  GlobalStar handset
• Service availability ended after Olympics
• DC and NYC May 2002
• VoiceStream (now T-Mobile) solution to use the
  GSM standards-based enhanced Multi-Level
  Precedence and Preemption (eMLPP)
• Augment with GlobalStar Satellite service
• Required FCC waiver from call-by-call
  restriction (waiver granted April 3, 2002)
• Does not preempt calls in progress

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Nationwide WPS Program

• GSM carriers only
• T-Mobile (the immediate carrier/first
  nationwide carrier)
• ATT Wireless
• Cingular
• Nextel

• Any GSM telephone will work for WPS
• NCS receives and approves/disapproves requests
  notifies carriers of approvals for service
• NCS pays infrastructure costs users pay
  initiation fee, monthly feature charge, usage
  charges
• CDMA Carriers to be added later development
  funding begins in FY04 under Department of
  Homeland Security

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WPS Users Receive High Performance at the Radio
Channel
Expected WPS Performance and Public Impact
100
90
WPS queuing gives high performance benefit to
NS/EP Users
80
70
60
Current Baseline
Probability of Radio Channel Access
50
NS/EP After WPS Implementation
40
Public Impact With WPS
30
20
with minimal impact to Public User
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0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Multiple of Engineered Traffic Load
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Where is WPS Available

• WPS is currently available in the following
  T-Mobile service areas
• Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut,
  Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware,
  Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia,
  Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky,
  Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana, Oklahoma,
  Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Hawaii
• Eastern Pennsylvania, Florida except Central
  portion, Southwest Ohio, Southern Michigan,
  Northern Illinois, Milwaukee area of Wisconsin,
  Wichita area of Kansas, Central, North and West
  Texas, and Southern Idaho
• Other markets will be available during next few
  months 
• For T-Mobile coverage map see Carriers on
  wps.ncs.gov

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Satellite Backup

• Satellite phones provide additional backup when
  cellular service is not available for any reason
• Carriers include Globalstar, Iridium, Inmarsat,
  etc.

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How Do You Use WPS?

• When you need to make an official call, and you
  encounter congestion, simply retry your call but
  prefix your dialed number with 272
• e.g. 272 703 555-1234
• Everything else is automatic your call will
  queue for up to 30 seconds and grab the next
  available path for your use
• If landline networks are also congested, utilize
  272 plus the GETS access number to get priority
  in both wireless and landline networks

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How Much Does WPS Cost?

• WPS feature fixed subscription rate
• 10 one-time activation fee
• 4.50 monthly service fee
• 0.75 per minute for WPS calls (272)
• WPS minutes are not charged against your basic
  service
• WPS charges are in addition to your commercial
  plan charges

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How Do You Order WPS?

• Your organization Point of Contact (POC) applies
  for WPS for all users within organization
• WPS website wps.ncs.gov
• Telephone 866-NCS-CALL Option 2 for WPS
• Upon approval, if user does not already
  haveT-Mobile service, user acquires basic
  commercial service
• POC forwards T-Mobile account activation
  information to the NCS
• NCS orders WPS feature added to users basic
  service

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WPS Homepage http//wps.ncs.gov
Access the NCS WPS Homepage for information on
WPS Use easy to follow process to sign up for
WPS
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Summary

• WPS Available in Many Markets
• WPS Expanding in Additional T-Mobile Markets in
  July 2003
• Additional GSM Carriers are Planned
• CDMA Development and Implementation being Planned
• Satellite Backup Available for Additional
  Robustness
• Contact the NCS to obtain WPS authorization

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For More Information

• Telephone 866-NCS-CALL 866-627-2255
• Email wps_at_ncs.gov
• Web site http//wps.ncs.gov
• T-Mobile Point of Contact Stan Mayper
• Telephone [phone]
• Email stanley.mayper_at_t-mobile.com
• Web site http//www.t-mobile.com