Communications Technology Group (CTG)

1
Communications Technology Group (CTG)

• Status Report to the Commercial Mobile Service
  Alert Advisory Committee
• March 12, 2007
• Brian K. Daly, CTG Leader

2
CTG Mission

• The primary mission of the Communications
  Technology Group (CTG) is to develop and submit
  recommendations for relevant technical standards
  for devices and equipment and technologies used
  by electing commercial mobile service (CMS)
  providers to transmit emergency alerts to
  subscribers (see WARN Act 603(c)(3)).
  Furthermore, per WARN Act 603(c)(6), the CTG
  will develop recommendations for a process under
  which CMS providers can elect to transmit
  emergency alerts if
• A) not all of the devices or equipment used by
  such provider are capable of receiving such
  alerts or
• B) the provider cannot offer such alerts
  throughout the entirety of its service area.
• Furthermore, the CTG will support development of
  technical standards for priority transmission of
  alerts by electing CMS providers to subscribers
  (WARN Act 603(c)(2)).
• Finally, the CTG will support the development of
  recommendations for the technical capability to
  transmit emergency alerts by electing CMS
  providers to subscribers in languages in addition
  to English, to the extent feasible and
  practicable. See WARN Act 603(c)(4)).

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CTG Issues to Address

• CTG will need to address issues such as
• Recommendations for technologies and methods
  permitting the efficient transmission of messages
  to potentially the entire subscriber base they
  serve.
• Permit the distribution of alerts with the
  appropriate priorities as indicated by the AIG.
• Recommendations on methods permitting the
  targeting of alerts to specific geographic
  regions or locales, thereby enabling use of this
  important emergency service by other alerting
  authorities, including state and local
  governments.
• Recommendations on handset and device
  technologies appropriate for alerting services.
• The needs of non-English subscribers as well as
  people with special needs, including people with
  disabilities and the elderly.
• To ensure that this critical emergency service
  continues to evolve with technology supporting
  it, the CTG should also consider recommendations
  permitting the incorporation of planned service
  improvements, such as expected multimedia and
  broadband services, into their CMS alerting
  capability.
• The CTG will develop recommendations to
  facilitate eventual alignment of the Advisory
  Committees recommendations with relevant
  standards organizations focused on the
  development of mobile communication standards to
  support its continued evolution and adaptation.

4
CTG Participants

• Substantial work effort with participation from
• Cingular (Group Leader)
• Sprint-Nextel (Deputy Group Leader)
• Alltel
• American Association of Paging Carriers
• Rural Cellular Association
• T-Mobile
• Verizon Wireless
• Ericsson
• Motorola
• Nokia
• Nortel
• Qualcomm
• Telecommunications Industry Association

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CTG StatusSummary

• Developed working procedures and assumptions for
  the informal working group.
• Held monthly multi-day face-to-face meetings with
  interim conference calls.
• As of 2/15/2007, held 3 face-to-face meetings and
  2 conference calls.
• Formed Ad-hoc Groups to investigate specific
  issues.
• E.g. Battery Life, Security, Device
• Coordinating with the other informal working
  groups.
• Liaisons being sent to other informal working
  groups.
• On track for making recommendations to the
  Project Management Group per the project schedule
  and assignment of responsibilities.

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CTG StatusService Profiles

• The CTG is in the process of defining service
  profiles.
• Service Profiles define the underlying delivery
  attributes.
• Include text, audio, video, and multimedia
• The goal is to define service profiles and not
  specific delivery technologies.
• Multiple technologies are available for each
  service profile.
• The operator has options to use any available
  technology that supports a given profile if they
  elect to transmit alerts.
• Based on operator business needs and technology
  availability
• Text is viewed as the universal service
  profile.
• Minimum capability that must be supported by an
  operator that elects to transmit alerts.
• Across delivery technologies
• Across mobile devices
• Additional profiles can be supported as
  technology advances and operators commercially
  deploy those technologies.

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CTG StatusDeployment Scenarios

• WARN Act ? an operator may choose to elect to
  transmit alerts in whole or in part.
• Not necessarily a simple yes or no.
• CTG has identified deployment scenarios based
  upon
• multiple technologies.
• mobile device capabilities.
• product availability.
• implementation phases.
• wireless operator election to support wireless
  alerts.
• other.
• Scenarios will be used to develop a process under
  which CMS providers can elect to transmit
  emergency alerts for each scenario.

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CTG Working AssumptionsEfficient Transmission of
Messages

• During emergencies, support for NS/EP users and
  9-1-1 calls is important.
• Need to minimize the potential for Wireless
  Alerts resulting in severe network congestion
  that inhibits critical communications.
• An alert to a wireless device encourages
  subscribers to immediately use that device.
• CTG is working on the assumption that
  point-to-point or unicast delivery technologies
  (i.e. SMS point-to-point, MMS) are not feasible
  or practical for the support of wireless alerts.
• Especially on a nationwide or large city scale.
• Point-to-point will quickly congest a network,
  resulting in message delays or messages not
  delivered, as well as denying voice service.
• Also assuming that distribution of the alerts to
  the wireless subscribers will be unidirectional
  from the wireless operator network to the mobile
  device of the subscriber.
• No acknowledgement or confirmation of receipt by
  the mobile device in order not to add to network
  congestion.

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CTG Working AssumptionsHandset Device
Technologies

• CTG is assuming only alerts that are immediate,
  severe, or likely threat to life, health or
  property will be delivered to mobile devices.
• Minimize the cry wolf syndrome.
• Mobile devices have limited capabilities.
• Number of characters, screen size, etc.
• A common experience across all carriers and
  technologies is desirable.
• For example, a standardized alerting tone for the
  notification of an emergency alert message.
• It is anticipated new mobile devices are
  required.
• Replaced by normal subscriber device lifecycle.
• Some devices, such as pagers, may support some of
  the service profiles with over-the-air or
  programming changes.

10
CTG Project Timelines Milestones

• Summer 2007
• Address UNG comments to handset and device
  technologies
• Define technology evolution path to multimedia
  and broadband
• First draft of CTG Recommendations
• Address alignment with standards
• Second draft of CTG Recommendations
• Final draft of CTG Recommendations sent to all
  Informal Working Groups for comment
• Address comments from all informal working groups
• Final CTG Recommendations to PMG

• Next Three Months
• Develop Use Cases
• Complete Service Profiles
• Address Multilanguage feasibility
• Start addressing geo-targeting
• Define architecture and interfaces
• Address special needs requirements
• Continue with ad-hoc activities
• Start gateway to wireless distribution interface
  definition
• Define recommendations for handset and device
  technologies
• Complete gateway to wireless interface definition