Mobile Phones Growth & NCAR

Presented by

Del Harris

Covered Today

• History

• Present Cellular Band

• Questions

History

Early Inadequate NETS Real Time Communications Tools

• Nets tools for real time access prior to 2002.– Office Phone– Short distance NCAR Pagers– Short distance licensed radios – E-mail– Home Phone– Personal Cellular

Similar NCAR Groups with Inadequate Real Time Access Tools

• Similar internal groups needing better solutions.– PPS– SASS– CISL

Mobile Coverage Goals

• Individual Group Coverage Goals– CISL (ESS, DSS, HPS,NETS)

• Office areas, Mesa Lab- Floor 1B and complete Computer facility coverage.

• On call and travel (Local and Remote).

– CISL (NETS)• All NETS Communications Equipment areas both

local and remote.

Mobile Coverage Goals (cont.)

• Coverage Goals– Security

• On call and travel (Local and Remote).

• Hopefully other remote location coverage, where working.

• Disaster recovery.

– PPS• Mainly basement equipment areas both local and remote.

• Hopefully other remote location coverage, where working.

• Life safety.

• On call and travel (Local and Remote).

Nextel Mobile Solution Selected

• Nextel looked like best fit solution (Selected in 2002.)– Nation wide carrier– Push to talk feature

• Installed internal building Nextel coverage.– Coverage areas based on groups needs.

• Nextel’s metropolitan coverage good.

Nextel Discoveries

• Poor to non-existent rural coverage

• No roaming capabilities

• Re band agreement later required by FCC– Created problems with internal building

systems coverage (Early in 2006).

• Sprint Nextel merger occurred (late 2006).– Questions about Sprints future plans for Nextel.

Un-resolvable Nextel Issues & Next Step

• Nextel Future– Nextel future goals to overcome roaming and coverage

issues, seem non-existent.

– Our building systems problems created by Nextel re band, would be costly to fix.

– Sprint merger goals unknown.

– We froze remaining future coverage area upgrades.

• Final decision, to replace Nextel (Mid 2007).

Cellular

Cellular Band Selected

• Cellular Band, best compatible fit for Nextel system.

• Cellular Band contains two largest carriers, AT&T and Verizon.

• Both carriers provide similar required feature as Nextel.

New Carrier Integration Criteria

• Retune in building system– With minimal cost, labor and impact

• Select new carrier– To fit needed requirements.– To be forward thinking.

• Build compatibility and growth into new system– Not trapped by adopted single carrier design.

Cellular Conversion Up-grade Features

• New Installation– To utilize full cellular band amplifiers.– To utilize single centralized campus amplifier

and donor antenna.– To simplified internal antenna upgrades.– To make minimal antenna coverage

modifications.– For possible future expansion into PCS band.

AT&T Selected

• AT&T best fit, Nation wide, larger carrier– Good metropolitan coverage– Good rural plus roaming coverage– Good push to talk feature– Uses GSM international protocol

• AT&T Up grade and cut over was completed June 2008.– Internal campus building cellular coverage cutover footprint was

same as previous Nextel.– Experienced improved general coverage over Nextel at most sites

immediately.– Will revaluate remaining coverage areas not completed under

Nextel.

Present Cellular Coverage

• ML– Floor: 1B &2B

• FL– FL0: Basement (PPS)& First Floor (NETS closets)– FL2: Basement (PPS)– FL3: 3rd Floor (NETS closets), basement (PPS), 1st

Floor (NETS riser closets)– FL4: 1st and 2nd Floor (NETS, PPS)

• CG– CG1: Basement (PPS)

Cellular Full Coverage Design Criteria

• Will cover all NCAR building starting with FL Campus buildings.

• Will emphasize adopted AT&T signal, though Verizon coverage, presently is comparable.

• Design will boost coverage in buildings where signal levels are, -90db or above.

• Will cover all internal building occupancy areas.

Full Cellular Design & Estimates Status for FL Campus

• FL Campus – FL0

• CAD Design and estimate completed• Cost Estimate $10,295.00

– FL1• Red lines Design and estimate completed• Cost Estimate $16,352.00

– FL2• CAD Design and estimate completed• Cost Estimate $12,421.00

– FL3• CAD Design and estimate completed• Cost Estimate $9,634.00

– FL4• Needs surveyed, CAD designed and estimate.

Questions: