Beyond PS-LTE: Security Model Design Framework for PPDR Operational Environment

Wireless communications technologies play an essential role to support the Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) operational needs. The current Private/Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) technologies used for PPDR communications offer a rich set of voice-centric services but have very limited data transmission capabilities, which are unable to handle the increasing PPDR community demand for a wider range of data-centric services. Though some efforts have been devoted to upgrade PMR technologies with better data transfer capabilities, the progression towards an enhanced mobile broadband PMR standardized solution still lags behind the achievements made in the commercial wireless industry, which recently culminated in Long- Term Evolution (LTE) technology. Because of this contrasting progress, the adoption of commercial mainstream LTE technology to satisfy the PPDR community's data communication needs is gaining momentum and offers significant opportunities to create and exploit the synergies between the commercial and PPDR domains, which have remained almost entirely separate to date. In this context, this paper first discusses the suitability of LTE and related technologies for mobile broadband PPDR service provisioning. Next, it presents the argument that the most plausible future scenarios to deliver the increasingly data-intensive applications demanded by the PPDR agencies are expected to rely on the use of both dedicated and commercial LTE-based mobile networks. From this basis, the paper proposes a system architecture solution for PPDR service provisioning that enables PPDR service access through dedicated and commercial networks in a secure and interoperable manner and ensures proper allocation of the networks' capacity to PPDR applications through the dynamic management of prioritization policies. In addition, the spectrumrelated issues that are central to the proposed PPDR service provisioning solution are addressed, and a solution based on the joint e- ploitation of dedicated and shared spectra is proposed.

Transitioning a Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) network to a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network in public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) systems is a path to providing future services requiring high radio interface throughput and allowing broadband PPDR (BB-PPDR) radio communications. Users of TETRA networks are currently considering how to deploy a BB-PPDR network in the coming years. This study offers several radio planning considerations in TETRA to LTE migration for such networks. The conclusions are obtained from a case study in which both measurements and radioelectric coverage simulations were carried out for the real scenario of the Murcia Region, Spain, for both TETRA and LTE systems. The proposed considerations can help PPDR agencies efficiently estimate the cost of converting a TETRA network to an LTE network. Uniquely in this study, the total area is divided into geographical areas of interest that are defined as administrative divisions (region, municipal areas, etc.). The analysis was carried out using a radio planning tool based on a geographic information system and the measurements have been used to tune the propagation models. According to the real scenario considered, the number of sites needed in the LTE network—for a specific quality of service (90% for the whole region and 85% for municipal areas)—is a factor of 2.4 higher than for TETRA network.

Our modern densely populated cities have created an Achilles heel for public safety services where natural or man-made disasters often result in high casualties. The 2005 London bombings have exposed the inadequacy of current First Responder (FR) communication systems for modern response operations. Additionally, FR organisations presently pay a tariff each time Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) communication technologies are used, rendering current PPDR communication expensive as compared to emerging license-exempt IP-based technologies. Decentralised ubiquitous networking proposes an alternative way of providing innovative secure wireless systems for IP-based, infrastructure independent PPDR communications. The ad-hoc setup capabilities of ubiquitous systems will reduce the cost for emergency response whilst allowing more flexible ways of communicating. Key characteristics of such systems are their ease of deployment and the interoperability across FR teams for national as well as cross border operations. In this paper we discuss how decentralised ubiquitous networking can assist emergency communications.

Chapter 18 - Evolution of TETRA through the integration with a number of communication platforms to support public protection and disaster relief (PPDR)

We present a hands-free kinetic control method for flying of micro air vehicles (MAVs) or small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for public protection and disaster relief (PPDR). The system combines a 3D depth-sensing camera with a low-cost drone. The solution is based on Delicode Ltd’s NI mateTM software toolkit. In a study with 10 participants, the kinetic control method was tested and compared with the drone’s normal control mode. The speed to fly a certain path inside a building, and the path accuracy at checkpoints were compared between these two modes. The learning rate with the kinetic control method was found to be better than by normal control. After five attempts, an overall flying speed and path accuracy were still weaker by kinetic control method than by conventional hands-on method. However, hands-free control gives several significant benefits for PPDR applications.

This paper presents a study on development and evolution of Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) com- munication networks in the perspective of the next 15-20 years. A need for modern, reliable mobile communications systems for PPDR offering a wide range of services, yet harmonized, is commonly recognized at both country and European level. There are therefore a number of activities in this area currently being undertaken. In this paper we discuss several technical aspects of migration of PPDR networks towards broadband systems and describe the most likely upgrade scenario based on an evaluation of migration costs.

One of new domains where the D2D communication can be applied is the Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) and National Security and Public Safety (NSPS) services. The key requirement for employing the PPDR and NSPS services is to provide the access to the communication services even if cellular network is highly overloaded or become fully dysfunctional due to some public disaster or emergency situations. In such case, the most important task is to share emergency information between citizens even when most of them do not have infrastructural connectivity. Since D2D is by default a single-hop communication, it is crucial to find the mechanism how to transmit any data via randomly assembled network even for longer distances. Therefore, this paper focuses on the utilization of MANET routing protocols for D2D communication in case that the connection to the cellular network is down. The selected routing protocols used in MANET are described and their suitability is verified in the simulation environment Network Simulator 3 (NS-3).

Mission-critical services (MCX) comprise a standardized suite of capabilities including Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT), MCVideo, and MCData, designed to meet stringent requirements for availability, reliability, latency, security, and Quality of Service (QoS). These services are essential for public safety, emergency response, and other critical infrastructure domains, where communication performance directly affects operational effectiveness. Integration into 4G and 5G mobile networks, supported by targeted standardization efforts, has extended broadband capabilities to mission-critical environments. 5G networks provide the technical foundations for MCX through ultra-low latency (below 1 ms), high availability (99.999%), broadband throughput over 100 Mbps per user, deterministic QoS via network slicing, massive device connectivity (over one million devices per square kilometer), and seamless Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) integration. Technical enablers such as Proximity Services (ProSe), network slicing, and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) are fundamental to delivering these capabilities. This paper reviews MCX architectures, service frameworks, and protocols, relating MCPTT, MCData, and MCVideo to the key performance requirements defined in ITU-T M.2377-2. It also examines the frozen features of 3GPP Release 19, including enhancements to MC services, NTN integration, Reduced Capability device support, sub-meter positioning, extended network slicing for Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR), and strengthened security mechanisms. Finally, the study addresses challenges such as standard maturity, interoperability, and deterministic QoS, identifying research priorities toward 6G readiness. By consolidating advances from standards bodies, research initiatives, and deployments, this work serves as a technical reference for scalable, secure, and standards-compliant MCX solutions in current and future networks.

Public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) agencies rely on wireless communications to respond in the event of emergencies. Public safety networks (PSNs) provide the wireless network used by emergency services. PSN is used to support push-to-talk services with some data transmission by employing land mobile radios. However, PPDR agencies are increasingly relying on additional information such as videos that require higher bandwidths. Therefore, many countries are transitioning or integrating their public safety networks with advanced broadband wireless communication systems such as fourth-generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) and planning to evolve to fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) in the future. The paper investigates infrastructure sharing mechanisms and deployment strategies in the transition of PSNs to a 4G LTE network, including a roadmap for cost analysis. Additionally, the paper examines LTE-based PSN deployment scenarios in various countries and engages in a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of different sharing mechanisms and coexistence schemes. Finally, the challenges within the Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN) are addressed and potential future research directions in this domain are deliberated.

The coexistence of broadband systems with currently deployed Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) communication systems like Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) has gained much deserved attention. In the recent literature, it has been suggested that LTE-like FBMC-OQAM system working on linear devices can coexist in PMR band, while conventional OFDM-based LTE system fails. When we take into account, the RF impairments in radio communication systems; it is inevitable to consider the non-linear nature of High Power Amplifiers (HPAs), as they add severe hindrance in this aspect. In this paper, we address this issue and show that LTE-like FBMC-OQAM system working on non-linear devices can still co-exist with PMR/PPDR systems, when suitable peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) is applied.

Natural disasters are increasing globally. Geographically, the Indo-Pacific region is the world’s most vulnerable region and navies here have been called upon frequently to provide humanitarian assistance. Thus, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) missions have emerged as a key role for the regional navies. However, recent studies in disaster management indicate that disaster risk mitigation needs a greater focus on development issues and preparedness than post-disaster humanitarian response. This paper posits that navies too must expand their focus beyond HA/DR to contribute to other aspects of disaster management and promote collaboration with other stakeholders which could help overall to mitigate risks from natural disasters.

: Hurricane Andrew was the worst natural disaster in American history. Its sustained winds in excess of 145 miles per hour razed entire neighborhoods. Debris was scattered dangerously throughout the area, restricting access and hindering assistance efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the organization tasked with coordinating relief efforts in the wake of such disasters, tried for the first time to implement the Federal Response Plan (FRP), a document that had only been apprnved four months before Andrew made landfall. As the lead agency, FEMA coordinated the efforts of 26 governmental agencies and the American Red Cross. The Department of Defense (DOD) also has a role in disaster relief operations. Today, publications such as the Army's Field Manual 100-19, Domestic Support Operations, provides doctrinal principles for domestic support. But in 1992, DOD had little, if any, doctrine written on disaster relief. When FEMA's initial relief efforts fell well short of residents' and the administration's expectations, DOD assumed a much greater role. Some authors proposed placing DOD in charge of the national disaster assistance proC,tram. DOD's executive agent is the Secretary of the Army. This paper studies the interagency cooperation between DOD and FENIA, focusing specifically on the evolution of doctrine and procedures for responding to natural disasters. While both FEMA and DOD have improved in their ability to respond to disasters, some obstacles remain. Funding pre-disaster activities and the inability to use Reserve forces are the two most significant remaining shortcomings. Additionally, FEMA's failure to quickly integrate the lessons learned from previous disasters impacted negatively on response and relief operations after Hurricane Andrew.

The 2009 Australian Defence White Paper directs the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to support disaster relief operations undertaken by relevant agencies in Asia and, more specifically, in support of neighbouring Asia-Pacific nations. The urgency of this task is underscored both by projected increases in the frequency of natural disasters, and the likelihood of increasingly severe consequences as a result of population growth and increasing urban density along coastal zones and inland waterways. Asia is one of the world's most natural disaster-afflicted areas, and it contains some of the world's most technologically-advanced regions. The role and usage of social media and social network technologies in disaster relief activities are becoming broader and increasingly important in afflicted communities, as evidenced in the 2010 Haiti earthquake and 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami crisis. It is vital for the ADF to understand the utility of social media and social network technologies as a 'tool' to support disaster relief operations. This paper considers the conjunction of disaster relief and evolving social media and social network technologies in Asia. A conceptual framework is developed where morphological analysis and soft systems techniques are applied using an indicative example to demonstrate how the ADF might enhance its ability to respond to natural disasters in Asia through the use of social media and social network, noting this is not an articulation of official ADF policy or guidance. The framework has the potential to provide strategic direction to the ADF's force development and operational response processes. It would be beneficial for disaster relief agencies and Defence to learn and leverage from each other's complementary role.

This study examines mobile communication network infrastructure and device development, assessing progress and failures. Smartphones featuring biometric verification, high-definition cameras, and voice-activated assistants have increased mobile Internet use. Smartphones use Wi-Fi and 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular networks to make communication faster and more reliable, revolutionizing it. However, data-intensive devices are increasing network traffic, straining existing infrastructure. Modern technology like millimeter-wave frequencies is needed to boost mobile communication networks, especially 4G networks, to satisfy this growing demand. This study found that mobile communication infrastructure drastically underserves traffic control and emergency communication. These functionalities are becoming increasingly important as mobile devices proliferate. The report underlines the need to address these concerns and investigates innovative technology that improves traffic management and emergency communication systems to bridge the gap between present infrastructure capacity and mobile device usage.

This paper explores the emergence of a highly networked and capable non-governmental organization (NGO) community in disaster relief in China. It provides a review of the growth of non-governmental actors in the relief field since the 2000s and examines the most important platforms and networks in the field, focusing on their strategies of maintaining a broad-based partnership, developing their own capacity, and enhancing overall inter-organizational connectivity. With an in-depth look at a successful joint non-governmental relief operation in Lushan in 2013, the paper also explicates how NGOs can break the state monopoly over disaster information management, public donations and relief operations. This research finds that during crisis times, non-governmental actors carry out relief missions effectively in parallel with state agencies. The rise of non-governmental disaster relief sheds light on one of many trajectories of civil society development in China where social autonomy is earned by innovation, public support and improved capacity.