Army rolls out broadband tactical copper networks

A MELBOURNE COMPANY HAS WORKED OUT HOW TO INCREASE BANDWIDTH ON THE BATTLEFIELD WITHOUT USING FIBRE-OPTICS AND SATELLITES

A modern military force depends on reliable communications to ensure A success in the field. Its communication system must be capable of handling high data flows, as well as being simple to install, operate and repair.

That, says Alec Umansky, the new product’s inventor and Managing Director of Melbourne- based Text Box: DCI’s P3 product meets critical need and has attracted attention from defence forces around the world as well as the ADF (Photo: Defence Communications Industry) Defence Communications Industry, is why DSL technology is the right platform for secure rapid deployment field communications networks.

The company has developed a new DSL-based product, P3, which has wide applications in defence, mining, utilities and other industrial applications.  The product has already been adopted by the Army, which collaborated closely in the design of the product from its inception and pioneered its use, taking advantage of technology that allows its forward deployed forces to use copper cable instead of costly and fragile fibre-optic infrastructure.  In recognition, P3 has won a prestigious US Golden Links Award for “outstanding collaboration between government and industry that produced an innovative product - assisting in the war against terrorism”.  The win also provided DCI the opportunity to display and demonstrate the products at the Technet International 2002 exhibition in Washington.

Apart from their high cost, using fibre-optic cable infrastructures throw up some practical problems - once fibre optic cable is damaged, which is a regular occurrence in the field, it is practically impossible to repair on site. This effectively renders expensive communications networks useless.  Copper on the other hand is not only cheap and simple to deploy; it can handle high data rates, support voice communications and, importantly, is simple to install and easy to repair. Commercially available technology, xDSL (see box), provides high speed voice and data (up to 8Mbit/sec) over a sturdy infrastructure of either plain or steel reinforced copper cable (DON10). DCI’s new P3 product uses the ADSL technology as its core transmission but offers a brand new design features, previously unavailable in one package - making it highly useful in military and industrial applications.

Originally designed as a backup for fibre optic-based forward deployment LAN sys-tems, initial tests using functioning proto-types clearly showed P3 could effectively replace those fibre optic LAN systems.  The early functioning prototypes - dubbed P4s - were first tested during Exercise Phoenix (Crocodile West) in May 1999. Their primary use was to extend Command and Control from fibre-optic tactical LAN for army logistics operations.  Within four days of exercises, all fibre optic cable had been damaged (typically due to trucks or tanks driving over the top of them or getting caught by forklifts, especially DCl’s P3 product meets a critical need and has attracted attention from defence forces around the world as well as the ADF. (Photo: Defence Communications Industry during night activities). The Army successfully replaced damaged fibre-optic links with reinforced copper cables (the so-called DON10 cables) restoring communications using eight prototype P4 systems. The entire brigade communications was restored and, at this stage, it became apparent that the product had definite applications in tactical communications.  Over the next two years, in consultation with the army, Defence Communications Industry has redesigned the product to tailor it for military use. This resulted in the new portable field deployable system, the P3, being released in November 2001.

The P3 is further complemented by a single channel portable system, the P1, used for simple point-to-point LAN extensions. Both products are compatible offering flexibility for forward deployed tactical communications networks.

The devices have now been deployed in a number of high profile operations by signals units in East Timor, Bougainville and on Ex Tandem Thrust.

In East Timor and Bougainville Pl/P3s operated over a distance of 8km. At these distances cable attenuation is very high - ADSL is specified to operate over typical distances of 3-5kms, beyond which the resulting attenuation effectively stops the transmission. However P3 and P1 did function beyond these distances, setting what is believed to be a world record for the Australian Army.

Experience during Tandem Thrust revealed another interesting advantage of using DON10 -while fibre cable was being eaten by cows and bandicoots, the anti-vermin impregnated DON10 successfully repelled all four-legged assailants.

The P3’s internal batteries also enable operation in isolated locations for up to four hours. As voice is transmitted independently of data transmission; the system will function as a self-contained backup field telephone. The P3 portable stand alone device requires no additional equipment to set it up or operate.

The system also has broad applications across a spectrum of other fields including transportation, mining and emergency services.

When used as a range extender with video cameras, it is an effective surveillance tool for use along railways, tunnels and gas & oil pipelines, where the use of wireless or satellite Technology is not possible.

Refugee camps situated in isolated areas could be provided with an inexpensive method of gaining access to internet and emails, with the copper infrastructure costing just a fraction of the $20,000 per kilo-metre it can take to install fibre optic cable, whilst providing increased mobility in terms of the product deployment.

Text Box: WHAT IS DSL? xDSL is simply a new transmission or modulation technique that takes advantage of the unused bandwidth or frequency spectrum existing in telephone cables. Data rates achievable in the order of 8Mbit/sec in one direction and 1Mbit/sec in the other. This modulation technology is effectively asymmetric due to the signal interferences arising at such data rates - hence ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Loop). Importantly, xDSL modulation frequencies are above that of voice telephony, leaving the phone services unaffected. The same telephone (or copper) line is used for both high-speed data applications and standard telephony. Normally xDSL is widely used by telecom companies, providing fast internet service. These systems are limited in terms of features and performance due to the telecom networks’ design constraints. In most cases, a greatly reduced bandwidth is offered to customers with maximum distances not more then 3 5Km. Defence Communications Industry Pty Ltd) products use the basic xDSL technology, specifically designed for field deployments closely reflecting specific military requirements. DCI products do not restrict bandwidth and can operate over distances of 5Km and considerably longer when configured as a ‘repeater’. Integrated telephony makes it an ideal data/voice communications device not only for military needs but also for industrial, emergency and rural applications. n

Approximately one hundred of the units have so far been supplied to various Australian army units. The Army’s Standard Defence Supply System (SDSS) project is about to deploy the devices nationwide with BCSS rollout expected to follow. With interest in the products now coming from the UK MoD, US DoD, New Zealand, Germany, Finland and Thailand, the company is poised for growth, with initial sales expected in the region of $12 mi-lion and increasing rapidly with product introduction to new markets.

Earlier this year Defence granted DCI “Defence Recognised Supplier” status and has directly assisted the company in promoting the product to defence forces worldwide.

DCI designed and markets the products in partnership with its manufacturing arm PMNS (an independent division of Philips) and is actively seeking funding or collaborative opportunities to return to Australia manufacturing and future product development.                                                                                                                n