National Communications System (NCS) said Thurs. that U.S. govt. ...
National Communications System (NCS) said Thurs. that U.S. govt. planned to work with newly named Special Adviser to the President for Cyberspace Security Richard Clarke on accelerating efforts to deploy priority access service for wireless networks. “In times of…
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severe wireless network congestion, call completion percentages can drop well below 5 percent,” Clarke said. “It is essential that we work with industry to deploy priority access service for use in crisis situations as soon as possible.” Clarke said he asked Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege (Ret.), NCS manager, and NCS Deputy Mgr. Brent Greene to help in “getting priority service deployed for cellphones as soon as possible.” Cellphone network congestion in immediate hours after Sept. 11 terrorist attacks received public attention. NCS praised emergency response of industry and govt. workers to restore emergency communications after attacks. Wireline networks already have mandatory priority access system that ensures that calls by emergency workers and designated public officials could be made on network even if it were tied up with higher-than- normal level of calls. FCC last year laid out rules for priority access for public safety and security personnel during emergencies, but order didn’t mandate that carriers provide that to public safety personnel at federal, state and local levels. CTIA wrote recently to NCS that, at its request, industry would provide priority access service capabilities for 500 national security and emergency personnel in about 60 days. System that would support 50,000 personnel would be ready by year-end 2002, CTIA said. NCS said Sept. 11 attacks had “reaffirmed the need for such a capability and its accelerated implementation.” It said that “in certain emergencies where wireline networks have been damaged, wireless systems provide the only means of communication, increasing congestion even further.” NCS said it planned to evaluate ways to roll out wireless priority access service in short term in certain metropolitan areas and in longer term across U.S.