Canadian Study: Public Safety Needs 20 MHz

A study sponsored by the Canadian government has concluded that public safety agencies in the country will need 20 MHz of spectrum in the near to mid-term to handle wireless communications needs, a figure twice that of what has been proposed in the United States, which has 10 times as many law enforcement officers. The consultant’s study for Public Safety Canada was based on various mobile broadband scenarios, each generating various bandwidth and speeds for current needs and out to 20 years. The consultant used LTE technology to model the spectrum needs and concluded: “to satisfy the needs of public safety to conduct their missions during commonly re-occurring major emergency situations with modern tools and applications is greater than 20MHz in the near-to-mid term, and likely to also exceed 20MHz in the long term, despite advances in technology.” The consultant determined that even with a full 20 MHz allocation, public safety, “will need to take measures to efficiently manage broadband data communications carefully during periods of peak demand.” The study presents alternatives, including increased spectral efficiency, lower intensity of the networks, and various compromises for a 10 MHz allocation. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other groups are debating wireless broadband in the U.S., and are considering a 10 MHz allocation for public safety agencies. Download (pdf) the full Canadian report with a list of the scenarios and technical evaluation here.