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5G Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT) introduces IP-based broadband features that reach far beyond Land Mobile Radio (LMR) and TETRA’s (Trans-European Trunked Radio’s) basic voice communications capabilities. By leveraging the 5G network and familiar smartphone interfaces, minimal user training is required to get started, while wide coverage is made possible by a mix of Wi-Fi, cellular, and in-building networks.
Replacing legacy public safety systems and transforming first responder networks with integrated voice, video, data, and location-based services provides a new level of situational awareness, enhances communications, and improves operational efficiency for emergency response personnel who gain the ability to:
Use horizontal and vertical location data to pinpoint where aid is needed
Show patient status and share vital signs with emergency room doctors
Share photos and videos of accidents and critical situations as they develop
Broadcast photos of a missing child so police can be on the lookout
These expanded functionalities position additional service and business sectors to leverage 5G MCPTT’s network capabilities, scalability, and broad range of services with use cases that include:
Providing safe and efficient communications for mission-critical industries like oil and gas, utilities, and manufacturing
Modernizing transportation networks as they evolve from GSM-R to 5G-enabled mission-critical communications as part of the Future Railways Mobile Communication System
Streamlining crew coordination, cargo handling, and emergency response for the aviation and maritime industries
Mission-critical services require fast, reliable, and secure network services, as well as priority routing during network congestion. Ensuring those requirements are met when lives are at stake, or operational efficiencies impact the bottom line, makes comprehensive network performance and compliance testing imperative.
What is 5G MCPTT?
5G MCPTT allows instant, group-based communication, similar to traditional two-way radio, over advanced 5G networks. MCPTT is typically deployed with MCData and MCVideo to enable, on the same platform, the exchange of texts, images, files, video, and location information that can be essential in first responder situations.
The 3GPP standards-based 5G MCPTT represents a major leap forward in group communications for emergency services and mission-critical industries. It delivers low-latency, high-priority voice services, and enables advanced data, video, and location-based applications with high reliability and guaranteed QoS.
MCPTT is managed by a floor control mechanism, which regulates speaking turns during group communication. This system grants exclusive permission to one user at a time to speak, preventing others from transmitting simultaneously. This ensures clear, orderly communication that’s vital in emergency and other situations, requiring fast, efficient group coordination.
MCPTT Topology
5G standalone (5G SA) networks are critical for unlocking the full potential of MCPTT and ensuring first responders and other users can always communicate, even in congested scenarios.
Advanced 5G SA features such as network slicing, QoS controls, heightened security, and priority/preemption are essential for efficient management of the MCPTT service. For example, operators can create virtual, mission-critical network slices that dedicate resources and prioritize MCPTT traffic.
The underlying MCPTT architecture leverages the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) framework for signaling and session management and it integrates with the 5G Service-Based Architecture (SBA) to ensure efficient resource utilization and reliable connectivity.
Network testing ensures 5G MCPTT’s performance potential
While 5G MCPTT device and application testing are vital, thorough network testing is critical to guarantee MCPTT’s success in live deployments. 5G MCPTT introduces several new requirements for the operational 5G core and IMS to ensure service quality and continuity under harsh conditions. New network capabilities that need to be validated include:
Dynamic scalability to rapidly support thousands of participants in a single session and across multiple sessions
Prioritized resource allocation and secure slices to ensure mission-critical services are not impacted by mobile subscribers or other services
Support for complex floor control mechanisms that are critical during emergency situations
Seamless support for MCPTT alongside MCVideo, MCData, and location-based services
Advanced capabilities such as emergency alerts, first to respond, ambient listening, and pre-established sessions
Network testing is essential to ensure those requirements are met. Key test methodologies that should be implemented include:
Performance under load. Emulate real-world mission-critical communication conditions with thousands of concurrent session participants and across all sessions to ensure MCPTT services receive guaranteed performance and priority.
Flexible floor control modelling and control room emulation. Support test control procedures and mechanisms for managing the right to transmit during an MCPTT call.
Priority and preemption testing. Emulate non-mission-critical devices alongside MCPTT devices to validate that MCPTT services continue to receive guaranteed QoS.
Network compatibility. Validate seamless integration with advanced 5G/IMS features such as network slicing, QoS prioritization, and support of MCPTT-4, CSC-1, and CSC-4 interfaces.
Robust network security testing. Ensure MCPTT devices securely interoperate with 5G, including authentication testing, encryption validation, Denial of Service (DoS), and flooding testing, network slice security testing, and regulatory compliance testing, including SCAS.
CNF Resiliency. For networks deployed on cloud infrastructure, ensure the MCPTT service is resilient to failures that invariably occur in a microservices environment.
Spirent supports MCPTT success in operator networks
Spirent's 5G core network test solution, Landslide, enables operators to emulate thousands of concurrent MCPTT participants and their associated traffic patterns, providing a robust platform to assess network performance, scalability, prioritization, and security under real-world conditions. It supports flexible traffic modelling, allowing operators to simulate diverse MCPTT use cases and behavior alongside traditional 5G devices.
By enabling the modelling and emulation of floor control procedures and control room, Landslide ensures that networks can handle the unique mission-critical prioritization needs of MCPTT services while guaranteeing QoS and quality of experience (QoE). Landslide also validates important features like network slicing and QoS prioritization, while ensuring seamless integration with advanced 5G core functionalities.
A robust and highly flexible solution, Landslide can scale to millions of emulated devices, enabling high-fidelity replication of real-world network conditions in the lab. Additionally, Landslide offers CNF Resiliency testing, also known as 5G Chaos engineering, to ensure robustness of MCPTT in cloud deployments.
With its comprehensive test, emulation, and automation capabilities, Landslide empowers operators to identify and address potential bottlenecks or vulnerabilities, accelerating MCPTT adoption, while ensuring a secure, scalable, and reliable network.
Comprehensive lab testing of MCPTT, spanning every conceivable emergency situation that could occur in the real world, is non-negotiable. Considering the high stakes involved, where reliable communication is paramount, continuous testing, ideally within a continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipeline, is a must. By integrating automated testing into every stage of the deployment cycle, organizations ensure that MCPTT consistently meets the rigorous demands of performance, reliability and priority handling, safeguarding seamless communication for first responders, emergency services, and more.
