Tactical Wireless Communications and Networks: Design Concepts and Challenges

10.5 Concluding Remarks

As cellular technology progresses toward the LTE standards, the additional use of more bandwidth will enable even better and more reliable applications. Techniques, such as mesh networking and cellular-to-WiFi handoffs, will lead to greatly improved bandwidth utilization. Broadly integrated security architectures will then allow all users, at all echelons, to access their SA and their data wherever they are, regardless of where the information resides. Tools in the TOC today can now be pushed to the edge to empower the warfighter. Information and data generated at the edge can be processed at the edge itself and distributed, with minimal latency, to those whose lives might depend on it. The proposed TCG is architected to evolve with both LTE and tactical network evolutions.

The open architecture theme, presented in this third part of the book, could allow for utilization of the continuously evolving cellular capabilities within the tactical theater. This can be achieved by creating standards that describe the TCG, the necessary functions and interfaces at each hierarchal level, and what 3G/4G/LTE IP core services need to be in proxy at the TCG for each case.

Table 10.1 provides a comparison of the three use cases analyzed above. The table is illustrates the differences in functionality and deployment architecture for the three cases.

Table 10.1 Comparison of the three use cases

The TCG is responsible for many functions. One area addressed in this section ...