Completed initial integration is designed to support interoperable communications between P25 and broadband PTT users operating on the LA-RICS system
By Donny Jackson,Editor, Urgent Communications
Push-to-talk-over-broadband provider ESChat has announced that its platform is available to users of the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS), who also can benefit from the integration of ESChat with the LA-RICS land-mobile-radio (LMR) network to support interoperable communications
“Interoperability is a primary focus of our ESChat portfolio, and we’re confident that we do interoperability better than anyone,” ESChat President Josh Lober said in prepared statement. “Interoperability is a multi-dimensional challenge. Communication must be native and seamless, whether you are communicating between agencies, across wireless carriers, between disparate PTT system types, or with competitive broadband PTT solutions.”
During an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications, Lober said the LA-RICS deployment demonstrates the scalability of Inter Sub-System Interface (ISSI) interface included in the Project 25 (P25) standard. Indeed, the initial implementation already supports more than 800 P25 talkgroups and more than 20 agencies—a figure that is expected to increase in the future, he said. This initial deployment also includes support for OTAR encryption-key management, according to ESChat.
A second integration phase for LA-RICS—scheduled to be completed late this year—includes ISSI enhancement associated with the FedRAMP-authorized “ESChat for Government” offering, according to an ESChat press release about the company’s work with LA-RICS
While the ISSI interface typically is used to support interoperability between disparate P25 systems, ESChat leverages the technology to connect its broadband push-to-talk (PTT) offering with P25 networks, according to the company.
“When connecting ESChat to P25 via ISSI, the P25 system treats ESChat as if it were another P25 system, providing full-featured, secure and scalable interoperability,” the ESChat press release states. “While the ISSI interface is used to carry secure voice between the systems, the [ESChat to LA-RICS] integration also leverages the TIA-102 Over-the-Air Rekeying (OTAR) interface to manage secure distribution of AES-256 encryption keys.”
LA-RICS Executive Director Scott Edson said he believes utilizing this approach is key to making interoperable communications possible between users of the LA-RICS P25 and broadband networks.
“In my experience, broadband-PTT-to-P25 interoperability on this scale is simply not possible using traditional gateway-based interoperability solutions,” Edson said in a prepared statement. “Leveraging the ISSI and KMF interfaces was the only viable option to integrate broadband PTT with a P25 system of our size.
“Our subscribers have autonomy to select the wireless carrier that best serves their agency. It was therefore a requirement that our broadband PTT service operate on any wireless carrier. ESChat fulfils this requirement nicely by providing a carrier-agnostic platform—allowing each agency to select the carrier of their preference—while still supporting secure interagency communication and interoperability.”
