Tactical Wireless Communications and Networks: Design Concepts and Challenges

10.3 The Tactical Cellular Gateway

The architecture proposed employs a TCG for interfacing disparate cellular technologies. The TCG is responsible for providing robust voice, video, and multicast. It also provides tactical security, policy based routing, and an efficient use of available bandwidth while distributing smartphone apps and data packages according to mission needs. The TCG is intended to meet as many of the previously mentioned goals from Section 10.1. The TCG was envisioned as both a stand-alone cellular solution and a part of a tiered, distributed deployment that enables robust cellular capabilities at all echelons. As presented, it leverages the latest technology to provide bandwidth efficient capabilities, while providing the ability to instill older (or less capable) technologies into the overall architecture. The architecture can proxy some of the cellular services into the network core, providing a distributed, disruption-tolerant architecture.

Figure 10.2 shows the overall system hierarchy envisioned for deploying the TCG. For a full deployment, each SBU enclave will have an embedded TCG. Two key roles of the TCG hierarchy will be to provide universal VoIP capabilities, while minimizing signaling and forwarding traffic reach-back. Instead of relying on a single root core network service enclave for all 3G/4G/LTE support (i.e., call control, routing, addressing, and roaming), the TCG distributes these functions hierarchically in order to keep all data and signaling ...