Business Case: A Wide-Area Wireless Network for ITS (Telesaurus)

CCIT is exploring the feasibility of developing a wide-area wireless network to
provide essential applications of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that enable traffic efficiency, pollution reduction, emergency response, augmentation of GPS, and other high public interest objectives. The project is sponsored by Telesaurus, LLC, of Berkeley, CA.

Over several years, Telesaurus has acquired a large amount of licensed radio frequency spectrum in the lower 200 MHz and 900 MHz ranges. Its 900 MHz licenses were issued by the Federal Communications Commission in the mid-1990s for location, data, voice, and other transportation-related radio services.
Telesaurus’ owners are interested in deploying national, wide-area wireless services through a socially beneficial approach and in coordination with national and local governmental agencies. Toward that end, Telesaurus is in the process of donating most of its spectrum to a non-profit organization, the Skybridge Foundation.

CCIT is working with Telesaurus to determine the key features of a wide-area wireless network that would generally serve the transportation sector. The project goals include refining the overall concepts and plans associated with the deployment of such a network, and assessing its economic and technical feasibility.

To better understand the potential applications of a wide-area network, CCIT surveyed existing and potential wireless services for the transportation industry. The project team grouped these into 20 application classes, which range from basic passenger-information services to law-enforcement applications to on-demand entertainment services. CCIT is examining the complementary goals and technical capabilities between a wide-area
network and the federal Vehicle Infrastructure Integration initiative, which is based on short-range communications.

Additionally, the project team is evaluating basic technology options, including
telecommunications protocols, network architecture, and hardware requirements.

CCIT is facilitating outreach to public and private entities and promoting Telesaurus’ plans to potential stakeholders. The objective is to develop a business plan that can be widely shared and understood
throughout the industry. The business plan can be followed by a pilot deployment, showcasing the practicality and potential benefit of a wide-area wireless network to enable ITS transportation applications.