Transcript 21st Century Telephone Networks and the National Fire Alarm

21st Century Voice Networks
and the National Fire Alarm
and Signaling Code
June 8, 2010
NFPA Expo Session
Roy Perry
[email protected]
Who is CableLabs?
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Non-profit research and development consortium
Develops new video, voice, and data technologies
Helps cable operators adopt those technologies
Based in Louisville, Colorado
Founded in 1988 by cable operating companies
• CableLabs serves the cable television industry by:
»Researching broadband technologies
»Authoring specifications
»Conducting certification testing
»Resolving interoperability issues
»Disseminating information
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Goals Today
To show that:
1. NFPA 72 has resolved the issue of which types
of phone lines are suitable for fire monitoring
2. Nationally uniform requirements address the
issue of unique local and state policies
3. Managed Facilities-based Voice Networks are
now required by NFPA 72
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NFPA Concerns
• End-of-life of copper based voice service
• Questions about VoIP equivalence
» Internet VoIP was causing problems
» Internet VoIP confused with Managed VoIP
• Questions about reliability arose
» Transmission, installation
» Battery, CPE
• Approach: Redefine PSTN in the code using
performance requirements
» Provide guidance to AHJs on what is required of
any and all voice lines
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The Future of Analog Phone Service
• Since 1980s, phone networks increasingly digital
» Analog lines shorter and shorter – now feet not miles
• Digital equipment now on-premises
» On-premises equipment new to AHJs
• AT&T to end support for analog phone service
» FCC filing
» Cited costs of older equipment and maintenance of
analog facilities
• Verizon CEO announced no more analog phone facilities
to be built
• Federal policies now focused on retiring POTS, moving
to broadband
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NFPA Objectives
√ Indentify clear accountability for the reliability of
the voice service
√ Preserve the ability for the alarm panel to “seize”
the phone line, even if telephones are in use
√ Preserve the PSTN service interface (to assure
backwards compatibility)
√ Preserve carriage of alarm signals across the
network
√ Operate during power outages and disasters
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CableLab’s Work with NFPA 72
• 2007: Discussions held with NFPA Technical
Committee for Communications (SIG/SSS),
NFPA Staff, and UL
• 2007: CableLabs and ADT joint proposal
submitted
• 2008: Proposal debated in committee
• 2009: NFPA execs intervened to invoke
emergency process to get changes into 2010
edition, due to urgency
• 2010 – New guidance issued
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NFPA 72 - 2010 Resolves Issue
• 2010 edition now defines requirements for phone lines
» Past code required the use of “public switched telephone
network” phone lines
» Meaning of “PSTN” left to AHJs
» AHJs created own policies as PSTN evolved
» Disparate policies  confusion
• Now a nationally uniform policy
» NFPA updated definition of PSTN
» PSTN redefined to be a collection of “managed facilitiesbased voice networks”
• NFPA recommends AHJs adopt 2010 guidance since
older editions silent
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Changes To NFPA 72
Managed Facilities-based Voice Networks are now
required in all cases for Digital Alarm Communicator
Transmitter (DACTs)
• MFVN defines the minimum performance
requirements for voice lines used with DACTs in
commercial and residential fire alarm applications
• MFVNs include traditional POTS, as well as cable
digital voice and telco VoIP services
• Telco lines must conform too (never before required)
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PSTN Redefined in NFPA 72
OLD
NEW
“An assembly of communications facilities and central
office equipment operated jointly by authorized
common carriers that provides the general public with
the ability to establish communications channels via
discrete dialing codes.”
“An assembly of communications equipment and
telephone service providers that utilize Managed
Facilities-based Voice Networks (MFVN) to provide the
general public with the ability to establish
communications channels via discrete dialing codes.”
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Two New Definitions Added
Managed Facilities-based Voice Network
“A physical facilities-based network capable of transmitting real
time signals with formats unchanged that is managed, operated,
and maintained by the service provider to ensure service quality
and reliability from the subscriber location to public switched
telephone network (PSTN) interconnection points or other MFVN
peer networks.”
Loop Start Telephone Circuit
“A loop start telephone circuit is an analog telephone circuit that
supports Loop Start Signaling as specified in either Telcordia
GR-506-CORE, LATA Switching Systems Generic Requirements:
Signaling for Analog Interface or in Telcordia GR-909-CORE,
Fiber in the Loop Systems Generic Requirements”
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MFVN Performance Expectations
 Functional equivalence to PSTN with respect to dialing, dial plan,
call completion, carriage of signals and protocols, and loop voltage
treatment*
 Proactive management, operation, and maintenance to assure
reliability
 Loop start telephone circuit interface
 8 hour “standby power supply capacity” for “MFVN equipment at the
protected premises”
 24 hours standby power at the “central office”
 Safeguards to protect MFVN equipment from unauthorized access
 Notification to customers to have their alarm system re-tested
 Professional installation assuring proper wiring to assure line
seizure
 Disaster recovery plans equivalent to traditional landline telephone
services
*
Drop of loop voltage upon loss of network physical layer connectivity (pref. 90 seconds)
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Frequently Asked Questions
• What does “8 hours standby power supply capacity” actually
mean in practice?
» This is the duration that the supplied battery should continue to
provide dial tone during a local power failure. It assumes the
equipment is in standby mode (all lines “idle”), and the battery is
new.
• Does this apply to existing installations?
» No. All existing installations are “grandfathered” by NFPA
• What happens if the local jurisdiction hasn’t yet adopted the
2010 edition of the fire code?
» NFPA is encouraging local authorities to apply this guidance to
all new alarm system installations, even if they have not yet
adopted the 2010 edition
• Is UL listing required for CDV equipment?
» No. UL has specifically stated it does not certify service
providers
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What is Cable Digital Voice (CDV)?
 Delivers voice service over a managed facilities-based
broadband network
 Provides PSTN equivalent service at the service
demarcation point (the phone jack)
 Digital end-to-end
 Designed to PSTN standards of availability and reliability
 Based on PacketCable™ specifications
 Complies fully with E911
 Utilizes carrier-class redundant systems
 Provides PSTN-equivalent backup power
 Targets 99.94% availability (equivalent to PSTN)
 Used by millions of alarm systems today
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Cable Digital Voice Facts and Figures
• $185B invested in cable broadband network
infrastructure since 1996; $14.4B in 2009
• Serves over 30M subscribers or 35% of homes
• Grew 13% in 2009
• Primary voice provider in some major markets
• Comcast is 3rd largest voice provider in US
• Replaces over half of 8 million telco POTS lines
dropped yearly
• Has saved consumers over $100B
Source: NCTA
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PSTN Interconnection (IXC)
Alarm Monitoring Facility
Cable Digital Voice (CDV) Technology
This is an example of a
“Managed Facility Voice
Network”
Copper
Pair
Trunks
Softswitch
PSTN
Gateway
Cable CDV Network
Managed
IP Network
F
C C
Hybrid
Fiber/
Coax
Cable VoIP
Telephone
Adapter
Alarm
10’s ft Panel
)))
Optional Cell
))) Backup
For Added
Reliability
Backup Powered
End to end facilities owned and operated by a single Cable Provider
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Comparison of Telco POTS and Cable CDV MFVN’s
Trunks
Copper
Pair
PSTN Interconnection (IXC)
Alarm Monitoring Facility
Telco MFVN (POTS)
LEC
Line
Cards
LEC Class 5
Central Office
Fiber
Softswitch
PSTN
Gateway
Remote
Terminal
(SLIC, DLC)
1000’s ft
100’s ft
Alarm
Panel
)))
Alarm
Panel
)))
Cable MFVN
Managed
IP Network
F
C C
Cable VoIP
Telephone
Adapter
Alarm
10’s ft Panel
Hybrid
Fiber/
Coax
)))
Optional Cell
))) Backup
For Added
Reliability
Backup Powered
Facilities owned and operated by a single Service Provider
Comparison of Cable MFVN and Internet VoIP
Copper
Pair
PSTN Interconnection (IXC)
Alarm Monitoring Facility
Trunks
Internet VoIP
Provider
Internet VoIP
(E.g., Vonage, Lingo)
Softswitch
PSTN
Gateway
Line Seizure Disabled
Internet
Internet VoIP
Telephone
Adapter
10’s ft
Cable VoIP
Telephone
Adapter
10’s ft
Alarm
Panel
)))
Ethernet
Softswitch
PSTN
Gateway
Cable MFVN
Managed
IP Network
F
C C
Hybrid
Fiber/
Coax
Alarm
Panel
)))
Optional Cell
))) Backup
For Added
Reliability
Backup Power ?
Backup Powered
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Telco VoIP MFVNs vs Cable VoIP MFVNs
E.g., Verizon FiOS, AT&T UVerse.
PSTN Interconnection (IXC)
Alarm Monitoring Facility
Telco MFVN (VoIP)
PSTN
Gateway
Managed
IP Network
F
F
F
Network
Interface
Device
Alarm
10’s ft Panel
)))
Fiber
Softswitch
Telcos are migrating from POTS to an IP-based MFVN
model equivalent to Cable
Softswitch
PSTN
Gateway
Cable MFVN
Managed
IP Network
F
C C
Cable VoIP
Telephone
Adapter
Hybrid
Fiber/
Coax
E.g., Comcast Digital Voice, Cox Digital Telephone.
Alarm
10’s ft Panel
)))
Optional Cell
))) Backup
For Added
Reliability
NFPA 72 2010 Announcement
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FROM NFPA Website:
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Digital alarm communicator systems
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Another significant area of interest in the 2010 edition of NFPA 72 involves one of the common means of
transmitting signals from a fire alarm system to an offsite monitoring facility: digital alarm communicator
systems. The code requires that these systems be connected to the public switched telephone network. In
recent years, telephone service has been provided not only by the traditional telephone company but also
by other service providers, such as those providing television service or access to the Internet. Revisions
to the definition of the term "public switched telephone network" will clarify the type of telephone network
permitted to transmit fire alarm signals.
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It is recognized that the performance of these telephone networks is not under the control of NFPA 72, but
information has been included in the code to explain the performance and features expected of these
networks if they are to be used with digital alarm communicator systems.
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One of the expected features is that at least eight hours of standby power be provided for field-deployed
communications equipment. By contrast, the code requires at least 24 hours of backup power for the fire
alarm system itself.
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Where fire alarm system signals are sent offsite to a supervising station, these revisions to the code, and
the information contained in it, will help system designers, system owners, and inspection authorities to
better understand what constitutes a public switched telephone network, and they will help users
determine what performance to expect.
•
At http://www.nfpa.org/publicJournalDetail.asp?categoryID=1890&itemID=44574
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Summary
• Nationally uniform guidance now clearly defines
which voice service providers are acceptable
• NFPA recommends guidance should be applied
regardless of code year currently in effect
• Voice service providers can now formally cite
compliance with NFPA 72, eliminating need for
AHJ interpretation of code
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Thank You
• Questions?
• To report issues: [email protected]
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Appendix- Annex Text
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Annex Text (1 of 4)
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A.3.3.141 Managed Facilities-based Voice Network (MFVN).
Managed Facilities-based Voice Network service is functionally equivalent to
traditional PSTN-based services provided by authorized common carriers (public utility
telephone companies) with respect to dialing, dial plan, call completion, carriage of
signals and protocols, and loop voltage treatment and provides all of the following
features:
(1) A loop start telephone circuit service interface
(2) Pathway reliability that is assured by proactive management, operation, and
maintenance by the MFVN provider
(3) 8 hours of standby power supply capacity for MFVN communications
equipment either located at the protected premises or field deployed. Industry
standards followed by the authorized common carriers (public utility telephone
companies), and the other communications service providers that operate MFVNs,
specifically engineer the selection of the size of the batteries, or other permanently
located standby power source, in order to provide 8 hours of standby power with a
reasonable degree of accuracy. Of course, over time, abnormal ambient conditions
and battery aging can always have a potentially adverse effect on battery capacity.
The MFVN field-deployed equipment typically monitors the condition of the standby
battery and signals potential battery failure to permit the communications service
provider to take appropriate action.
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Annex Text (2 of 4)
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(4) 24 hours of standby power supply capacity for MFVN communications equipment
located at the communication service provider’s central office.
(5) Installation of network equipment at the protected premises with safeguards to
prevent unauthorized access to the equipment and its connections
When providing telephone service to a new customer, MFVN providers give notice to
the telephone service subscriber of the need to have any connected alarm system
tested by authorized fire alarm service personnel in accordance with Chapter 14 to
make certain that all signal transmission features have remained operational.
These features include the proper functioning of line seizure and the successful
transmission of signals to the supervising station. In this way, the MFVN providers
assist their new customers in complying with a testing procedure similar to that
outlined in 26.2.3 for changes to providers of supervising station service.
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Annex Text (3 of 4)
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The evolution of the deployment of telephone service has moved beyond the
sole use of metallic conductors connecting a telephone subscriber’s
premises with the nearest telephone service provider’s control and routing
point (Wire Center). In the last 25 years, telephone service providers have
introduced a variety of technologies to transport multiple, simultaneous
telephone calls over shared communication’s pathways. In order to facilitate
the further development of the modernization of the telephone network, the
authorized common carriers (public utility telephone companies) have
transitioned their equipment into a Managed Facilities-based Voice Network
(MFVN) capable of providing a variety of communications services in addition
to the provision of traditional telephone service.
Similarly, the evolution of digital communications technology has permitted
entities other than the authorized common carriers (public utility telephone
companies) to deploy robust communications networks and offer a variety of
communications services, including telephone service.
These alternate service providers fall into two broad categories. The first
category includes those entities which have emulated the Managed Facilitiesbased Voice Network (MFVN) provided by the authorized common carriers.
The second category includes those entities that offer telephone service using
means that do not offer the rigorous quality assurance, operational stability,
and consistent features provided by a Managed Facilities-based Voice
Network.
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Annex Text (4 of 4)
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The Code intends to only recognize the use of the telephone network transmission
of alarm, supervisory, trouble, and other emergency signals by means of Managed
Facilities-based Voice Networks.
For example, the Code intends to permit an MFVN to provide facilities-based
telephone (voice) service that interfaces with the premises fire alarm or emergency
signal control unit through a digital alarm communicator transmitter (DACT) using a
loop start telephone circuit and signaling protocols fully compatible with and
equivalent to those used in public switched telephone networks. The loop start
telephone circuit and associated signaling can be provided through traditional copper
wire telephone service (POTS—“plain old telephone service”) or by means of
equipment that emulates the loop start telephone circuit and associated
signaling and then transmits the signals over a pathway using packet switched (IP)
networks or other communications methods that are part of a Managed Facilitiesbased Voice Network.
Providers of Managed Facilities-based Voice Networks have disaster recovery
plans to address both individual customer outages and wide spread events such as
tornados, ice storms or other natural disasters, which include specific network power
restoration procedures equivalent to those of traditional landline telephone services
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