Shipboard applications of wireless personal communication services (PCS)

This paper describes a wireless PCS trial conducted onboard the USS Saipan (LHA-2). To evaluate PCS in a typical shipboard environment, a wireless PBX system was installed, tested, and operated for a trial period on a Navy LHA class ship. This project began with a survey of candidate PCS systems, whereby a commercially available system was selected that offered cellular-based service, operating in either an internal mode for shipboard communications or in an external mode for ship to shore connectivity . Initial design and testing focused on propagation and interference effects on board two Navy ships, the USS Eisenhower and the USS Saipan. Based on these tests and further analysis, installation was completed on the USS Saipan and an operational trial period commenced. Besides the initial design and testing, other key items for evaluation during the trial period included traffic collection, performance monitoring, and user feedback. Several technical and procedural issues arose during the design and operational periods that are also addressed in this paper. The paper concludes with an assessment of the trial results and gives recommendations for further work and applications of PCS in a shipboard environment.