Investigation into the effects of voice and data convergence on a Marine Expeditionary Bridgade TRI-TAC digital transmission network

Abstract

In the tactical environment, bandwidth demanded for data, video and voice services have increased faster than the capacity of new transmission devices are able to provide. Using Desert Knight 2000, a Marine Expeditionary Brigade exercise held in California in December 1999, as a case study, an investigation was made into the effects of network convergence on transmission system bandwidth. The focus of this thesis was on the potential gains available by making use of unused bandwidth normally reserved for the voice telephone network for other services, such as video and data. Using data collected from the exercise, and building a network model using Imagine That, Inc's Extend software, several experiments were conducted under varying network conditions to determine if network convergence could be a partial solution to the increased bandwidth demands of today's command and control network. After conducting 27 model runs, results indicate that convergence can provide significantly more bandwidth to the tactical user for other than voice services, as well as better service levels for the voice network