State of Ohio Multi-Agency Radio Communication System

Ohio Public Safety Broadband Network

State of Ohio Multi-Agency Radio Communication System

Department of Administrative Services

Request for Information

Ohio Public Safety Broadband Radio Access Network

Table of Contents

1. Purpose…………………………………………………………………………………………………3

2. Background…………………………………………………………………………………...... 3

3. RFI - Not A Solicitation………..………………………………………………………………………4

4. State SLIGP and Other Planning Activities………………………………………………...... 4

5. Spectrum Manager Lease Agreement………………………………………………………………...4

6. Instruction to Respondents………………………………………….………………………………....5

6.1. Schedule of Events…………………………………………………………………………...5

6.2. ResponseSubmission…………………………………………………………………………5

6.3. Inquiries………………………………………………………………………………………5

7. ResponseFormat……………………………...………………………………………………………...6

8. Company Profile…………………………………………………..…………………………………….7

9. Public-Private Partnership.…………………………………………………………………...... 7

10. System Requirements………………………………………………………………………...……….8

10.1. Scope and Objectives………………………………………………………………………..8

10.1.1. Building, Deployment,, Operation, and Maintenance of the NPSBN………...9

10.1.2. Financial Sustainability……………………………………..………………….10

10.1.3. First Responder User Adoption………………………………………………...13

10.1.4. Device Ecosystem……………………………………………………………….14

10.1.5. Applications Ecosystem………………………………………………..……….15

10.1.6. Accelerated Speed to Market………………………………………….………..16

10.1.7. User Service Availability……………………………………………………….17

10.1.8. Service Capacity………………………………………………………...... 18

10.1.9. Cybersecurity…………………………………………………………...... 18

10.1.10. Priority Services……………………………………………………………….19

10.1.11. Integration of State-Deployed RANs………………………………….………20

10.1.12. Integration of Existing Commercial/Federal/State/Local

Infrastructure to Support NPSBN Services…………………….……………21

10.1.13. Life-Cycle Innovation…………………………………………………………21

10.1.14. Program and Business Management…………………………………………22

10.1.15. Customer Care and Marketing……………………………………………….22

10.1.16. Facilitation of FirstNet’s Compliance with the Act and Other Laws….…...23

11. Backhaul……………………………………………………………………………………………....24

12. Coverage Mapping Requirements……………………………………………………………...... 24

ATTACHMENT A – Acronym Glossary……………………………………………………………..26

ATTACHMENT D – State of Ohio Coverage Needs Report from the OhioFirst.Net

Implementation Project…………………………………………………..4 & 24

1.Purpose

MARCS is requesting qualified respondents to submit information for the design, construction, maintenance and operation of a statewide broadband wireless system to serve Ohio Public Safety entities that is fully interoperable now and in the future with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet.) It is the intent of this Request for Information (RFI) to provide alternative options to the offer from FirstNet and its selected contractor. Subject to the limitations of this RFI, MARCS will consider the responses to this RFI in weighing options for an Ohio Public Safety Broadband Network (OPSBN.)

No funds have been appropriated by the Ohio Legislature to enter into an agreement with a supplier of goods and services described in this RFI. The OPSBN will need to be financially self-sustaining for the anticipated lifespan of the network. If the State moves forward with this project, the Partner will be required to develop a self-sustaining business model leveraging the licensed 20 MHz of Band 14 spectrum within Ohio to build, deploy, operate, and maintain the OPSBN to serve public safety and may elect to monetize the excess capacity to provide commercial service to end users.

MARCS, where appropriate, will allow access to existing State of Ohio infrastructure (i.e., radio towers, microwave, fiber optic networks, etc.,) to reduce costs, speed delivery and increase coverage for an OPSBN.

This RFI follows an objectives-based approach, in contrast to a requirements-based RFI in which much detail is contained. Objectives are generally in parallel with those expressed in the FirstNet RFI.

The contact for this RFI is:

Rick Schmahl

MARCS Program Director, SWIC

Office of Information Technology

MARCS Program Office

614.466.2257

2.Background

In February 2012, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act (Act) was signed into law. The Act, among other things, created FirstNet as an independent authority within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). FirstNet was given the license to 20 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum within the 700 MHz band and charged with constructing a NPSBN dedicated to the needs of public safety. The network is expected to be built across all 50 states, plus six territories, and is intended to provide ubiquitous interoperability between jurisdictions. Massive planning efforts for the network have been underway since the date of the Act, and are expected to continue through 2022, the date mandated by the Act for the network to be fully functional.

FirstNet issued a RFP on January 16, 2016, that is intended to result in the issuance of an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract in the manner of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) to design, build, and operate the NPSBN. Proposals were due May 31, 2016, and the award was made to AT&T on March 30, 2017.

Under the Act, the Governor of each state and territory will receive a plan for deployment of the NPSBN in their jurisdictions. Governors will be provided a review period of 90 days during which a decision will be expected as to whether the state or territory will accept the offer or “opt-out.” A decision to opt-out places responsibility with a respective state for the design, implementation, and operation of a Radio Access Network (RAN) that is fully compatible and compliant with FirstNet and triggers a period of 180 days within which time the alternate state plan is required to be submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

This RFI Is Not A Solicitation For Such Products Or Services

Information that any interested party wishes to submit will be done so voluntarily and with the understanding that this RFI is for information gathering purposes only and is not a formal solicitation. A formal procurement, such as a Request for Proposals (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ) may be issued as a result of, and subsequent to, this RFI. The Department of Administrative Services is interested in receiving information from interested vendors or any other source of information.

The information that follows is intended to provide background information and to help set agency expectations for services to design, implement and operate a Radio Access Network (RAN).

State SLIGP and Other Planning Activities

Ohio has completed data collection and analysis associated with an NTIA State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) grant to provide baseline information about its public safety entities, calls for service, crime statistics, and other details that may be useful in the design of a RAN. Maps depicting this information are available at This map includes the following data sets:

County Boundaries
CAD Incidents per Half Mile
Critical Service Area
Extended Service Area
Phase 5
Phase 4
Phase 3
Phase 2
Phase 1

This RFI contains a summary of the data collected from stakeholders, and presents the FirstNet baseline coverage objectives and a comparison of FirstNet regulations. The State has identified requirements beyond those areas covered under the FirstNet baseline. This information is located in Attachment D– State of Ohio Coverage Needs Report- OHIOFIRST.NET IMPLEMENTATIONPROJECTSeptember 30, 2016.

Spectrum Manager Lease Agreement

If Ohio chooses to opt-out and construct a RAN, it is assumed that the State will enter into a spectrum manager lease agreement with FirstNet. The terms and conditions of such a spectrum lease are unknown at this time and may produce constraints in the deployment of a RAN for Ohio public safety entities.

6.Instruction to Respondents

6.1.Schedule of Events:

Event / Date and Time
RFI Issued / May24, 2017
Inquiry Period Ends / June7, 2017
Response Due / June 14, 2017 2:00PM

6.2.Response Submission

Responses are due no later than 2:00 p.m. (Columbus, Ohio local time) on the Response due date. Responses submitted by email, fax or other electronic means are not acceptable, and the State may reject them. Respondents must submit their Responses to:

Ohio Department of Administrative Services

MARCS Program Office

Attn: Rick Schmahl

4200 Surface Rd.

Columbus, OH 43228

Respondents shall submit responsesby June14, 2017, 2:00PM

6.3.Inquiries

Respondents may make inquiries regarding this RFP anytime during the inquiry period listed in the Calendar of Events. To make an inquiry, respondentsmust use the following process:

Access the State’s Procurement Website at
From the Quick Links menu on the right, select “Bid Opportunities Search”;

In the “Document/Bid Number“ field, enter the RFP number found on the first page of this RFP (the RFP number begins with zero followed by the letter “A”);
Select “Request for Proposals” from the Opportunity Type dropdown;
Click the “Search” button;
On the Opportunity Search Results page, click on the hyperlinked Bid Number;
On the Opportunity Details page, click the “Submit Inquiry” button;
On the document inquiry page, complete the required “Personal Information” section by providing:

First and last name of the prospective offeror’s representative (the “Offeror Representative” who is responsible for the inquiry,
Name of the prospective offeror,
The Offeror Representative’s business phone number, and
The Offeror Representative’s email address;

Type the inquiry in the space provided including:

A reference to the relevant part of this RFP,
The heading of the provision in question, and
The page number of the RFP where the provision can be found.

Enter the Confirmation Number at the bottom of the page
Click the “Submit” button.

A respondent submitting an inquiry will receive an immediate acknowledgement that the State has received the inquiry as well as an email acknowledging receipt. The Respondent will not receive a personalized response to the question nor notification when the State has answered the question.

Respondents may view inquiries and responses on the State’s Procurement Website by using the “Bid Opportunities Search” feature described above and by clicking the “View Q & A” button on the document information page.

The State usually responds to inquiries within three business days after receipt, excluding weekends and State holidays. The State will not respond to any inquiries received after 8:00 a.m. on the inquiry end date.

The State does not consider questions asked during the inquiry period through the inquiry process as exceptions to the terms and conditions of this RFP.

Response Format

Respondents shall adhere to the proposal format and provide detailed information on the following sections. Each section and sub-section must have a separate response, and responders are encouraged to provide a level of thoroughness that will enable the State to achieve the RFI objectives. Each response must contain the following tabbed sections.

Page 1 of 26

Ohio Public Safety Broadband Network

Table of contents

Company Profile

Public Private Partnership

Scope and Objectives

Building, Deployment, Operation and Maintenance of the NPSBN

Financial Sustainability

Device Ecosystem

Application Ecosystem

Accelerated Speed to Market

User Service Availability

Service Capacity

Cybersecurity

Priority Services

Integration of State-Deployed RANs

Integration of Existing Commercial/Federal/State/Local Infrastructure to Support NPSBN Services

Life-Cycle Innovation

Program and Business Management

Custom Care and Marketing

Backhaul – State Microwave System Assets

Coverage Mapping Requirements

Page 1 of 26

Solicitation No.

Ohio Public Safety Broadband Network

Company Profile

Please provide the following information for your company:

History
Lines of Business
Organizational Structure
Number of Employees
Staff Technical Expertise
Market Territory
Experience

Public-Private Partnership

This RFIis seeking information to eventually establish a competitive procurement and PPP with an entity (the Partner) that meets the qualifications of a wireless network operator with one or more national wireless networks for roaming service. A consortium or team that provides the equivalent services will be considered for qualification. The Partner will provide network design, deployment, operations, maintenance, and customer support for public safety entities in Ohio.

It is the intent of the State to receive information from Respondents to provide the services required to inform the State’s consideration of a potential opt-out from the NPSBN for the purposes of operating a RAN that fully meets the needs of its public safety entities.

It is clear to the State that if it chooses to opt-out of the federal program, it will need a Partner with wireless network experience at the national level, financial stability, consumer sales channels, and access to and integration of Band 14 infrastructure into a legacy network(s) that provides both LTE coverage and capacity in Ohio as well as the rest of the United States for roaming purposes. Roaming provisions on a national wireless carrier during the initial operational stages of the OPSBN shall be a requirement of the Partner.

This RFI contemplates a PPP with a wireless network operator with one or more national wireless networks for roaming service. A consortium or team that provides the equivalent services will be considered for qualification.

Information Request: Public-Private Partnership
Respondents shall demonstrate their ownership and management of a commercial wireless broadband network based on long-term evolution (LTE) technology compatible with the requirements of FirstNet or shall have a teaming partner that owns and operates such a network and is committed to a 25-year marketing and interoperability agreement with the proposer. Respondents shall identify all teaming partners.
Response:

10.System Requirements

10.1.Scope and Objectives

In its RFP, FirstNet seeks,

...a comprehensive network solution covering each of the 56 states and territories. The comprehensive network solution shall provide FirstNet services that include: the deployment and provisioning of a nationwide Core Network (“Core”), and Radio Access Network (RAN) services; backhaul, aggregation, and the use of national transport networks and operation centers; a device ecosystem; use of network infrastructure; deployable capabilities; use of operational and business support systems; an applications ecosystem; network services; and the integration, maintenance, operational services, and ongoing evolution of these systemsrequired to function fully as an operational wireless 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards-based Long Term Evolution (LTE) NPSBN.

Objectives established for the OPSBN parallel those established by FirstNet for the NPSBN. The Partner will be largely responsible for meeting the 16 objectives, as required by Ohio. The State shares these objectives in order to develop a RAN that will be fully compliant with the objectives of FirstNet and which will provide seamless interoperability now and in the future with the NPSBN.

Please address the following 16 objectives below, as adapted to an opt-out decision. The objectives were taken directly from the FirstNet RFP. The link to the solicitation and referenced documents can be found at: ew=0

Information Request: Scope
Please describe alternative solutions to the FirstNet Plan that will best meet the needs of our public safety entities to make available a wireless broadband network that satisfies operational needs for at least the next 25 years.
Response:

10.1.1.Objective 1: Building, Deployment, Operation, and Maintenance of the NPSBN

Provide nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network service that ensures network coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and complies with the technical requirements...throughout the RFP and its attachments.

Alignment with this objective provides for RAN deployment within Ohio for interoperable PSBN service that ensures network coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and complies with the technical requirements of the FirstNet NPSBN, including future upgrades to the nationwide networkas 3GPP standards revisions are adopted by FirstNet.

It is contemplated that the Partner will manage the design, construction, deployment, and optimization of the RAN with inspection and approval by the State. Operation of the OPSBN will be required, including provision of functions such as customer service, sales and service of user equipment, network monitoring, routine and emergency maintenance, and operation and maintenance of the backhaul facilities. The Partner will work with the State regarding validation of public safety entities and personnel for access to the OPSBN.

Hardening of the network to public safety-grade is a primary requirement of the State. Public safety-grade is defined as the recommendations of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) in its report Defining Public Safety Grade Systems and Facilities, dated 5/22/2014. To the greatest extent possible, the recommendations of the NPSTC report shall be applied to the OPSBN.

Information Request: Objective 1 - Building, Deployment, Operation, and Maintenance of the NPSBN
Ohio requests that Respondents describe the method by which the RAN would be designed based upon the needs of the state’s public safety entities while managing the design, construction, deployment, and optimization of the RAN with inspection and approval by the State.
Response:
Please describe how your entity would manage operation of the OPSBN, including provision of functions such as customer service, sales and service of user equipment, network monitoring, routine and emergency maintenance, and operation and maintenance of the backhaul facilities.
Response:

10.1.2.Objective 2: Financial Sustainability

Maximize the impact of government funding and leverage all 20 MHz of Band 14 to build, deploy, operate, and maintain the NPSBN to serve public safety and for secondary use while ensuring a self-sustaining business model...

The State intends that the monthly user fees for access to the OPSBN will be maintained at the lowest practical level. Surveys of public safety entities within the state indicated price sensitivity, and fees are a potential hurdle to achieving maximum use of the network. FirstNet restricts states’ application of user fees in an opt-out scenario to maintenance of the RAN.

Some payments to FirstNet will be required to be made under the spectrum manager lease agreement and support of the FirstNet core infrastructure. The terms and conditions of the lease agreement are presently unknown, as is the calculation of the payments for access to and support of the FirstNet core infrastructure.

Information Request: Objective 2 – Financial Stability
Please provide a financial model outlining the 25-year potential partnership with the State that demonstrates the sustainability of the OPSBN and explains how their offer will provide the coverage, capacity, network connectivity, QoS, and other objectives within the scope of services described in this RFI while remaining self-sufficiency through the potential monetization of excess Band 14 capacity within Ohio and other revenue sources.
Response:
Please provide financial models that could serve as a basis for a financial plan to include the monetization considerations of the use of the excess capacity on the leased Band 14 spectrum within the State of Ohio, within the constraints of the spectrum manager lease agreement.
Response:
Respondents shall address the integration of the Band 14 infrastructure into a legacy LTE network(s) in order to provide service in the First Operational Configuration and subsequent configurations in a manner that both provides roaming services as well as providing an opportunity to optimize revenue, while preserving the integrity of the OPSBN.
Response:
Please describe coverage solutions such as small cells or coverage through 5G devices (at such time they are available and compatible with the NPSBN).
Information Request: Objective 2 – Financial Stability (cont’d)
Response:
Respondents shall offer a method by which the network may be expanded in the future and/or which technology refreshment will be made to maintain compatibility with FirstNet. This method may include expansion of the Band 14 network in a manner that increases fees from monetization of excess network capacity and/or further investment by the State, local governments, or other entities to meet particular operating requirements.
Response:
Within the financial plan, please address the following:

the allocation of funds for operations and maintenance of the RAN and backhaul network, and the potential use of the backhaul network for transport of an ESInet for NG9-1-1.

the allocation to the State of some portion of the user fees paid by public safety entities for work and services provided by the State in support of the OPSBN (i.e. user profile assignments, validation of public safety entities and personnel for access to the OPSBN), within the constraints of the spectrum manager lease agreement.
Response:
Respondents shall address the issue of user fees, including the cost and variety of user subscription fee pricing, in their financial models as a component of determining the sustainability of the OPSBN.
Response:
Respondents, please identify the method by which such payments would be calculated and paid.
Information Request: Objective 2 – Financial Stability (cont’d)
Response:
Respondents shall identify and demonstrate the financial capability of providing the operating capital that will be needed to bridge the gaps between payment milestones and other investment to the PPP.
Response:
A description shall be provided of the source of funds that would potentially be used for the initial network rollout, and for working capital purposes as the network is deployed and before break-even operations are achieved, as well as any additional capital contributions that may be required to be made by the Partner to facilitate construction and operation of the OPSBN.
Response:

10.1.3.Objective 3: First Responder User Adoption