Converting RF Armed Forces communications system to digital communication methods.

Revolutionary advances in microelectronics and computer technology that marked the last few decades of the 20th century gave a powerful boost to information and telecommunications technologies. Fundamentally new devices for the handling, communication and storage of information have been developed, and integration processes have intensified to merge primary and secondary networks in a unified multiservice system offering a broad range of services to users.

Pursuant to its strategic plans for joining the global information community, the Government of the Russian Federation approved, in 2000-2001, Concept of Development of Telecommunications Services Market of the Russian Federation for 2001-2010, federal targeted programs "Electronic Russia" and "Development of Unified Educational Information Sphere for 2002-2006," and Doctrine of Information Security of the Russian Federation. On the whole, the above documents envisage development and large-scale introduction of advanced infocommunications technologies in Russia.

The Armed Forces communications network tackles a considerable portion of its tasks by using resources of Unified National Telecommunications Network, primarily its trunk lines and channels, as well as special-purpose networks. The latter substantially lag in their development behind that of general-purpose networks, for which there is a number of reasons.

First, special-purpose networks are, as before, a monopoly environment, their development regulated by several directive documents: Concept of Development of Weapons, Military and Special Equipment, State Weapons Program, as well as state defense order. At the same time, the latter factor is of dynamic nature and directly depends on current financial capabilities this country enjoys in the short term, and military-political priorities consequent on real international situation.

Second, it is the state in the person of its agent (Ministry of Defense of Russia, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, other ministries and agencies) that is the customer (purchaser) with regard to concrete equipment. The practice of equipment supply tenders for state needs confirms that suppliers will keep their monopoly on science-intensive products in the foreseeable future, primarily in view of the limited amount of the state order (not more than 5% of the total production), and insufficient financial capabilities distinguishing potential equipment suppliers, something that prevents them from running in new advanced equipment models. Given favorable circumstances, anything like real competitive environment is likely to take shape only by the end of 2010, when such factors as nationwide general economic improvement and accomplishment of the main aims of the military reform will really produce effect.

To produce priority practical proposals on how to deal with this lag and devise a unified concept, the staff of the Chief of Signal Service of the RF Armed Forces drew up Concept for the Conversion of the Russian Federation Armed Forces Communications System to Digital Information Communication and Switching Methods, Targeted Comprehensive Program of Works to Effect Stage-by-Stage Conversion of the Russian Federation Armed Forces Primary Communications Network to Digital Telecommunications Equipment, and Program of Stage-by-Stage Conversion of Secondary Communications Networks of the Russian Federation Armed Forces, Other Troops and Military Units of the Russian Federation to Digital Information Handling and Services Equipment.

These documents represent a system of views on how to form the main precepts enabling stage-by-stage conversion of the Armed Forces communications system to digital information handling methods. This will make it possible to pool capacities of the communications systems incorporated in the RF Armed Forces command and control circuit into a unified general-purpose resource and to build up a digital network using channel switching or packet switching methods depending on type of info relayed and necessary array of technical services and user services that needs to be organized. A priority in this respect is creating a unified automated digital general-purpose communications system which has within its structure an integrated digital territorial communications system of the RF Armed Forces, digital field communications systems of strategic, operational-strategic and operational formations, and communications assets of specialized communications systems.

To implement the stage-by-stage conversion, RF Armed Forces communications networks and centers plan to use home-produced digital equipment and systems, as well as imported equipment without analogues in Russia.

At the same time, the telecommunications equipment market has changed fundamentally over the last decade, as has the environment in which domestic producers operate. The former shortage of advanced telecommunications equipment was made good by big Western companies such as Alcatel (France), Siemens (Germany), Ericsson (Sweden), Philips (Holland), Cisco Systems (U.S.), Sony, NEC, Panasonic (Japan), and others. Possessing high scientific potential, major production capacities turning out competitive equipment, and sufficient circulating and borrowed capital, these firms gained the greater part (up to 70-80%) of the Russian market.

Russia-based industrial enterprises have a mere 20-30% of the market. They can be conditionally divided into four groups.

First group includes long-standing developers and producers of telecommunications equipment, numbering around 70 industrial enterprises and 60 scientific organizations.

Second group includes enterprises which never developed telecommunications equipment previously and usually came to the market following conversion or in search of new niches.

Third group includes new ventures formed, more often than not, on the basis of separate divisions of scientific or production organizations.

Fourth group can be identified as one comprising joint ventures formed with leading Western firms operating in the territory of Russia. These were created in order to speed up introduction of science-intensive technologies and to home-produce complex promising telecommunications equipment (digital switching equipment, telling systems).

Seemingly it is expedient to place orders for telecommunications equipment intended for the Armed Forces with group one enterprises, considering requirements in the Concept of National Security of the Russian Federation. But unsatisfactory equipment reports (UER) targeting output of military enterprises inside Russia multiplied ten times (1) in recent years, while the number of UER sent from abroad increased 20 times. According to Military Register chairman S.N. Ostapenko, only 1% of enterprises in the Russian defense-industrial complex has ISO 9000 certificate. ISO standards describe the arrangement for industrial quality management, which imposes specialized control and responsibility procedures covering the entire technological chain from designing to marketing. The result is high quality of products and services. In other words, ISO 9001 certificate is an admission ticket to the exclusive club of manufacturers capable of guaranteeing really high quality of products and services. In addition, the technologically outmoded equipment operated by the Russian defense-industrial complex can incapacitate any effort to achieve normal quality of parts, whereas cost-wise its products are often by an order of magnitude inferior to foreign manufactures.

Against this background one cannot but take an interest in the policy pursued by several enterprises engaged in development and production of telecommunications equipment for communications networks. To quote Mr. Dmitry G. Miroshnikov, general director of the scientific and technical center (NTC) NATEKS, Russian developer and producer of digital equipment for the telecommunications industry, the strategic approach that enables his company to lead in its segment of the market is the following: "We enlist best teams of engineers both in Russia and abroad in order to perform advanced R & D within brief time-frames. But it is NATEKS that ends up owning the know-how, intellectual property rights, and the 'nucleus' of systems. Only last-generation automatic assembly lines should be used for our equipment. As is to be regretted, foreign-based manufacture with the use of those lines is currently cheaper than it is anywhere in Russia. But NATEKS monitors progress in Russia's 'contract electronics production' market. As soon as we have an alternative, my company switches over to domestic producers' services. Already now we produce in Russia many components, and most importantly we provide jobs for over 200 skilled engineers.*

It is not accidental that NTC NATEKS became the recipient of No. SK-0010 ISO 9001 certificate for a quality system of designing, development, manufacture, testing and technical servicing of communications equipment the RF Ministry for Communications and Informatization issued on January 1, 2004. Thus NTC NATEKS joined the first ten of companies whose quality system has been recognized as conforming to requirements of the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 9001:2000 in the area of communications.

Currently the Defense Ministry mostly operates multi-channel telecommunications tracts using frequency channel division. Transiting from the existing methods in organizing special-purpose communications networks to networks based on optic fiber lines and appropriate equipment is a very labor-consuming and long-term process, whose main principles have been outlined in a concept governing conversion of RF Armed Forces communications systems to digital communication and switching methods. These imply modernization and development of the existing infrastructure of military signal networks and organization of new digital communications areas (zones) based on a rational combination of substitution and superposition methods.

Three months in 2004 was when comparative testing of digital channel-making equipment produced by the leading domestic manufacturers was held. The tests ran to the program, methodology and complements developed by OAO Voronezh Experimental Software Plant and coordinated with 4 Central Research Institute of the RF MOD and manufacturers.

The tests resulted in recommendations to use Megatrans digital communication systems (DCS) offered by ZAO NTC NATEKS, which had been specifically developed for trunk and zonal communications networks with frequency-division multiplexing. Their novelty is in that they realize multiposition asymmetrical modulation with regulated power level. Patented by NTC NATEKS (Patent No. 18814, Application No. 2001104235/20 (004956) of 12 April 2001), the system enables digitization of communications lines that doesn't require additional adaptation of cable communications lines. It makes possible the following: synchronized digital flow at 2,048 Mb per second in two physical pairs of copper cable; two-cable or single-cable connection circuit; operation of as many as 14 remotely-fed regenerators; service communication subsystem; construction of technological communication network. The length of regeneration area may reach 26 kilometers.

Given that spectral characteristics of Megatrans equipment may be different, its electromagnetic compatibility with analog communication systems is being established. Besides, analog signal processing enables correction of the cable's frequency characteristic and high-quality communication in a long regeneration area. Due to its analog processing and signal correction module, individual adjustment of line interface parameters to cable type, segment length, etc., is not needed when Megatrans equipment is installed. Each line tract segment is diagnosed by inbuilt Megatrans facilities. Monitoring data along with remote configuration facilities are operator-accessible from any end or intermediate point. Thus, trouble-shooting on cable route becomes much easier. At the same time, Megatrans system meets all the necessary requirements placed on trunk digital communication systems.

Developed by NTC NATEKS, system managing the entire telecommunication equipment line enables the choice of operational system (Windows or UNIX). It is open and compatible with equipment and software delivered by other suppliers. It also has module structure (each type of equipment is fitted with management module of its own geared to an unlimited number of managed objects) and supports last-generation telecommunication equipment.

Its main functions are the following: network cartography; alarm message signaling; network element configuring; event logging; subnetwork management; trouble modeling; trend formation on the basis of prescribed events by organic SNMP facilities. It is not accidental that Megatrans digital communication systems are used on a broad scale both in this country and the former USSR republics, as well as elsewhere.

We would like to say in conclusion that conversion of RF Armed Forces communications system to digital communication and switching methods can succeed only under condition that military equipment and civilian digital equipment with good general-purpose network record be used comprehensively.

NOTE:

1. I. Burakov, "Brakorazvodny process," Vremya novostei, No. 99, June 9, 2004.

Col. P.A. OSIPOV

Candidate of Technical Sciences

Col. E.I. NIKOLENKO (Res.)

Col. of Medical Service V.N. ORLOV

* An excerpt from the report to the 9th scientific and technical seminar "Communications in the Business Sphere. New Information Technologies," held by Russia's A.S. Popov Scientific and Technical Society for Radio Engineering, Electronics and Communications jointly with RF Ministry of Communications and ZAO NTC NATEKS in October 2002.