Tactical voice communications over shipboard Local Area Networks

The United States Navyαs next generation ship(s) scheduled for commissioning in the year 2004 and beyond will integrate tactical shipboard voice communications systems into the local area network (LAN). A single network eliminates separate voice and data infrastructures, consolidates services, and reduces the cost of communications. The existing installation of highspeed shipboard data networks has laid the foundation for the convergence of these two technologies. Currently, there is no high level definition of how multiple system types will share a common infrastructure. Neither is there a baseline defining acceptable end-to-end standards for the merger of these two systems. Common practice for demonstrating feasibility is confined to using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment in a show-and-tell environment. Although this indicates certain operational features it does not demonstrate if telephony systemαs performance are within specified limits. Neither does this type of demonstration simulate realistic shipboard tactical load performance requirements or what effect this integration will have on data systems that co-habitat the LAN. The purpose of this thesis is to define the convergence of the centralized shipboard tactical voice communication communications system into a distributed software-based system and the minimum set of acceptable software requirements for full integration of this system into the existing shipboard local area network infrastructure. In addition, this thesis will address the quality of service, tactical requirements risk assessment, interoperability, training, integration with legacy systems and other factors involved in the total cost of ownership.