AWS Outage Exposes Vulnerabilities in Low-Cost Cellular Radios

• Business and public safety agencies increasingly rely on Push-to-talk over cellular (“PoC”) radios from startup companies for two-way communications. 
• These devices are vulnerable to cellular and power outages. And many of them became inoperable during the recent AWS outage.
• Public safety agencies must embrace hybrid Land Mobile Radio (“LMR”) and PoC platforms to avoid outages during life-threatening emergencies.

Amazon’s Cloud Service, known as AWS, is the data provider of choice for many low-cost PoC startups. And with good reason - AWS is known for its 99% uptime guarantee and low prices, earning it the nickname the “24/7 Super Walmart of the Cloud.” But in October, the unthinkable happened; AWS crashed and brought thousands of cellular radio users offline.

From conversations with our customers and PoC subscribers, we’ve heard that both app-only PoC platforms and those with cellular-based radios were interrupted. Most users were small business, like hotels or delivery drivers, but some included public safety agencies that rely on these radios for outsourced 911 dispatch services. 

The AWS outage is the latest warning that cellular-only radio devices are not reliable for mission-critical communications or emergency management. As we’ve seen in almost all the natural disasters of the past year - the floods in Austin, wildfires in Los Angeles, or the hurricane in North Carolina - cellular communications were wiped out - rendering cellular radios useless.

Yet many cellular-radio subscribers underestimate this threat. We recently spoke with a security director for a medium-sized Marriott Hotel who is a featured client testimonial for a startup cellular-only radio provider. This hotel employee boasted that he removed his legacy LMR radio system from his property and switched to a cellular-only radio platform due to “feature-rich” devices that allow him to track his housekeeping staff.

But when we asked him how he would manage an evacuation in the event of a cellular or WiFi outage, he admitted he had no plan in place if his cellular radios went offline. He explained that evacuation procedures were not prioritized in his decision to switch - only operational benefits. However, given OSHA and other safety requirements, some safety experts feel he has an obligation to address this vulnerability or face legal liability later.

In addition to safety issues, there are also overlooked security and privacy concerns. Many low-cost cellular radios are designed, engineered, manufactured - and even hosted in China. They are sold under “white-label” names that belong to American companies, leaving customers clueless as to their origin. This means Chinese-firms (and their government) could easily spy on domestic radio users - generating concern for HIPAA laws, Section 889 requirements for government contractors, and even industrial espionage.

The future is hybrid cellular & LMR platforms

For those using Motorola WAVE’s or Kodiak platform (offered by the major cellular carriers), there was no interruption from the AWS outage as Motorola’s platforms were purpose-built to meet public-safety standards. But even still, these devices still depend on cellular or WiFi access, which can be wiped out in a major disaster.

To overcome this, Motorola allows seamless LMR interoperability into their cellular  offerings. In other words, Motorola’s talk groups allow the cohabitation of traditional radios and cellular walkie talkies. So, if one faces an outage, or another limitation, the other is available.

If we look at the recent acquisition of app provider ES Chat by JVC Kenwood, the main rationale for the deal was the double-digit growth in the “hybrid cellular/LMR space” that is expected over the next decade. The decision by industry incumbents, like JVC Kenwood, to invest millions in hybrid technology is evidence of what’s ahead.

So what to do now?

If you are considering a switch to cellular radios, you should plan for a hybrid approach. For example, in a hotel environment, you might want keep your security staff on traditional LMR radios, which are independent of cellular towers and WiFi. And put your housekeepers on cellular devices. And finally bridge the two groups together over a shared talk group using a gateway device. 

In public safety scenarios, mission-critical communications should be fully redundant for primary and secondary communications - this ensures contingency measures are in place in the event one network goes down. Moreover, radio operators should know the origins of their devices, to make sure there are no foreign espionage or compliance risks from China.

Wrapping up

We are in the infancy of the cellular-over-radio space. We will continue to see rapid technology obsolescence and industry turnover as the industry matures. But today, companies and governments that are responsible for life-saving communications, must embrace hybrid platforms to avoid outages that jeopardize the life and safety of those they are responsible to protect.