How To Improve The Humano-Uganda Satellite Network

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1 Regarding manner of submission: an original and 5 copies of the proposal are requested. Is this just for the technical component or for the pricing component as well? A) Both Who are the persons we have to communicate with for this project, for technical and for administrative subjects? A) UNHCR Telecom Unit for Technical HQTU00@unhcr.org and SMS for Administrative Subjects Existing configuration : A) As described in Section 3.1 Where is the termination point for all traffic in Geneva? A) The main HQ building referred to as MBT. Satellites: ( 902, 905, PAS 10, PAS 1R ) Do you have constraints, or preferences, to keep capacity on the existing satellites? Or, on the contrary, to use different ones? A) Supplier can propose any Satellite and will be responsible for all support functions at the HUB. What are the contractual commitments for the existing satellite capacity? A) IS905 3yrs expires Oct 06 IS902 Kabul (192) 15 Dec 05, All others Oct 07 PAS1R and PAS Dec Is Vernier one location out of MBT, VNG, VRT or NLC? A) Vernier is a teleport location near the Geneva Airport where Swisscom has a presence. The site and was used by Swisscom as a Teleport in the past. Does the UNHCR already have the mentioned 4 antennas ( 2 x 3.8 and 2 x 4.8) installed, or does UNHCR have these antennas somewhere on stock in Vernier? Are these antennas equipped with RF transceiver systems, redundancy elements or tracking systems? To price the bandwidth, we need more information than just the antenna size. Please include all known details of the RF systems, such as manufacturer name and wattage. A) The antennas are in stock and not installed. No RF systems have been procured for these antennas. Please specify what is meant by the phrase "The current arrangement only allows the facility to be used by UNHCR for its private network"? A) The Vernier site can only be used for UNHCR traffic. It cannot be operated to provide services to other customers. 1

2 Equipments: in order to keep the expenditure as low as possible, we'll do our best to reuse the installed equipments which are contractually available (i.e. according to existing contracts, equipments which are functional and can be used for a new contract). Can we have a list of these equipments please? A) All equipment described Section 3.2 is operational (an inventory will be provided shortly) Spares: same question as for equipments A) UNHCR maintains adequate spares for its current network. (an inventory will be provided shortly) 3.2 Are the existing CDM600 modems equipped with 8PSK modulation? If not, what modulation is used? A) The CDM600 modems are equipped with 8PSK. The current network uses QPSK modulation. The table in section 3.2 of Annex I provides a list of the satellites currently utilized for service to the existing UNHCR VSAT sites. With regards to this list of satellites: a. Does UNHCR desire that the same satellites be utilized for services under new the Turnkey Network? A) The vendor can either use the same Satellites or propose alternates. Addendum 1 provided a pictorial view of the existing UNHCR VSAT network. Would UNHCR provide a detailed schematic diagram of the current network, including both remote site and hub configuration details? A) The pictorial view and Section 3.2 provide all the necessary technical information of the system. Would UNHCR permit prospective bidders to tour the existing network hub facilities in Geneva and Vernier? A) The information provided is sufficient and site visits are not permitted during the tender process. With regards to the existing UNHCR VSAT network what in-band management capabilities exist for the remote site equipment? (i.e., can remote sessions be established over the satellite link with the PBXs, routers, RF equipment and other components?) A) The current in-band capacity only covers the access to the remote routers. With regards to the existing UNHCR VSAT network what out-of-band management capabilities exist for the remote site equipment? (i.e., when the satellite link is down, can remote sessions be established with the PBXs, routers, RF equipment and other components?) A) No To assess the viability of utilizing existing UNHCR network components, it would be very useful if UNHCR could please provide a complete equipment inventory, including: a. Equipment location 2

3 A) Covered in Section 3.2 (an inventory will be provided shortly) b. Age of equipment A) The equipment has been purchased over the past 8 years and hence details of each component are not kept. (an inventory will be provided shortly) c. Equipment maintenance history / records A) No maintenance records are kept, however every site is visited at least twice a year. d. Site outage history A) The uptime is in the 99.7% range e. How repair / maintenance is currently handled A) Equipment is swapped out on a modular basis. f. Inventory of Spares A) UNHCR maintains adequate spares in the field and HQ to support the current network (an inventory will be provided shortly). With regards to the existing UNHCR VSAT network are remote site modems directly connected via serial interface to the router WAN port? If so, please specify the protocol(s) used (i.e., HDLC, PPP, Frame, etc.) A) The modems are directly connected to the router using serial interface and using PPP. Bandwidth Regarding the current satellite bandwidth that is used on the different satellites (PAS10, PAS1R, IS902, IS905) are the remotes connected to the same transponder in the respective satellites? Is the bandwidth on each satellite available as a contiguous block? A) The PAS satellites are on the same transponder. The Intelsat bandwidth is on a cross strapped transponder. The current bandwidth PAS1R, and Intelsat is contiguous block. The bandwidth on PAS10 is not in a single block Field VSAT Network - Current Requirements In ARUA and MOYO (Uganda) sites, it is mentioned that the modem used is Datum. Is this compatible with the Comtech modems that are proposed to be put in the HUB location? If not, is it that the intention is to replace these modems with Comtech modems? A) The Uganda sites operate on another network and would be migrated at some point to the proposed network. Training to UNHCR personnel ( 5.1.i and j ): how many VSAT technicians should be trained? Where preferably for UNHCR? A) Either at Suppliers location or UNHCR Geneva or Regional Hubs in Accra, Ghana and Nairobi, Kenya 5.2.c mentions a section 6.1 which is not part of what we have received. Our document ends with 5.7.c. Can you send us this section please? 3

4 A) The locations are listed in Section 3.2 and 3.3 The table gives PABX - Router interface types. I gather that we must we provide routers and interfacing. Must we also provide the LAN equipment e.g. Switches etc? A) The equipment in Section 3.2 is already operational. The locations in Section 3.3 require equipment. No LAN equipment to be provided. What are distances between the Satellite equipment/cisco routers to the PABX? A) 2-3 Meters 5.1. g Could you please specify what is the need for the secure Gateway to the Internet Is this gateway going to be used to support browsing from the remote VSAT locations or will it be used to create a VPN back to Geneva UNCR HQ? A) It will be used to support browsing and VPN 5.1.o is compliant to offer a wireless LAN solution? A) Yes, however voice should also be included in the solution c It states that we must provide patch panels and racks. Do we only supply cabling for our terminal equipment (VSAT Modem, Router, PABX?) and NOT any LAN or telephone reticulation cabling? A) For existing sites a Rack is required for the terminal equipment. For new sites in addition to Racks, patch panels cabling is required for LAN and PBX. Site surveys will determine exact requirements. Chapter 3.3 What is the size of the already installed Vipersat VSAT antennas? Also 2.4m, and is it on PAS10 Ku-Band capacity? A) The Vipersat antennas are 1.8M and on PAS10 Ku-Band capacity. 5. Scope of work Our understanding of the RFP is that the existing equipment (Only electronics) in the present HUB location needs to be moved to the new location and installed. Is this correct? If so what is planned for the down time during the transition? A) If the current equipment is to be relocated, it is up to the proposing company to plan a transition in conjunction with UNHCR technical staff. The down time should be limited to 1-2 hours per site. 5.1.d Must the backup power supply support the transceiver, modem and router only? Or in addition the PBX systems? A) The backup power must support all equipment including the PBX. 5.1.g 4

5 It would be best to concentrate the Internet access on one single point to ease the monitoring and firewall configuration. Shall the bidder provide it's own Internet gateway or has UNHCR a respective Internet access with sufficient capacity at its headquarters that could be used for this purpose? This is related to the last question for Chapter 3.1. We could terminate Internet traffic at our teleport facility directly to Internet backbone, and all other traffic would go to Geneva via our private network. A) The vendor can propose a Internet gateway at the Teleport. 5.1.h What is meant by "remote desk extension telephone"? Is it 1 single dedicated phone at the main desk of the branch that is interfaced to the PBX? A) It means if there are sixty users in a office, A telephone is required for each user. 5.1.l. Antenna size limit is 2.4m It is mentioned that the Antenna size for the new sites should not be more than 2.4m. Is there any stipulation on the size of the BUC to be used? What is the preferred Band to be used for the new sites? A) The size of the BUC is for the vendor to select. The requirement is to have a capacity of 512kbps from each remote location. The Band is also for the vendor to propose. 5.1.m We assume that for all already installed sites there is no need to offer new mounts. Is that right? A) All the sites in Section 3.2 are operational. If the vendor proposes satellite capacity and existing antenna needs to be relocated, then a mount may be required. 5.2.c The table mentioned here (table in section 6.1 which is not part of this document), is this table identical to that of section 3.2 and 3.3? A) The tables in Section 3.2 and d, it is stated the initial requirement which is for kbps bandwidth per remote site. 3.2 Field VSAT Network Current Deployment, the table at the bottom states the new uplink/downlink capacity for any given site according to its category. Depending on the category of the site (A, B, C, D), bandwidth ranges go from 64 kbps to 512. The question is: which of both requirements should we take as the basis for the service design? A) The RF equipment for the remote sites should have the capacity to transmit 512kpbs. 5.2.e An IP interface is required for the remote satellite modem. Is this requirement mandatory, as the maximum achievable rate per site is 512 kbps? A) Yes IP interface required 5.2. f PABX hardware are provided by UNHCR or have to be provided by the Proposing Company? A) The PBX hardware at UNHCR HQ and Sites listed in Section 3.2 already exist. For new locations in Section 3.3 the proposing company will provide the equipment. 5

6 5.2. g The PBX locations have to be provided by the Proposing Company or by UNHCR, the provision of Billing System is responsibility of Proposing Company? A) The proposing company is responsible for the billing system at all locations. 5.2.g of Annex I states a requirement for all PBX locations to have telephone billing systems. With regards to this requirement: a. Must the billing system record all telephone calls (including local Telco) or only the calls which are carried over the satellite network? A) All calls, including Telco, cellular service providers and Thuraya b. Will the billing system record calls which are wholly within the satellite network, or only satellite network calls which transit to the PSTN? A) Only calls which transit to the PSTN or other terrestrial facilities as it is assumed that the calls within the network have no additional cost associated with it. 5.2.i Each remote site will require 8 routed static public addresses with no NAT and no filtering. Why public if the requested network is private? How this public IP addresses will be used? A) For remote office servers and VPN network 5.2. h VoIP switches and phones to be quoted for the new sites (3.3) Do we need to quote on VoIP/LAN reticulation cabling? A) For new sites in addition to Racks, patch panels cabling is required for LAN and PBX. Site surveys will determine exact requirements. 5.3.a The proposal should ensure that HUB services and support functions are available on a 24/7 basis in English and French. What does HUB services and support functions mean? What do they include? A) UNHCR operates in French speaking countries, hence customer service and technical support at the HUB should be in English and French. 5.3.b UNHCR is in charge to provide remote interface to monitor the remote PBX or is it responsibility of Proposing Company? If UNHCR is in charge to control the remote PBX, does the Proposing Company have the possibility to introduce the UNHCR control system within its NMS system? A) The proposing company is responsible for NMS. UNHCR requires access to this NMS in order to monitor its private network. 5.4.c Is there any remaining warranty on the existing hardware? A) UNHCR purchases equipment as new sites come up, hence some equipment may still be under warranty. 5.4.d Without a site survey of each site, it would be impossible to price in the 6

7 civil works at a given site. For instance, if a crane is needed to place a site on top of a building or if a roof needs to be reinforced, these requirements are not currently knowable. Please clarify this point on civil works. A) It is possible to provide a standard price for the majority of installations. If for example 10% of the sites require special additional works, the costs can be recovered b (remote uplink carriers must be SCPC): could you please clarify whether this is a stringent technical requirement or whether we can propose a solution with guaranteed CIR? A) Remote carriers must be SCPC 5.6.a Do you have constraints, or preferences, that create priorities among the sites? Is there in consequence a preferred order to get sites in operation? A) Priorities will be set once the RFP is evaluated. 5.6.g We assume that manuals for equipment types that UNHCR already has installed does not have to be provided. Is this correct? A) Manuals are only required for new equipment that the vendor proposes. Is UNHCR requiring that the new vendor manage or use the existing satellite equipment? A) The vendor can use all or part of the existing equipment as part of the proposal. Is the below clause requesting that the new vendor manage and maintain the PBX s? If so is it for just the countries mentioned below or for all PBX s in each UNHCR office worldwide? a. The B.O. in Nairobi runs a Nortel Meridian PBX, Option 11C, Version 2111, Release 25, and Issue 40B. The RSH in Nairobi, Kenya and Peshawar, Quetta, Islamabad in Pakistan operate a Panasonic KX-TD500 PBX running version 2.4 software. A) All PBX s worldwide where a VSAT is installed. Is the below clause requesting that the new vendor propose and supply PBX s? If yes where and how many will be required? a. The B.O. in Nairobi runs a Nortel Meridian PBX, Option 11C, Version 2111, Release 25, and Issue 40B. The RSH in Nairobi, Kenya and Peshawar, Quetta, Islamabad in Pakistan operate a Panasonic KX-TD500 PBX running version 2.4 software. b. All of the PBX locations will require telephone billing systems and some locations have or may require voice mail systems. c. An option for VOIP PBX and phones based on the Cisco platform for the remote sites with Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST) should also be included for future sites. The gateway and call manager would be hosted at HQ. UNHCR may opt to convert some of the existing sites to the VOIP solution. A) As per locations in Section 3.3 Should the offered service support voice communications between remote satellite sites? 7

8 A) Yes What are plans to move existing sites to the new vendor? A) The plan is to migrate all services and include existing sites in Section 3.2 If plan is to migrate existing sites to new vendor teleport, is it required that new vendor use existing satellite capacity or can the new vendor use its own satellite bandwidth? A) The new vendor will be requested to continue using existing satellite bandwidth, if possible until the existing leases expire. Can vendor offer a transition plan from UNHCR existing satellite capacity to new vendor satellite capacity? A) Yes Are we right to assume that for all sites from table mentioned in section 3.2 PBX solution is already installed including appropriate cabling? A) Yes For all sites which require new PBXs and cabling, what is the amount of Cabling that is requested? Which average cable length, number of cables? scope of work for laying of cables etc. is necessary? A) This exact requirements would be determined after a site survey. However there are industry standards for cabling which quote per LAN/PBX connection. b. Is the capacity on the indicated satellites leased by UNHCR directly from the respective satellite operators? If not, please specify the lessee of record for each respective satellite. A) The Intelsat capacity is leased directly. The Panamsat capacity is leased through a third party. The name of this party cannot be disclosed as they are a potential bidder for these services. Trial: We can arrange a trial on one site. Would you like us to organize for it? A) The trials will be required once the Supplier is selected. 8