DHS P25 CAP Expands Program to Include ISSI/CSSI Equipment

Washington, DC – Manufacturers of Inter-Radio Frequency Sub-System Interface and Console Sub-System Interface (ISSI/CSSI) equipment will soon be able to have their equipment tested for interoperability by accredited laboratories. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program (P25 CAP) has been expanded to include ISSI/CSSI equipment testing and is working to get laboratories accredited to conduct this testing.

The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) and ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB)—both DHS-recognized accreditation bodies that provide onsite assessment of testing laboratories as part of P25 CAP—are now ready to accredit testing laboratories for ISSI/CSSI Interoperability testing. Once the laboratories are accredited by their respective accreditation body, they will be able to test manufacturers’ ISSI and CSSI equipment to P25 CAP’s interoperability requirements.

S&T published Compliance Assessment Bulletins outlining testing requirements for two types of testing — IISSI/CSSI Interoperability and ISSI/CSSI Conformance — earlier this year. This next step of accrediting laboratories for ISSI/CSSI Interoperability testing brings the program closer to being able to include ISSI/CSSI equipment among its approved equipment that can be purchased with federal grant funding. As vendors complete one set of tests (e.g., Interoperability), DHS will post test results on an “ISSI/CSSI Equipment Testing in Progress” page. As vendors successfully complete both sets of tests for Interoperability and Conformance, DHS will publish completed results in the Approved (Grant-Eligible) Equipment List on the P25 CAP website.

S&T is currently validating an ISSI/CSSI Conformance testing tool and anticipates that an accredited laboratory should be ready for Conformance testing by spring of 2020. In the meantime, S&T is also working on pilots with several vendors on their CSSI and ISSI equipment to conduct independent validation and verification of tools and to reduce program risk. To participate in these pilots, DHS encourages ISSI/CSSI equipment manufactures to send an email with their intent to participate to [email protected].

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