Technology & Innovation

Infrastructure Initiatives

The Technology and Innovation Department (TID) is currently undertaking several modernization infrastructure initiatives. These include expanding the Citywide fiber network to connect city buildings and increase fiber paths within Long Beach, upgrades to VoIP telephones, and expanding the radio communication system, among various others. These initiatives aim to upgrade existing technologies, enhance radio coverage, add essential features, and improve existing systems' functionality, reliability, and resiliency. 

• Citywide Fiber Network Infrastructure Initiative

  Background: The Citywide Fiber Master Plan, initiated in 2015, aims to utilize city assets for improved Internet access and investment. The initiative establishes a fiber backbone connecting city buildings and expanding fiber paths within Long Beach. It also provides cost savings in communication, resilience, and improved access for private service providers to underserved areas.

  Citywide Fiber Network Infrastructure Initiative: The Initiative, a key driver of our city's digital transformation, is focused on establishing a robust fiber backbone to connect city buildings and provide Internet access to underserved areas. In collaboration with our private sector partners, this initiative addresses historical inequities in digital infrastructure. It brings significant cost savings, communication resilience, and improved access for private service providers to underserved areas. In the next phase, the initiative will provide internet connectivity to an additional 72 city buildings and expand our fiber infrastructure to 98 miles, further enhancing our city's digital landscape.

  Progress Update: We are pleased to report significant strides in the Citywide Fiber Network Infrastructure Initiative. With over 47 miles of existing fiber infrastructure, we have successfully connected 37% of city facilities. Our efforts in establishing partnerships and agreements with service providers have extended current telecom agreements and paved the way for future collaborations. Furthermore, our planning efforts are well underway to expand the fiber network and address our city's evolving infrastructure needs.

  Next Steps: Plans include detailed surveys, engineering, and construction bids to expand the fiber network. The anticipated timeline includes:

  • Finalizing bid packages.
  • Council awards for financing and construction.
  • Proceeding with bonds and agreements.
  • The estimated break ground for the fiber installation is Q1 Calendar year 2025.

  Digital Inclusion and Grant Funding: The fiber conduits constructed in the expansion include additional capacity for leasing to Service Providers, community anchor institutions, and other jurisdictions to enhance digital connectivity. The City is exploring grant funding opportunities such as the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity Act (DEA) to expand the network further.

  Interim Telecom Expansions and Purchased Fiber: Extending existing Telecom Agreements with Frontier, Charter/Spectrum, and Verizon has allowed us to continue data communications for citywide projects. The City evaluates construction in some locations on a case-by-case basis and may consider purchasing fiber from the private sector or continuing to lease fiber connections.

  The Citywide Fiber Network Infrastructure Initiative is not just a project; it's a crucial step towards a more connected future. It is the key to connecting residents, businesses, and city services, and it also plays a significant role in our efforts toward racial reconciliation. Its importance cannot be overstated, and its success is vital for our community.

• Technology Refresh

  Infrastructure equipment such as servers, storage arrays, backup devices, network switches, hubs, etc., that are due for an upgrade will first be evaluated for potential cloud hosting options. If the service still needs to be maintained on-premises, we will strategically acquire new equipment. 

• VoIP Telephone Upgrades

  The City embarked on a transformative voice communications journey in 2019, completing a PBX to Voice Over IP (VOIP) migration. This pivotal shift not only marked a technological advancement but also heralded a new era in communication infrastructure. By seamlessly converging Voice and Data networks into a singular entity, the City elevated its voice communications to new heights.

  Fast forward to the present, and the City is again at the forefront of innovation, ready to embrace the next evolution in communication technology. We are entering the realm of cloud-hosted voice solutions, where the City envisions a future free from the constraints of expensive hardware. This strategic move promises cost efficiencies and unleashes a wave of flexibility and scalability, opening up a world of exciting opportunities.

  But the City's vision extends beyond mere migration; it's about embracing a holistic approach to communication. The City has embraced cutting-edge solutions like Microsoft Teams integrated voice calling through the Cisco Webex cloud telephony platform. This platform will provide the City with a robust voice-calling platform seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Teams' collaborative features. This convergence of capabilities optimizes our operations and empowers us with a suite of tools designed to foster seamless communication and collaboration, underlining the City's commitment to our collective success.

  Meanwhile, the full implementation of Teams Calling stands as a testament to the City's commitment to harnessing the power of the Microsoft ecosystem; offering a comprehensive suite of communication tools, Teams Calling transcends traditional boundaries, paving the way for enhanced collaboration and productivity.

  The City of Long Beach is leveraging cloud-hosted solutions such as Webex Cloud Telephony and Microsoft Teams to transform its communication approach. This strategic integration optimizes communication channels, enhances efficiency and agility, and enables the City to be more responsive to the evolving needs of its residents in today's dynamic landscape.

• Radio Communication System Expansion

  The City utilizes a Motorola Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system for radio communications used by Public Safety and other City departments. This system comprises a legacy conventional analog radio system and a modern 700MHz digital radio system.

  The City has begun a project to enhance radio coverage, provide additional essential features, and enhance the functionality, redundancy, reliability, and resiliency of the existing 700 MHz LMR system. With this expansion, the 700 MHz LMR system will become the City's primary radio communications platform. It will facilitate future interoperability with other public safety agencies in the County of Los Angeles and beyond, which now use the 700 MHz LMR for communications.

  The expanded 700 MHz LMR system, as proposed by Motorola, will not only enhance the primary transmit (TX) and receive (RX) radio site at Signal Hill but also add three additional radio sites at Dominguez Hills, Civic Center, and Reservoir Hill. This expansion will significantly enhance our user capabilities and capacity by doubling the available channels from 14 to 28. It will also replace radio infrastructure at the Signal Hill radio site and improve indoor coverage at strategic City facilities with bi-directional amplifiers. This expansion is a testament to our commitment to the resilience of our radio system and our readiness to provide the necessary radio communications capacity for all agencies supporting the LA28 Olympic events that will be hosted in the City.

  The legacy conventional analog radio system, a crucial part of our communication infrastructure, will also undergo a comprehensive modernization. It will remain operational for City Departments to use as a backup to the expanded 700 MHz LMR system, ensuring we are fully prepared for tactical situational use, special operations, and strategic scenarios as needed.

• Hosted Mainframe Services

  In 2008, the City purchased the existing mainframe from IBM to host large enterprise systems. While this mainframe continues to function adequately, due to its age, it is at risk of physical failure and is complex to maintain through a third-party contract.

  As part of the LBCOAST Phase 2 project, the mainframe applications and services will transition from the existing mainframe onto more modern computing platforms. We determined that until the mainframe applications and services transitioned to new platforms, the best course of action was to transition all mainframe workloads to a cloud-hosted mainframe environment rather than investing in acquiring new mainframe hardware and upgrading the applications for compatibility.

  We are successfully built a new hosted Mainframe environment with our partners at Kyndryl. The transition was completed in June 2024, and will be followed by the physical retirement of the legacy mainframe.

• Disaster Recovery Modernization

  Infrastructure Services is currently redesigning the City’s Disaster Recovery (DR) solution for a non-mainframe computing infrastructure that hosts the City’s business-critical applications and public-facing services. This new modern DR platform will be cloud-hosted and easily reconfigured to accommodate new services or the retirement of services no longer required. In addition, the new DR platform will have near real-time recovery in the event of a disaster that impacts the City and hinders the ability of our data center to provide computing services.