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State of the nation:

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Forward progress At the crossroads Just getting started @CritCommsToday
Lead mobile network operator Exploring the impact of major Following its recent 100th meeting,
appointed to provide Australian disasters on international public TCCA Technical Forum talks
public safety broadband proof of transportation communications about the future direction of the
concept strategy TETRA standard SUPPORTED BY
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Contents
MAY 2021
6 14
Editor: Philip Mason
philip.mason@markallengroup.com
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22 26
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Critical Communications Today

is published by:
MA Exhibitions Ltd, St Jude’s Church, Dulwich
Road, London, SE24 0PB, United Kingdom 4 Editor’s letter 22 What’s past is prologue
Tel. +44 0207 738 5454 Philip Mason gives an overview of the latest issue With the Emergency Services Network in the
Online edition: of Critical Communications Today middle of a crucial year, ETSI’s Brian Murgatroyd
talks about parallels between the roll-outs of
Twitter: @CritCommsToday 6 Who, what, where Airwave and ESN
©2021 MA Exhibitions Ltd. All rights reserved. Bahrain Grand Prix relies on TETRA; Teltronic
Whether in whole or in part, in any form or
by any means, this publication may not be
rolls out to Sydney suburbs; Danish utilities’ 26 Back in the USA
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
broadband upgrade; manufacturer proves Philip Mason gives an update on the United
transmitted without the written permission of ESN functionality; Leonardo kits out Alpine ski States TETRA market, finding contrasting
the publishing director. championship; Nokia provides industrial 5G to opinions about the anticipated popularity of the
Please read our privacy policy, by visiting Japanese prefecture; Hytera expands its Latin standard going forward
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This will explain how we process, use &
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32 Conference report
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10 News BAPCO: The Online Event in March provided
(Online) ISSN 2045-8673 ETSI tests NG 911/112 cross-border visitors with three days of high-level conference
UK Personal subscription rates interoperability; Australian emergency services content, including several ESN-related sessions,
Quarterly Direct Debit £13.50 broadband; TCCA launches 2021 ICCAs as well as presentations focusing on artificial
Annual Direct Debit £55 intelligence
Annual Credit Card £58 14 The big interview
2yr Annual Credit Card £99 FirstNet chief executive officer Ed Parkinson 36 CCBitesize preview
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discusses additions made to the US mission- The first Critical Communications Bitesize event
Subscribe online: critical broadband network over the past 12 – taking place online in June – will focus on the
www.magsubscriptions.com months, as well as the benefits of a ‘competition’- use of critical narrowband
Subscribe by phone: +44 (0) 1722 716997 based model for roll-out
Cover credit: Adobe Stock/Beboy
Printed by: Pensord Press Ltd 38 Just getting started

The paper used within this publication has been sourced
from Chain-of-Custody certified
16 At the crossroads Following the 100th meeting of TCCA’s Technical
manufacturers, operating within Transport for London and Brussels-based Forum earlier this year, group chair Harald
international environmental
STIB talk about how two recent major public Ludwig and association vice-president Tero
standards, to ensure sustainable sourcing of the raw
materials, sustainable production and to minimise our safety situations have influenced their critical Pesonen discuss the history of the group, and
carbon footprint. communications strategies the future of the TETRA standard
May 2021 @CritCommsToday 3

Welcome
MAY 2021
Affairs of
states
Critical Communications Today editor Philip Mason gives
a rundown of the latest issue, which focuses in particular
on the deployment of TETRA and mission critical
broadband in the USA
W
MISSION STATEMENT elcome to the latest issue of CCT, the leading resource for professionals
operating within the critical communications sector.
Critical Communications Today As you may have noticed, we have somewhat of an American theme
provides the global mission- running through this issue, first via an interview with Ed Parkinson giving an
critical community with insight
update on FirstNet, after which we examine the state of the TETRA market across
into the latest technology
and best practice required the country.
to ensure that its members Both are fascinating topics for any number of reasons, not least that they offer
always have access to the profound insight into what might be termed the ‘competition’ model of critical
instant, one-to-many wireless communications roll-out.
communications that can make As well as these pieces bringing news from the USA, we also have several articles
all the difference in moments
discussing some of the most interesting work being carried out across specific ‘mission
of crisis.
critical’ verticals in different parts of the world. For instance, turn to page 16 to read
We are dedicated to providing about how public transport operators in Belgium and the UK have evolved their
our readers with the knowledge communications strategy in the light of
they need when determining
their critical communications
major public safety crises. As you may have
strategies and procurements,
Coming back to the subject of noticed, the
emergency services comms, meanwhile,
though delivering up-to-the- latest issue has
minute accurate information on starting on page 22, Brian Murgatroyd
industry trends, developments, looks back at the initial roll-out of
somewhat of an
and deployments, as well as Airwave in the United Kingdom, American theme
the latest new products and
comparing it to the current deployment of the Emergency Services Network.
services. Our journalists are
committed to easing out the
As current chair of ETSI’s technical committee for TETRA and critical
little details from your peers communication, Brian’s opinion is clearly invaluable.
that will allow you to draw What some may not know, however, is that he previously occupied the role of head
on the industry’s collective of security at the Police Information Technology Organisation, giving him the inside
experience of deploying and track on UK public safety TETRA right from the beginning of its roll-out all those
implementing new projects
years ago.
and systems.
Finally, turn to the back of the issue for several TCCA-related interviews. The first
We work to stimulate and of these (located on page 36) is with CEO Tony Gray, discussing the new CCBitesize
focus debates on the topics events, the first of which focuses on critical narrowband, specifically from the user
that matter most and provide perspective. A few pages later, we mark the recent 100th meeting of the organisation’s
our readers with a means to
Technical Forum with an interview with Harald Ludwig and Tero Pesonen.
raise their concerns and speak
frankly about their work and Stay safe and enjoy the issue.
the lessons they’ve learned
while delivering the devices and
networks that the world’s blue
light organisations depend on. Philip Mason, editor
4 www.criticalcomms.com May 2021

World Focus
Who, what, where

EUROPE
Adobe Stock/Dirk
Danish utilities’ AT&T announces Motorola provides

broadband global WAN project Norway health
upgrade with ERIKS control room
Nokia has reached an agreement with Danish The American provider is supplying a series of Motorola Solutions is supplying its
operator Cibicom to provide a new country- wide-area networks (WANs) to Netherlands- CommandCentral control room solution to
wide, mission-critical 450MHz LTE network based industrial tech specialist ERIKS. the Norwegian Health Emergency Service.
for essential services suppliers. According to a statement from AT&T, the The contract was issued by health-authority-
According to Nokia, the project will ensure networks will be deployed across 17 countries, owned technology organisation Nødnett HF
that “key mission-critical services throughout with the company “migrating ERIKS’ US (HDO HF).
Denmark will have access to highly reliable transport network, [as well as] all of its 250 sites According to Motorola, the solution will be
and secure connectivity, as well as building in Europe and Asia Pacific”. used across all Norwegian medical and external
preparedness for mass-volume IoT adoption”. The communications company will also outpatient treatment facilities. A spokesperson
Speaking of the project, a spokesperson provide “dedicated service management said: “HDO HF can host the solution within
said it “will ensure that Cibicom is in a strong resources, supporting 350 locations in Europe, their private data centres, helping to simplify
position to adapt to changing customer North America and Asia Pacific”. IT management. This will increase data
requirements and offer new opportunities and Sites will include the company’s headquarters, capacity to meet rising demands and reduce
application support around 5G 3.5GHz. branch offices, data centres and more. costs by automating essential tasks.”
“Smart grids and remote managed petrol Discussing the rationale for the project, a Nødnett HF’s CEO, Lars Erik Tandsæther,
stations are just some of the areas where spokesperson for AT&T said: “ERIKS wanted said: “The new control room solution allows
these systems will be needed, as well as to consolidate their global network through the for significant improvements to efficiency and
emergency services.” use of a single provider.” scalability, providing much-needed flexibility.”

Regional
World Focus
Focus
Manufacturer Leonardo kits out Tranvia de Murcia

proves vital ESN major Italian sporting receives TETRA
functionality event update
Frequentis has successfully demonstrated Leonardo partnered with the Cortina 2021 The Spanish city of Murcia is updating its
additional voice and data feature sets for Foundation to provide comms for this year’s public transport communications with a
the Emergency Services Network, including Alpine Ski World Championships. TETRA network provided by Airbus.
functionality such as group call, private call During the project, the company installed The city’s tram network – known as the
and ambient listening. a dedicated Rete Ibrida Multi-Vettore Tranvia de Murcia – uses a system based
Discussing the project, a spokesperson for radio network across 12 sites. According to on Airbus TETRA Claricor technology.
the company said: “We are working directly Leonardo, the system offered both narrowband Installation of the updated solution will be
with the Home Office on the development and broadband, and was “interoperable carried out in collaboration with industrial
of a gateway, which will connect Frequentis’s and fully integrated thanks to the Leonardo engineering company COMSA.
multimedia communications platform 3020 Core Network”. A spokesperson for Airbus said: “The
LifeX to ESN. The organisation also rolled out a bespoke Tranvia de Murcia network provides secure
“The gateway will provide an Airwave- data collection solution, consisting of advanced voice and data communications. It also
comparable feature set. It will be installed and video surveillance and real-time analysis, based allows communication between the central
tested within the Ambulance Radio Program, on AI. The solution also included sensor-based control post and on-board equipment through
which is a Frequentis reference customer. field data collection, as well as information SDS messaging.”
Testing included group call, private call – in/ classification. The latter will also facilitate tram servicing
out – ambient listening, status message, The Alpine Ski World Championships took information, timetable information and
emergency calls, text messages and broadcast.” place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. “possible in-vehicle alarm triggering”.

World Focus
EUROPE MIDDLE EAST AUSTRALASIA
Adobe Stock/Phillip
English ambulances Bahrain Grand Prix Teltronic’s radio
to receive comms organisers rely on roll-out to Sydney
upgrade TETRA suburbs
Telent has been awarded the contract to Operators of the Bahrain International Circuit Teltronic is deploying TETRA to the
upgrade mobile communications across all 11 – site of the recent Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Parramatta Light Rail project in the outskirts
NHS Trusts in England. Prix – used Airbus TETRA technology to of Greater Sydney.
According to a statement, the company secure the event. According to the company, it will be
will deliver the NHS Ambulance Radio According to Airbus, the Bahrain supplying its NEBULA network infrastructure,
Programme’s mobile data vehicle solution International Circuit Organisation leveraged consisting of a switching control node and
initiative. This will involve the installation the country’s pre-existing TETRA network outdoor base stations.
and support of “specially programmed and infrastructure, with the company It will also provide on-board radio from its
ruggedised Windows tablets”, as well as smart providing additional capacity. Devices RTP series.
vehicle routers. supplied included the company’s THR880i Speaking of the initiative, a spokesperson
Discussing the roll-out, a spokesperson for and TMR880i radios. for Teltronic said: “This is one of the last major
the company said: “[The deployment] will Airbus Secure Land Communications’ projects that the government of New South
enable the in-vehicle communication capability vice-president, Selim Bouri, said: “Large Wales is developing to provide new services
needed for the National Mobilisation events, such as the Formula 1 races, massively to Sydney.”
Application, which will provide a standard draw people’s attention to the Arabian The new transportation line will connect the
platform for control rooms to communicate peninsula. It is always an honour to serve the suburbs of Westmead and Carlingford, in the
with ambulances.” Installation will take place organising committee of this Grand Prix with west of the city. It is expected to be operational
across approximately 5,000 ambulances. our technology.” by 2023.

World Focus
ASIA LATIN AMERICA
Adobe Stock/Aliaksei
TETRA technology Japanese region Industry giant
continues to fly high gets Nokia ‘industrial expands regional
in Nepal grade’ 5G reach
Gautam Buddha International Airport in Nokia is providing standalone 5G throughout Hytera Mobilfunk has announced plans to
Nepal’s Siddharthanagar municipality is rolling the Aichi Prefecture in Japan. strengthen its Latin American operations.
out a suite of Sepura SC20 handheld radios. According to the company, it will be According to the company, teams based in
It is the second airport in the country to working on behalf of Japanese CATV operator Lima (Hytera Mobilfunk Surcusal del Perú)
deploy TETRA, following on from Tribhuvan the KATCH Network, which plans to offer and Santiago (Hytera PMR Chile SpA) will
International in Kathmandu. “autonomous industrial-grade private wireless also support customers in Argentina, Bolivia,
Speaking of the roll-out, a spokesperson networks for businesses in the region”. Uruguay, Paraguay and Ecuador. The Peruvian
for Sepura said: “Built on Teltronic’s TETRA Nokia describes the Aichi Prefecture as the branch of the business will become what the
infrastructure, [the deployment] is part of the “nerve centre” of automotive and hi-tech company refers to as a “competence centre” in
airport’s wider infrastructure upgrade. manufacturing in Japan. the region.
“It will allow the airport to respond to Speaking of the project, KATCH Network Speaking of the move, a spokesperson
the pressure of moving passengers, luggage executive vice-president Tatsuya Yamada said: for the business said: “The newly structured
and cargo on-site, improving both efficiency “There is a huge concentration of industrial Hytera sales territory is combined into the
and safety. companies in Aichi Prefecture. ‘LATAM south’ region, and is headed by Luis
“The technology will also enable co- “Given Nokia’s 5G expertise, we can now Perez as regional director. He – together with
ordination between the airport’s security and help Aichi-based manufacturers benefit his team – has established himself as an expert
operational teams for everyday operations and, from reliable and secure, high-bandwidth in mission-critical communications solutions,
where necessary, emergency response.” networking.” especially in Peru and Chile.”

News
ETSI tests NG 911/112 cross-

border interoperability
E
TSI has announced the completion competition and a
of an “international emergency greater diversity of
communications interoperability technical solutions
testing event”, focusing on next-generation when designing and
call-taking technology. deploying life-saving
According to the organisation, the next-generation 911
event – which took place remotely – was and 112 systems.”
a collaborative effort involving ETSI, the Stakeholders
Adobe Stock/Milovan Zrnic

European Emergency Number Association involved in the testing
(EENA) and NENA in the United States. Two included NGCS
hundred and eighty-five test pairings were run, vendors, user agents,
showing an interoperability rate of 87 per cent. mobile operators and
Testing was carried out in conjunction with call-handling vendors.
NENA’s ICE 9 event which, according to that The event took place
organisation, was the first test of emergency from the end of
call routing across international borders “using February to the beginning of March. MCX application servers, MCX clients,
voice, video and text to simulate international In other interoperability news, ETSI consoles/control rooms, and UEs and
roaming scenarios”. Elements tested included has announced its Future Railway Mobile cab radios.
location/location-based call routing, audio, Communication System (FRMCS) Plugtests, A spokesperson said: “The purpose and
video, real-time text, policy-based routing taking place in the middle of June. According scope of the FRMCS Plugtests are to test
and core. to the organisation, the virtual event will independently and jointly all components of
Speaking of the initiative, EENA technical aim to “validate equipment interoperability the mobile communication system for railways.
director Cristina Lumbreras said: “ETSI and using test scenarios based on the 3GPP Railway-related test cases are available in ETSI
EENA are delighted to have collaborated on mission-critical work. Focus will be on TS 103 564. Interop demonstrations for
this milestone intercontinental testing event. rail-specific features and capabilities, such as observers will also take place, where different
Crossing borders and oceans, the event helped functional aliases, multi-talker and MCData vendors will showcase interoperability by
to ensure efficient, interoperable emergency IP connectivity.” executing the Plugtests test cases.”
communications for all citizens. The tests – which will be based on the According to ETSI, more than 20 vendors
“We believe that the testing will make a 3GPP, ETSI and IETF standards – will be and 80 participants will be involved in the
significant contribution to public safety in designed for a range of equipment, including summer event.
Europe and the USA, driving forward the
implementation of lifesaving next-generation
communications in our continents.”
According to a statement issued by NENA
Verizon wins major UK 5G contract
ahead of the event, it was intended to
cover a variety of scenarios including voice American carrier Verizon Communications especially when you start to move goods
interoperability between NG911 and NG112 has won its first European industrial 5G in and out of the customs zones. [Our] 5G
core services, as well as “Internet of Things contract, signing an agreement with network will enable new systems including
and automatic/non-interactive emergency Associated British Ports to supply a private drones that can transmit high-definition
calls”. Another scenario identified by NENA network at one of the UK’s new freeports. video for maintenance checks and send live
was “initial conformance testing of global According to a statement, Verizon will shipping data.”
implementations compared to normative build and run the system in Southampton, The Solent Freeport private network is
standards, including the NENA i3 family of which is one of several post-Brexit, low-tariff expected to be operational by July of this
standards, the ETSI EMTEL specification”. business zones created during the UK year, with the rest of ABP’s 21 UK ports also
Discussing the event, former president government’s recent Budget. The network likely to tender for 5G networks.
Monica Million said: “This collaboration is will leverage Nokia’s Digital Automation Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business,
key to improving emergency-calling services Cloud solution. said: “Along with Nokia, we have been
worldwide. By working together with our Speaking on a video call announcing able to equip ABP to take advantage of
global partners, we can take next-generation the decision, chief executive officer of ABP, the immediate benefits offered by private
Henrik Pedersen, said: “We chose Verizon 5G, and most importantly, prepare the
emergency-calling services to the next level.
simply due to [its] track record of setting [Solent] port to take full advantage of new
“Through international events like this,
up private 5G networks. 5G is not regional technology applications and real-time
our commercial partners can realise a global
or local, it’s global. There will be a lot of analytics which will digitally transform its
economy of scale. Meanwhile, our public-
need for data transfer in the freeport zone, services in the future.”
safety members can leverage increased vendor

News
Australian emergency services

broadband nears trial stage
T
PG Telecom has been appointed as the services personnel
lead MNO on an Australian public having access to real-
safety broadband trial. It will deliver time information to
the network proof of concept in collaboration enable them to make
with Nokia. critical decisions in
According to a statement by TPG, the trial dangerous, fast-
Adobe Stock/ingusk
programme “will provide a mobile broadband moving situations.”
platform for emergency services organisations, Head of Oceania
aimed at improving access to information, for Nokia, Anna Wills,
providing real-time, automated situational said: “Nokia is proud
awareness and enabling emerging technologies to of our innovation
be integrated into operational practices”. and expertise in delivering high-quality, secure “NSW has been working in close collaboration
The project is being led by the government public safety solutions for emergency services. with representatives from the Commonwealth
of New South Wales “on behalf of all states, Communications across services are essential to and all the other Australian states and territories
territories and the Commonwealth”. enabling fast, reliable co-operation between our in developing the next steps towards a national
Speaking of the initiative, TPG Telecom’s emergency personnel in times of crisis.” PSMB [public safety mobile broadband]
CEO, Iñaki Berroeta, said: “The trial will allow The Australian federal government began capability. By participating in the proof of
for the exhaustive testing of the multi-operator exploring options around mission-critical concept, industry can provide solutions for
service delivery model to ensure it can provide broadband in 2017, following the issue of a innovative and cutting-edge equipment that can
the critical communications support needed request for information. This was followed a year be integrated by public safety agencies into their
for frontline staff during emergencies and later by a ‘request for proposal’, which invited mission-critical communications portfolios.
natural disasters. the telecommunications industry to undertake a “The RFP also provides an opportunity for
“Last year’s bushfires, and the recent floods in proof of concept. carriers and equipment suppliers to have a direct
New South Wales and South East Queensland, Speaking of the RFP at the time, managing influence on the roadmap for a national PSMB
demonstrate the importance of emergency director of NSW Telco Authority Kate Foy said: capability in Australia.”
TCCA news
TCCA has launched the 2021 iteration of The organisers of the event have “Together with TCCA, we can help to
the International Critical Communications described it as a ‘celebration of excellence enable reliable critical communications
Awards. The event will take place at in the sector, recognising products, connectivity worldwide, both indoors
the Casino de Madrid on 3 November, organisations and individuals which have and out.”
after the first day of this year’s Critical pushed boundaries and capabilities within TCCA’s Gray said: “PCTEL’s expertise
Communications World, also taking place the field’. across the range of wireless technologies
in the city. Award categories include ‘Best use of will enable the company to bring much
Speaking of the awards, TCCA chief critical communications in public safety’, knowledge to TCCA, particularly relating to
executive Tony Gray said: “The ICCAs ‘Best hybrid device of the year’ and ‘Best the US market.
highlight the excellent work carried out narrowband device’. The event follows on “With FirstNet leading the field in public
by the critical communications sector from the 2020 ICCAs, which took place safety broadband implementation – and
across the world. As difficult as the past 12 online as part of Critical Communications with TETRA steadily increasing its footprint
months have been, critical communications Week last year. in North America – PCTEL’s experience
have proven once again to be at the cutting In other TCCA news, antenna and test will be a highly valuable resource. We look
edge of innovation and customer service. and measurement specialist PCTEL has forward to their participation in our work.”
“Alongside the awards themselves, we joined the organisation. Speaking of the PCTEL is an American company,
also expect the occasion to be particularly move, the company’s chief operating which has its headquarters in the town of
special for those in attendance. After a officer, Rishi Bharadwaj, said: “PCTEL is Bloomingdale, Illinois.
year spent away from people, the ICCAs at the forefront of several important trends Turn to page 38 to read an interview
represent the perfect opportunity to in critical communications, including 5G, with Harald Ludwig and Tero Pesonen,
socialise with friends and valued colleagues public safety broadband, and reliable radio discussing the recent 100th meeting of
from across the globe.” coverage in buildings. TCCA’s Technical Forum.

Nokia Advertorial
5G: the technology behind

the future of public safety
B
roadband wireless services enormous amount of bandwidth. For frequencies provide limited coverage,
based on 4G/LTE have drones and robots, a very low latency making them better suited for hot spots
already had a big impact connection is a must so that the pilots in dense urban areas. To efficiently
on public safety services are able to precisely maneuver them provide large area coverage for rural
with the deployment of remotely. areas, 5G will also be able to use lower
next-generation services in the US Much less bandwidth-intensive, but frequencies, but capacity will be reduced
(Firstnet), the UK (ESN) and Dubai still demanding for the network, are compared to higher bands. Between
(Nedaa) and other countries. But public IoT communications, namely with the these extremes there are different
safety authorities are also scrutinizing many kinds of sensors that now exist: spectrums that work better. Typically,
the arrival of the next generation of Air quality, heat, chemical, structural urban and suburban areas will benefit
private wireless: 5G. What will its sensors and bio-vital monitors, to from the latest radio technology, such as
high-performance broadband, low name a few. Also, modern telemedicine MIMO and beam forming, to deliver
latency and other features do to enhance capabilities can deliver top medical enhanced throughput versus 4G, while
command and control, situational expertise, including remote surgery, to offering similar coverage. Using these
awareness and general communications the event by connecting paramedics different bands will be important to
support for first responders? with medical specialists operating from fully benefit from 5G promises.
One of the principal drivers for a distance. There are other ways in which 5G
broadband wireless services is the Many of these use cases are being shows its flexibility, such as its ability to
ability to share high amounts of data, tested and, in some cases, already geographically distribute core network
including video. First responders often used on a regular basis using 4G/LTE. functions to the edge, thus shortening
have to feel their way without much However, in the longer term, in cases the distance between essential core
situational awareness, especially when where a high density and variety of functions and end devices. This is what
the scale and rapid shifts on the ground applications will be needed in the same enables 5G to dramatically decrease
make it difficult for them to keep up area, there can be some limitations to latency, which is the measure of how
with the larger picture. This is where what 4G/LTE can deliver regarding long it takes for communications
video communications and augmented scaling up to the performance needed. between two devices to take place. This
reality can be invaluable for keeping is a key feature for machine-to-machine
everyone involved connected and aware The technology behind the communications, such as drones and
of the evolving situation. 5G magic robots using haptic and tactile feedback
It is possible for a very big event to To support this increased need for high and is especially useful in applications
have feeds from tens, if not hundreds, bandwidth, 5G New Radio is designed such as augmented reality or tele-
of first responder body cameras, to work across a much broader range of surgery, where the feedback to the user
truck-mounted cameras, site-based radio spectrum. Many of the bandwidth has to be nearly instantaneous.
CCTV cameras and drone cameras, gains relate to 5G’s ability to use Last, for operations in remote areas
including infrared. The large number higher frequencies, such as millimeter or where the network coverage is bad or
of high-quality video feeds requires an wave (above 20GHz). These very high even down, public safety authorities will

Nokia Advertorial
still have the ability to equip themselves network architecture, which means that safety slice or slices very secure.
with deployable 5G systems, to it is possible to duplicate many network
benefit from the full performance and functions. Thanks to end-to-end When will we have 5G?
capacity of this technology. The massive orchestration of all network elements, We are still in the first phase of 5G
bandwidth of 5G even enables self- it is possible to automatically create a deployment. Most of the features
backhauling, where part of the capacity virtual network configured precisely we have discussed above will not be
is used to relay communications in to fulfill the needs of the application. available for a few years, as the standards
between the field and a central mobile A mission-critical application used are still being firmed up. Even when the
command and control center. This during an event might, for instance, final standards for features like slicing
self-backhauling is known as integrated be a push-to-video application. The and massive IoT support are finalized,
access and backhaul (IAB). virtual 5G network creates the network the end device ecosystem will take a
functions required to support the video while to mature.
A slice of security transmission, which means a very high This means that for most public safety
More than ever, first responders will quality of service with no delays and authorities, if they want to reap the
be able to rely on public 5G networks top priority level. These virtual network benefits of broadband wireless, they are
and their nation-wide deployment resources are then reserved for this better off today starting with 4G/LTE.
because of a feature called slicing. It application. This is what we mean by In fact, the majority of new innovations
allows multiple virtual networks, with a slice. in this area of public safety are
agreed quality of service (QoS) criteria, In other words, slicing means that occurring today on 4G/LTE networks.
to be created on top of a common, the many consumers who also depend Fortunately, 4G/LTE was designed to
shared physical infrastructure when a on the public mobile network will still smoothly evolve to 5G and the two will
service must be used. In the case of 5G, have access to it, but their activity won’t in many cases co-exist for years. But
network slices can be put up and taken affect the operation of the public safety make no mistake, 5G is coming, and it
down almost instantaneously, in this mission-critical slice that is passing will be the future of public safety.
way being implemented only where and over the same network infrastructure. For more information about Nokia
when needed and optimizing overall Especially important for security is that mobile broadband networking solutions
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The Big Interview
The American
evolution
Philip Mason talks to FirstNet chief executive officer Ed Parkinson about
the additions made to the network over the past 12 months, as well as
the benefits of a ‘competition’-based model
Could you give an update regarding what’s annual Houston Rodeo, which is the world’s largest livestock
happened with FirstNet over the past 12 months? event, it’s now so much easier to disseminate information
It’s been an extremely unusual year… relating to these huge crowds.
As you say, it’s been an unusual and dramatic time – the world For instance, in the past, if a child had gone missing at one of
is a very different place now than it was at the beginning of these events, you’d have to describe them over the police radio.
2020. From our perspective, the last 12 months have also seen a Now, officers can disseminate a photo of the child provided by
dramatic shift in terms of first-responders’ relationship to public the parent.
safety broadband, and FirstNet in particular. It has become a Parallel with this, there’s also been a dramatic change in how
crucial part of what they do. public safety is thinking about the technology in a systematic
way, as well as how they might want it to evolve.
What in particular has prompted that shift in One example of that is the use of the network by the Green
attitude? How has it manifested itself? Bay Police Department, which has enabled them to maintain
COVID-19 has obviously had a dramatic impact on cellular coverage on Sundays when the Green Bay Packers are
everything, including public safety. While people have been playing. Green Bay is a really small town, except on game day
dealing with that, we’ve also had wildfires, hurricanes, civil when the population swells.
unrest, and so on. Obviously, we’re also on the doorstep of FirstNet MCPTT,
A really good example of FirstNet deployment took place as well as things like ‘Z-Axis’, which is a three-dimensional
earlier this year when hurricanes hit the Louisiana coast. There’s mapping application.
one parish called Cameron which was totally devastated,
with barely a building left standing. We were able to provide What impact do you think FirstNet’s burgeoning
service for the emergency management effort, via the extended MCPTT functionality will have? Do you see a time
coverage enabled by the FirstNet One blimp. when first-responder organisations abandon their
LMR handsets altogether?
Have public safety agencies made specific use of Ultimately, everything’s going to be down to public safety itself
FirstNet in relation to the response to COVID-19? to decide what it wants to do, and the direction in which it
Regarding Coronavirus in particular, we’re now seeing wants to go. As we’ve discussed, in the near term we’re seeing
emergency services broadband being used in relation to mass organisations use the FirstNet functionality primarily to
testing centres and massive vaccination distribution facilities. increase situational awareness, thereby augmenting what they’re
FirstNet has been there every step of the way, providing already able to do with their radios. We’re not encouraging
coverage at these various sites. people to switch off their land mobile radios – quite the
Some of the larger vaccination centres are often quite a long opposite, as a matter of fact.
way outside of the major metropolitan areas, where commercial Having said that, AT&T recently announced that FirstNet
services aren’t as strong. So, again, we’ve been able to mobilise PTT now supports interoperability between LTE and LMR,
our deployable assets, such as trucks and drones. built to 3GPP standards. Again, it will be down to the
organisations themselves to decide when our MCPTT is good
How is the service being used by first-responders, enough to meet operational needs.
as part of ‘business as usual’ operations? Is One thing we are currently seeing is FirstNet interoperability
it simply a matter of increasing situational helping to expand LMR functionality, but without encroaching
awareness through the use of data, or has the use- on the organisation in question’s radio footprint. I was recently
case evolved? talking to a police chief in Anchorage, Alaska, and he was
Situational awareness is still a huge part of the use-case for telling me how he’s now able to listen in on all his LMR traffic,
FirstNet. If you look at something like the Super Bowl, or the via the use of the FirstNet PTT application.

FirstNet chief executive
officer Ed Parkinson
There are thousands of independent LMR systems currently use it, which means the needs of users are dictating the market.
being used by local public safety all across the United States. A good example of that is prior to the creation of FirstNet,
The transition from that to FirstNet PTT will only begin when public safety went to all the major carriers and asked them
the first-responder actively chooses a smart device over LMR. for priority and pre-emption, and they all said no. After
I’m sure one day that will happen. FirstNet came along, other carriers started to market their
own versions of public safety broadband, taking into account
In what other ways is the network evolving, other those requirements.
than PTT and the extended coverage piece? Another knock-on effect is that since the network was rolled
We’ve recently launched MegaRange, which is high-powered out, we’re seeing a dramatic decrease in money being spent by
user equipment, specifically requiring Band 14 spectrum public safety on monthly subscription plans. So, competition is
in order to operate. The MegaRange tools can significantly a good thing.
improve connectivity, particularly at the edge of coverage, for
instance in rural or maritime locations. These [AT&T] towers How has the market changed since the likes
are remarkable, but they only go so far. of Verizon got involved? What has been the
The tools should be useful for urban and suburban implication of that kind of competition from
responders as well, for instance in connecting to harder-to-reach FirstNet’s point of view?
places like elevators, parking garages and basements. Again, I think it’s great that users now have a choice in what
network they choose. Nothing breeds good customer service
What has been the main benefit of FirstNet having like competition, and having specific, public-safety-tailored
its own spectrum? products can only be a good thing.
Having our own spectrum is a complete differentiator when As I said, there’s no mandate to use the service, but you’re
it comes to other services and commercial networks. It also still seeing public safety organisations gravitating towards
enables us to hold AT&T accountable, which in turn allows it. That illustrates a confidence in the market which didn’t
for much greater oversight to ensure they deliver what they said necessarily exist before, particularly when you introduce Band
they would do for public safety. 14 into the equation.
From a technical point of view, Band 14 has enabled AT&T We place our entire focus on engaging with public safety,
to deploy its network faster, for instance in relation to 5G. and any decision we make comes from their input. We’re
Having the spectrum has enabled them to run up the tower trying to implement a larger holistic vision, and public
just once in order to hang their radios, rather than going up safety organisations are really responding to that. Do we get
multiple times. everything right? Of course not, but the heart of what we’re
Just to clarify, as a government agency, we retain the licence trying to do is put public safety first.
for Band 14, which AT&T then leases from us for excess
network capacity. How do you see the network evolving from here?
Where does 5G fit in?
The American public safety broadband model This has to be a phased approach – you can’t just flick a switch
is very much ‘competition’-based. Going and have 5G. The initial upgrade in terms of infrastructure
back to a previous question, do you feel like was approved last year, and will give FirstNet users with the
you’re in competition with organisations’ appropriate devices access to AT&T’s 5G spectrum.
legacy technology? The evolution of 5G is a multi-stage approach across the
Not at all. As I said, we’re here to augment the LMR systems board, so 4G isn’t going anywhere, and for a long time the two
which are out there and being used right now. The great thing of them will co-exist. Our strategy is to take advantage of that
about the FirstNet business model is that there’s no mandate to process of evolution.

Transport
Adobe Stock/Sergii Figurnyi
At the crossroads
Philip Mason talks to Transport for London and Brussels STIB about how recent, major,
public safety/health incidents have informed their critical communications strategies
A
s regular readers of CCT project in question is also eye-catching COVID-19 project, a statement from
will remember, in the in its scale, covering as it does the whole Tait released at the time said: “TfL
last issue we published of London. It is the speed of roll-out has used [PoC] integration in daily
a feature focusing on which is truly impressive, however, operations taking place throughout
Motorola Solutions’ with Transport for London (TfL) the crisis. When it needed to add
work with Polish energy distributor having to rapidly expand its comms more buses to its fleet, TfL and Tait
Energa-Operator. capability at the height of the worked together to quickly modify the
That article was prompted, at least Coronavirus pandemic. TeamPTT solution to make it suitable
in part, by the project winning the for use by the external bus drivers.
award for best utilities roll-out at Space in the place “The whole project came together
the most recent ICCAs, taking place Prompted by COVID-19, the TfL in less than four weeks. We created
online at last year’s inaugural Critical project was an attempt to provide radio a scalable radio service to enable up
Communications Week. The more we communications to cover a number to 80 buses to be added to TfL’s PoC
dug into the Energa TETRA roll-out, of extra buses, laid on in order to help service, providing communications –
the more fascinated we became by passengers in the UK capital to socially as well as an emergency link – to its
it, not least due to the sheer size of distance. It involved collaboration Network Management Control Centre
the project, as well as the level between the aforementioned public [NMCC].”
of co-ordination involved in its transport provider and Tait, with Thomas Brewster is Transport for
successful completion. the latter supplying Push-to-talk London’s service delivery manager for
With that in mind, we are following over Cellular (PoC) capability, fully surface transport technology and data,
up in this issue by focusing on another integrated into its already-rolled-out putting him directly at the centre of
2020 ICCA award winner, this time DMR Tier III network. the project. Going into detail about its
situated in the transport space. The Giving an overview of the background – while also providing some

Transport
context regarding TfL’s overall comms TfL social

network – he says: “The original roll-out distancing
of the Tait PoC service dates back to measures
January 2020, which was obviously included the
banning of the use
prior to the Coronavirus pandemic.
of adjacent seats
“We had around 200 users at the
on buses
point when COVID-19 hit, primarily
rolled out to what’s known as our ‘street
users’. These are the people who stand at
particularly busy interchanges, relaying
information back to the control centre
about what’s happening on the roads
Adobe Stock/ Halfpoint

and at our bus stations.
“Users of the Tait PTT technology
have the ability to talk amongst
themselves using the cloud, and over
DMR Tier III via common cellular
devices. The latter is enabled through a
Tait communications app.” had to do – obviously – was provide the handle it while operating the vehicle.
According to an audit carried out by buses, which we accomplished through “At the same time, we also needed
TfL in March last year, the company approaching bus companies that we to make sure that the speaker was loud
had a fleet of just over 9,100 buses at its could contract with. They came from all enough, and that the driver could
disposal, contracted from 13 separate over the country. be heard over any noise that might
operating companies. These ran over “At the same time, we had to provide be coming from the vehicle or the
700 different routes across the city every some kind of comms solution for the passengers. The set-up enables them
day, covering everywhere from Croydon vehicles, which frankly – because they to communicate with both garage
to Colindale. weren’t TfL stock – could have been control and, in the event of an
The situation grew more complicated, anything. That provided its own unique emergency, the TfL Network
however, with the onset of the set of potential problems, particularly Management Control Centre.”
COVID-19 pandemic in early spring in terms of things like fit-out, as well as It is clear from talking to Brewster
of last year, a situation which training of the drivers. how innovative – not to say unique
immediately ushered in the need to “We didn’t know when the buses – he believes the TfL roll-out to be.
establish a variety of measures to help were going to arrive with us, or what we This is despite the increasing use of
keep passengers apart. would be able to install in the cab. There PoC technology across any number of
In the first instance, these took place were also no specifics when it came to different verticals, something that he
on the buses themselves, for example the type of smartphones the external freely acknowledges.
through banning the use of adjacent drivers would be using, with each One reason for this belief is the way
seats. At the same time, meanwhile, bringing devices issued by their own the solution leverages TfL’s pre-existing
TfL also attempted to make buses less separate organisations.” DMR Tier III network, thereby
crowded by putting on more services According to Brewster, there were two enabling pretty much instant access to
at particularly busy times. The most key criteria for communications roll-out a variety of system-wide configured talk
obvious example of this was during the in the new vehicles. The first was that groups. Another reason is its provision
time of the day known as ‘the school devices – whatever form they ultimately of asset tracking via nothing more
run’, and it was the work in this area for took – had to be “vehicle agnostic”, complicated or bespoke than the device’s
which it won the ICCA. while leaving as small a ‘footprint’ as own internal location technology.
Going into greater detail, Brewster possible. The second, meanwhile, was Drilling down further into the voice
says: “TfL was asked by the Department that use didn’t require drivers to break functionality, Brewster says: “The set-up
for Transport to provide additional the law, in particular UK regulations is entirely predicated on group calls.
capacity on our designated school forbidding drivers from using handhelds One-to-one is possible, but drivers are
routes, which are always numbered while behind the wheel. prevented from doing that via a ‘kiosk’
in the ‘600s’. This designation doesn’t “We had a very intense planning mode. At the other end, the garage uses
mean that another passenger can’t session over the course of about five Sonim XP8 ruggedised handsets, and if
get on, but from a service perspective days,” says Brewster. “Arguably the a driver initiates communication, all of
we’ll run a particular trip twice a day, biggest issue was figuring out how PTT those users are dragged into a single talk
specifically for the benefit of children could be achieved without actually group. Anyone at garage control can
traveling to and from school.” picking up the device. then respond to the driver.
He continues: “The first thing we “We solved this through the use of “The third button on the radio mic
wearable, remote speaker mics – linked initiates an emergency call through to
to the smartphone by Bluetooth – our Network Management Control
We didn’t know when operated by touching one of three Centre. The NMCC operators each
the buses were going to buttons. The smart device itself sits have a tablet-view of where the buses
arrive, or what we would within a mounted cradle, attached to
a high-pressure suction cup, in an area
are, as well as also having access to the
Tait Comms smartphone app so they
be able to install in the cab of the cab where the driver could not can communicate with the driver.”

Transport
Going it alone plunged the city into something network for things like the Metro. At
The TfL PoC roll-out demonstrates just approaching a state of chaos, not points during the day, we were
what can be achieved through effective least when it came to the transport finding that it simply didn’t work that
collaboration and co-ordination, no system, large sections of which were well, with calls made by our personnel
matter how difficult the circumstances. temporarily suspended. According being shut down after something like
By way of a contrast, our next to Jans-Cooremans, however, events 10 seconds.
deployment, which likewise coincided immediately following the attacks had “One reason for this was that the
with a crisis situation, illustrates the also made it increasingly difficult to network had been suddenly flooded
possibilities when an organisation communicate using digital with emergency services users from all
demonstrates the will to blaze a trail equipment. This included not only over the country, called in via mutual
on its own. commercial smart devices, but also the aid. This led to some base stations
Frederic Jans-Cooremans is project Belgian emergency services’ TETRA reaching full capacity, something which
and radio spectrum manager for network, ASTRID. had an obvious knock-on effect.
Brussels-based public transport operator Discussing the fall-out from the “At the same time, all of these
STIB. He has spent several years attacks, he says: “I remember that day emergency users – quite naturally –
working on what the organisation very well, partly because of the massive possessed higher priority than we did
claims is the largest private TETRA impact it had on people’s lives and when it came to the use of ASTRID.
network in Belgium, developed to be an routine. From my window at work, I think it’s important to state that
independent means of communication I could see a huge queue of people at no point did the network suffer
for the whole company. As fate would stretching in front of the central station, an outage, simply that the volume
have it, the tender for this went out just due to screening by the military. The of communication taking place was
a few months prior to the 2016 Brussels situation was an incredible mess. unprecedented.
terrorist attacks. “From STIB’s perspective, the first “Our trams and buses weren’t affected
Taking place across the city, the thing to get back up and running was by any of these issues, possessing as
attacks took the form of three co- the buses, something which took place they do their own analogue network.
ordinated suicide bombings, all of the day after the bombings. The tram Buses were VHF, while trams operated
which targeted its transportation was two or three days later, but only on on UHF.”
network. The last of these took place at the surface, rather than portions of it Jans-Cooremans began working for
Maalbeek metro station at the height which go underground. The Metro line STIB in 2009, having previously been
of rush hour, with the first two bombs regained full service about two weeks with a private radio solutions company.
being detonated around an hour after, but people were very nervous As he tells it, a core ambition even
earlier at Brussels Airport. Thirty-two about using it.” Brussels’ public before he moved over was to install
people were killed, not including the Moving onto STIB’s communications transport ground private TETRA for Brussels’ public
three bombers, while more than 300 capabilities, he continues: “At the time, to a halt on the transport, something he started laying
were injured. we shared – and currently still share – day of the 2016 the groundwork for almost as soon as
As might be imagined, the bombings the Belgian emergency services TETRA terror attacks he arrived.
Adobe Stock/Tobias Arhelger

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Transport
I was constantly asking,

what if there’s a big
problem with the shared
TETRA network?
Brussels is a major “We ultimately worked that out by

tourist destination deciding to transmit using very low
power, via radiating cables. These are
specifically designed for transmission
in confined areas, and the impact is
very tiny.”
Coming back to the 2016 terror
attack, one other vitally important
piece of learning, according to Jans-
Cooremans, is around radio use itself.
While he, quite rightly, has absolutely
nothing to say about emergency services’
strategy that day, he is at pains to point
out some of the principles ingrained
in STIB TETRA users as part of their
daily use.
“There are many ways to improve
the performance of a network,” he says,
Adobe Stock/Sergii Figurnyi
“such as increasing the amount of base

stations, as well as upping the number
of carriers per base station. At the same
time, it’s important that users are made
to understand how to get more out of
their radio, particularly when a large-
scale event occurs.
Fast-forward to 2014, and after it operates on 410-420MHz, which “For instance, one thing we would
much discussion and preparatory is the frequency set aside for Belgian heavily discourage is the scanning
work, the tender for the network finally commercial TETRA. of different talk groups – in fact, we
went out. It was eventually won by Digging deeper into the roll- disable that functionality altogether. Use
Zenitel-SAIT (now Securitas), which out itself, Jans-Cooremans says: “I of scanning requires the nearest base
set about provisioning not only primarily focus on installation of the station to transfer each of the different
the Brussels Metro but also buses outdoor coverage, all of which is now talk groups to a single radio, which
and tramways. functional. There were a variety of is a huge waste of capacity. You can
Going into greater detail, Jans- different ideas about installation in understand why a manager would find
Cooremans says: “Ever since I joined regard to buses and tramways, but it useful for monitoring purposes, but
the company, my aim was to initiate they’re all procured now. it’s not part of our strategy.
a TETRA network, distinct from “In terms of the roll-out itself, the “Another tip from the user
ASTRID. I’d actually had that idea key challenges have taken place in the perspective is simply to keep the PTT
years before, when STIB was one of our realm of infrastructure. We’re able to button pushed if you’re being kept
customers. There’s STIB optical fibre share masts with ASTRID – which is waiting, rather than ending the call
almost everywhere along the tracks in running at 380-390MHz – but there and being pushed out of the queue.
Brussels, so I always wondered why the was still the need for new structures We also recommend communication
transport system didn’t have it. in certain regions and on certain through talk groups rather than one-
“Before the tender went out, I was buildings. To a degree, public transport to-one calls. Again, all this is just basic
constantly putting the question of what is seen as less important than the radio discipline.”
if there’s a big problem with the shared emergency services, so there was quite While apparently disparate, the
network. I was not alone in saying that, a lot of dialogue with the relevant projects discussed in this article have
and the events of 2016 – and the study authorities.” two key things in common. First,
that followed – added a certain amount He continues: “The other key they demonstrate just how important
of extra urgency to the project.” environmental issue was in relation effective comms technology is to the
Regarding the burgeoning STIB to field strengths, in particular running of modern, large-scale, public
network itself, it will cover the whole regarding the safety of people being a transport systems. At the same time,
of the Brussels public transportation short distance from our base stations they also showcase exactly the sort
system, reaching from the inner and repeaters. We had to conduct of innovation becoming increasingly
city to the suburbs. Leveraging two simulation studies in order to be sure synonymous with the critical
carriers, and more in the city centre, to be well within the imposed limits. communications sector.

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Public safety
Safety
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What’s past is prologue

With the UK’s Emergency Services Network in the middle of a crucial year,
Philip Mason talks to ETSI’s Brian Murgatroyd about parallels between
Airwave and ESN roll-outs
I
first developed an interest in public safety meanwhile, indicates both the ability and willingness to pivot
communications in late 2016, having found myself if the situation calls for it.
suddenly thrust into the role of deputy editor for Critical That being the case – and in the middle of another crucial
Communications Today (or TETRA Today, as it was then). year for the project – the focus of this article is going to be
I had been around for about a month when I was some of the other lessons that may or may not have been
called upon to cover my first BAPCO (British Association of learned across the course of ESN so far. But rather than
Public Safety Communications Officials) event, taking place concentrating purely on the years 2011 to 2021, we are
in Newcastle in the UK. A core theme of the conference was going to go back a bit further to the initial roll-out
– about a year after the main contracts had been signed – the of Airwave.
Emergency Services Network. How does the ongoing roll-out of mission-critical
As those who were also in attendance may recall, there was broadband in the UK compare to the move from analogue all
a certain feeling of concern in regard to ESN at the time, those years ago? More to the point, are there urgent questions
not least relating to anticipated network coverage. Indeed, I highlighted by services’ experience back then that still need to
remember a conversation with another attendee – a police be answered about the current network?
officer – during which anxiety was expressed due to perceived
potential questions around the technology. Parallel situations?
Thankfully, those concerns have now been assuaged, thanks Brian Murgatroyd is current chair of the technical committee
in large part to the scale of the work carried out by EE, as for TETRA and critical communications at standards
well as crucial coverage testing initiatives such as ESN Assure. organisation ETSI. More to the point, however, he also
Further encouragement, meanwhile, has also been provided previously led the critical communications security team
via recent pilot projects, such as those involving Durham & at PITO (the former UK Police Information Technology
Darlington FRS and the UK Immigration Service. Organisation) during the original roll-out of Airwave.
As well as an increased level of reassurance, however, the Discussing his background, as well as the role he played
past few years have also witnessed an increased and broader back in 2000, he says: “As head of that team, my role was to
sense of awareness on the part of those running things from implement all the security features of TETRA into Airwave.
the centre. We all started in the Home Office and then got shuffled over to
Others will be in a better position to comment, but it PITO, forming into teams going over the contract line by line.
would appear that the Home Office now fully understands “At the time, the whole process – as well as delivery
the value of close collaboration and communication with timescales for security functionality, and potential post-
users. The recent embrace of standardised technology, contract issues – were uncertain.”

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Public safety
At the risk of repeating some things that readers may As may be expected given his background, one other worry
already know, it is probably worth stating some of the also identified by Murgatroyd was the lack of security features
reasons why Airwave was adopted in the first place. This will available towards the beginning of the Airwave project. These
not only provide some general context, but also a level of had to be developed quickly, due to the simple fact that –
insight into the parallels between that project and the current according to him – no-one had actually implemented the
roll-out of ESN. security part of the TETRA standard at that point.
Speaking of this, Murgatroyd says: “Airwave was deployed With that in mind, to what degree does he see parallels
fundamentally to increase resilience, performance and between Airwave and ESN, particularly in regard to any
functionality when it came to emergency services’ critical teething troubles and/or lessons learned? To what extent has
communications. It’s a great technology, and in that sense, the programme demonstrated the ability to both anticipate
really not dissimilar to ESN at all. operational problems and deal with them effectively?
“Prior to Airwave, that resilience existed, but only in a “Regarding the security piece, I have absolutely no concerns
very primitive fashion, plus there were virtually no features with the Emergency Services Network whatsoever,” says
available on services’ legacy equipment other than speech. Murgatroyd. “I can’t discuss the measures in detail, but suffice
Organisations at the time were using wide-area VHF systems to say a multi-layered approach has been adopted.
as well as local UHF, with no real interconnectivity between “It will go beyond simple encryption, and I’m entirely
the two. It was also very difficult for users to communicate satisfied that it will be well up to standard. In terms of resilience
when out of area – only specialist users with multi-channel and coverage, again there’s every indication that the system will
radios could do it.” work as it should, particularly in regard to the latter.
He continues: “The other concern with the previous “A huge amount of resources have been invested in the
systems was a lack of security. Monitoring by criminals – and network, and there are also direct parallels between ESN
the press – was rife. The equipment was also subject to all Assure and similar initiatives 20 years ago, with tools at that
kinds of radio interference, for instance in the South East time provided by Sepura and Motorola Solutions.”
from the French. It sounds amusing, but at the time it was He continues: “If I have a concern, it’s what happens if the
very difficult to achieve the co-ordination of frequencies and network comes under duress. We know that they’ve increased
get French users to stick to them.” the number of base stations, but aside from the rapid response
According to Murgatroyd, initial UK TETRA trials vehicles, it’s incredibly important to enhance resilience as well.
took place on the island of Jersey in 1998, following a “During the early roll-out of Airwave, this was very
12-month consultation during which user requirements were much something which we had to learn from experience, as
determined. This was followed by technical trials in Hemel illustrated by the two incidents which I mentioned earlier.
Hempstead and the Isle of Skye, with the testing phase finally Thinking of the tunnel fire in particular, that revealed the
culminating in a two-year county-wide pilot in Lancashire. need to provide diverse routing from the base station sites to
“That was designed to iron out any bugs and confirm fitness the switches, in order to take out any single point of failure.
for the job,” he says, “which it mostly did.” After the flooding, meanwhile, we hardened the network by
The geographical roll-out was finally completed in installing generators at key sites.
2005, with certain other features following on shortly “I’m pretty confident – as we all are – in the ESN priority
afterwards. The technology has been delivering a high level and pre-emption piece. That will work a treat. But it won’t
of service ever since. This is not to say that there haven’t help if the power has gone off to 50 base station sites
been issues, however, or that there weren’t initial concerns, simultaneously.”
something which again links back in with the current As indicated earlier, the scepticism initially associated with
deployment of ESN. the Emergency Services Network project is dissipating. This
has followed on from a number of positive developments,
Resilience and security many of which have resulted from those in charge being ready
As indicated, Airwave currently enjoys a huge level of trust to learn from both the near and distant past.
among UK emergency services personnel. This has been There is one more potential area of learning that needs to
illustrated throughout the development of ESN, in particular be touched on, though: the exploitation of the network itself.
by the initial nervousness at the prospect of Airwave no longer For Murgatroyd, this is absolutely key, particularly given his
being available. view of ESN as fundamentally an “enabling” technology.
According to Murgatroyd, though, the earlier roll-out was “When Airwave was rolled out, the emergency services did
not without its initial concerns, or indeed the occasional, things in a certain way,” he says. “With the new technology,
often serious, operational issue. He says: “Given how however, they had the opportunity to completely change the
comprehensive the incumbent system was at the time, it was way business was conducted, even at a strategic level.
probably no surprise that one of the initial worries was that “This was apparent in Scotland, where Airwave’s ability
Airwave wouldn’t match up in terms of coverage, and in to communicate between county areas contributed to the
particular, resilience. amalgamation of emergency services organisations. That being
“These concerns were highlighted early on, when a the case, imagine what they’ll be able to achieve once ESN is
fire broke out in a tunnel in Greater Manchester, thereby up and running.
knocking out numerous base stations for an extended period. “Of course, every change has to be incremental, but there
Resilience was called into question again when flooding took are things we probably can’t even envisage yet. I really hope
out the mains power to several sites, which were subsequently this opportunity isn’t wasted, and the network is exploited to
revealed to only have 15 minutes’ worth of back-up.” its full capacity.”

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TETRA in the US
Adobe Stock/Delphotostock
Voices of a nation
Philip Mason gives an update on the US TETRA market, finding contrasting opinions
about the anticipated use of the technology going into the future
W
hen it comes to lot has happened since the standard’s New Jersey coast, mainly because of the customers
the international first commercial roll-out in 2013, not and New York that we’ve built up. But in somewhere
TETRA market, least a slow but steady uptake of the were among the like the Midwest, for example, people
there are very few technology across different verticals. first locations have never heard of it – or relate at
territories which At the same time – crucially – we for commercial all to what organisations are doing in
TETRA in the US
have proven as potentially complex as are also going to be looking at the Europe or the rest of the world.”
the United States. potential impact of broadband on LMR He continues: “In terms of why we
In terms of the public safety side of as a whole, with the former already wanted to get involved, we simply saw
things, for instance, companies have elbowing its way into the conversation the United States as greenfield. We
been unable to get a foothold due to via FirstNet, Verizon Frontline and so did it because it was the last frontier
the federal government’s historical on. Public safety isn’t the only sector for TETRA and, ultimately, we always
preference for parallel technology P25, dallying with 4G, however, with need to find new markets.
at least when it comes to narrowband. utilities companies, mining and more “Our very first North American
Those wishing to sell into other ‘mission now seriously looking at the potential customer was BC Hydro, which is
critical’ verticals have found the road benefits of increased bandwidth. a utilities company based in British
only slightly easier, meanwhile, dealing Columbia, in Canada. They put out
with a variety of other factors, such as Difficulties of the market an RFP open to all different kinds
those around the use of spectrum. PowerTrunk is one of the key players in of digital radio technologies, and we
From the TETRA industry’s the US TETRA market, having been won. As it turned out, at the time,
perspective, all this has possibly responsible for numerous roll-outs Canada and the US had very similar
represented somewhat of an unfulfilled across a variety of different verticals standardisation rules. They amended
opportunity. This feeling has likely been (including the 2013 New Jersey Transit theirs very quickly because of BC
compounded by the sheer size, and system obliquely referred to above). Hydro’s decision, but the Americans
therefore potential value, of the market The company’s president and CEO is are tough.”
in question. Jose Martin. Without wanting to get too bogged
There are hundreds of ‘mission Speaking of its original entrance into down in the political aspects of this
critical’ organisations operating across the US market – and why the company topic, Martin outlines several factors
the States after all, all of which need to decided to invest in the territory in the which he believes have historically
communicate with each other via the first place – he says: “The United States limited the implementation of TETRA
use of some kind of radio. has traditionally been an incredibly across the US.
With that in mind, in this article difficult environment for TETRA. This The first of these is the Federal
we are going to bring readers up to is a huge country, and even today there Communications Commission
date with the state of the market as it are people who know little – or even (FCC)’s method of what he refers to as
stands today, several years after our last nothing – about the standard. equipment authorisation. According to
specific focus on TETRA in the US. A “There’s more knowledge on the east him, this was – and in some frequency

TETRA in the US
bands still is – based on “emission

masks and occupied bandwidth limits”, If you combine New York and New
rather than “modern adjacent channel Jersey, we supply to the largest
protection (ACP) criteria, as is
common in the rest of the world”. In public transport authority in the world
his words: “TETRA’s non-compliance
with emission masks gave rise to work which had been carried out with Someone with what could be
the misconception that it would their neighbour across the river. Again, described as a more tentative outlook,
cause interference.” that required a certain amount of however, is Omdia senior principal
Another factor, meanwhile, is ingenuity on our part, in order to make analyst for public safety and critical
the expectation that all narrowband use of the 700MHz and 800MHz communications Ken Rehbehn. For
radios operating on public safety spectrum which they had available. him, TETRA will likely continue
bands – for instance, 700MHz – must “After we won the contract, we were to face an uphill battle in the States,
be compatible with the government- able to comply with FCC rules by primarily due to the unfamiliar nature
preferred P25 standard. As developing multi-mode devices, where of the technology on the part of the
mentioned, this has, rightly or wrongly, the user has the ability to select either majority of users.
all but negated TETRA for use by US TETRA or P25. The P25 aspect is “There are reasons to be optimistic
first-responders. fairly rudimentary, representing Phase when it comes to TETRA, certainly,”
Coming back to the present 1 functionality, alongside group calls, he says. “The companies involved have
day, PowerTrunk has at this point as mandated by the Department of already made the investment, meaning
participated in around 25 TETRA Homeland Security, through the P25 that every additional customer gain
projects, involving a variety of different Advisory Panel. is relatively inexpensive to get. At
verticals across both Canada and the “If you combine the New York this point, it’s primarily a matter of
US. These have included San Francisco and New Jersey contracts, you could educating people.
and John F. Kennedy airports, utilities argue that we provided critical “We also know TETRA’s various
operator Diverse Power in Georgia, as communications technology to what benefits as a technology, something
well as the Flint Hills Resources Pine is essentially the largest public transit which stands it in incredibly good
Bend Refinery in Minnesota. organisation in the world. Both stead. It’s a robust, incredibly
Arguably the most famous work agencies co-operate together and are secure, effective media for group
undertaken by the company, however, interacting all the time.” communications, coupled with a
is the dual roll-out carried out on We shall return to the east coast – highly scaled ecosystem. In terms of
behalf of two east coast public transport and in particular the so-called Garden the market, I would say transit is a
providers, New Jersey Transit (NJT) State of New Jersey – later in the article. particularly good target for TETRA,
and New York City Transit (NYCT). and the story is very solid there.
These not only illustrate how effective The shock of the new “At the same time, it’s quite a
– not to say versatile – TETRA is Speaking to Jose Martin, you sense complex technology, for instance when
as a technology, but also the level of a palpable optimism when it comes it comes to supporting the security
ingenuity which has traditionally been to the future of the standard as aspects. That being the case, it might
required in order to actually get it deployed in the United States. be a challenge to convince American
deployed in the United States. Progress may be comparatively slow, utilities to veer away en masse from
Discussing these headline projects, he suggests, but the technology solutions which they already know
Martin says: “Everything started in is gradually proving its worth, and trust, whether that’s DMR or
New Jersey with the transit agency, deployment by deployment. even analogue.”
where we were subcontracted by
Alcatel-Lucent USA, in co-operation
with whom we had won the contract.
They were looking for something
which could support advanced data
applications, as well as, obviously,
exceptional quality when it came
to voice.
“Because of the aforementioned
equipment authorisation issues, we
developed what might be regarded
as ‘pseudo’ TETRA, which worked
well. That required modification of
equipment on our part as well, until
the FCC – after the award – ultimately
amended its certification rules to
Adobe Stock/agnormark
accept the TETRA spectrum, without

modifications, in the 800MHz and Utilities
450-470MHz bands.” companies are
He continues: “NYCT became investigating the
interested in 2014, having seen the use of broadband

TETRA in the US
Adobe Stock/Bumble Dee

Staying on the subject of utilities “It will certainly be a long process,” US public safety chose TETRA, its director of radio
in particular, Rehbehn believes that he continues. “However, it’s one that’s represents a huge communications, Andy Schwartz,
the situation will likely be further been in play for several years. LTE is market says: “Back in 2013, the idea was to
complicated by energy companies’ now a mature, much-better-understood keep the system as technology-neutral
apparent willingness to look at private technology than it was, certainly as possible, letting the requirements
broadband networks. This could be compared with 5G. of the business dictate what we chose.
further compounded by a recent “At the same time, the story within One solution does not necessarily
development, again taking place in the the utilities sector in particular is fit all circumstances, and we wanted
realm of spectrum. compelling. They have the opportunity something very specific.”
Elaborating on this, he says: to update their systems, moving He continues: “In terms of the roll-
“Another factor in all this is the towards a technology which handles out itself, we targeted the system for use
imminent reorganisation of the data very effectively, while also across the enterprise, including light
900MHz frequency, something which offering the benefits of group voice rail, all of our buses – of which there
is heavily used in the US utilities sector. communications.” are around 2,300 – as well as contracted
“Following a process of lobbying independent bus companies, and our
by a private LTE network operator Greetings from Asbury Park non-revenue operations personnel. We
called Anterix, the FCC has agreed to There are clearly different points of wanted the provision of both voice and
aggregate a block of SMR spectrum in view regarding the future of TETRA, data on a single network, with
that band, specifically to support LTE. and indeed critical communications the latter being used primarily for
Anterix’s strategy – perfectly reasonably as a whole, when it comes to the US location services.
– is to engage with the utilities sector, market. Rehbehn, for instance, believes “We need to automatically update
in order to instigate migration to a that broadband will likely impose an the location of every bus approximately
primarily LTE-based approach.” increasingly strong presence, whereas once every 30 seconds, which in
Looking beyond the subject of just Martin remains less convinced. turn feeds into electronic signage,
TETRA for the moment, what effect That being the case, perhaps the maintenance alerts and so on. Nothing
does Rehbehn believe the change last word should go to someone huge from a data perspective, but
outlined above will actually have on the with a direct experience of using the crucially important to the successful
broader market? If utilities companies technology itself. And who better operation of our transport system.”
really are slow to move away from tried- than New Jersey Transit, which According to Schwartz, the network
and-tested technology, why should the commissioned the US’s first commercial is now fully deployed, with over 4,000
situation be any different when it comes TETRA network almost 10 years ago. subscribers. The final phase of the
to the adoption of broadband? Discussing why the organisation project – expected to be fully rolled

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TETRA in the US
I look at broadband primarily as a with each type of area. The system has
ultimately been designed to provide
complementary technology to capacity and coverage where it’s most
what we already have needed, almost like a commercial
cellular network.”
Alongside coverage, meanwhile,
out towards the middle of this year – is view of New Jersey is informed entirely another challenge has been the
the TETRA integration of advanced by what they see when they arrive at integration of New Jersey Transit’s
features for the company’s existing Newark Airport – very industrial, in aforementioned legacy computer-aided
computer-aided dispatch system. other words – but the topology is much dispatch (CAD) solution with its new
Deployment has not necessarily more varied than that.” state-wide TETRA radio system.
always been easy, however. This was Schwartz illustrates this by According to Schwartz, this has been
the first commercial TETRA system in mentioning his own home in Sussex accomplished across all 2,300 buses.
the US, after all, and the organisation County, located northwest of the more The organisation’s parameters, however,
essentially had to learn as it went along. urbanised Essex County and the city require “mission-critical redundancy”,
One core difficulty in relation to this of Newark. At the same time, there is meaning that the CAD’s data path must
has been coverage planning, specifically also the likes of Asbury Park (“where be able to utilise both cellular modems
taking into account the sheer variety of Springsteen comes from”), located and/or TETRA. This requirement
terrain existing across the state of New around 40 kilometres to the south of – according to Schwartz – is fairly
Jersey (the network operates within New York City, across an expanse of complex to implement, and should be
800MHz). water known as New York/New Jersey completed soon.
“It’s been the project that never seems Bight. This complexity, he assures me, has
to end,” says Schwartz. “By December He continues: “The place where I live to do with externally managing the
2013, we’d put up enough of the new is heavily forested, with lots of hills and mechanics of using two data paths,
network to cover the services operated lakes. They call Sussex ‘The Skylands’, rather than anything to do with
by our partner bus companies, as well as and we occasionally have black bears TETRA technology.
light rail trollies, maintenance vehicles roaming around here. At the same time, Coming back to the subject of the
and so on. Phase 2, which involved somewhere like Asbury Park is situated US TETRA market as a whole, he says:
getting our own buses on the system, on the coastal plane, where it’s very New Jersey “My expectation is that we’re going to
is now also complete, after addressing flat and sandy. The ‘Jersey Shore’ in consists of many continue to see growth, with take-up of
additional coverage needs. other words. different terrains the technology slowly picking up speed.
“One of the most complicated “We also have dense urban areas, including the We were the first to roll out in the
things in relation to the project has such as Newark and Jersey City, and the beachfront at United States, and we’re now getting
Asbury Park
been providing coverage. Most people’s design approach needs to be different other transport companies coming to us
to ask for the benefit of our experience.
“The entrance of TETRA into the
American market took an incredibly
long time, and as such many companies
went down a different path. But people
really are now starting to see the value
in it, especially in the utilities and
transport sectors, with a lot of the big
airports choosing the technology. I
don’t think it’s going to take off like
wildfire, but you’re going to see slow
and steady growth.”
Addressing the broadband question,
he continues: “I look at broadband
primarily as a complement to what we
already have. There’s clearly a place for
it, and of course we use cell phones
ourselves. But the idea of replacing a
mission-critical private network with a
broadband provider? It could happen
one day, but at the moment, it’s not
even on the table.”
When it comes to critical
communications, the United States
continues to be one of the most-talked-
Adobe Stock/Jin
about markets across the world. With

so many predictions about its future
direction, it will be fascinating to see
where things go from here.

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Conference report
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All together now
Critical Communications Today discusses some of the key highlights from the recent
BAPCO Online conference, including several Emergency Services Network updates
S
taged as a replacement for the organisation’s this point, from progress on coverage and the air-to-ground
rescheduled annual showcase in Coventry, network, to the leveraging of the Kodiak push-to-talk app.
BAPCO: The Online Event did a good job of He also mentioned the ESN Direct 1 product, the first
bringing attendees up to speed ahead of what iteration of which is currently being trialled with the UK
will likely be a crucial year for public safety Immigration Service. He said that Direct 2 – which will
communications in the UK. provide interworking with Airwave – should be “live and
As might be imagined, a core focus of BAPCO Online available to use” by springtime.
was the Emergency Services Network, with visitors receiving Continuing on the subject of network progress, he said:
multiple Home Office updates on the state of the project “The end-to end solution – the radio area network, the core,
across the course of the event’s three days. The first of these the data centres – they’re all there. They all work today. By
was positioned as the opening keynote, with newly installed April we want to start getting the Samsung devices into the
ESMCP programme director John Black providing a ‘big hands of users across the emergency services, in order to
picture’ overview. build feedback and confidence.
Black began his 20-minute presentation by addressing “In the longer term, we can talk about all the things we
some of the doubts that have surrounded the project could potentially do with the [network], but what needs to
from the beginning, and which remain in some quarters be addressed in the short term is what we need to do to turn
even now. Airwave off. [How do we] provide the critical voice and data
Discussing this, he said: “We’ve recently been asking communications that the services want?
again if this is the right solution for us, given that the world “In terms of the release we all want – ESN Version 1 –,
has moved on since we started this journey. We had an we don’t have a date yet, but are working to get one out as
independent review that has absolutely validated that we’re soon as possible. That will have all the functions we need
on the right track.” in order to manage mass transition and roll-out. By the
He continued: “Airwave is coming to the end of its middle of this year we should have a much better overall
life, and cannot be the basis for integrated voice and data programme plan, developed in collaboration with the senior
solutions for the future. Plus, it’s a bespoke network which users.”
is extremely expensive to run. We’re confident that we’re on One of the key topics across the BAPCO Online
the right track, and we’re confident that the rest of the world ESN sessions was the involvement of those actually
is with us.” using the network, something which – as you might
Moving onto the update itself, Black began by reiterating hope – has become increasingly top-of-mind as the project
much of what has been achieved on the project up until has progressed.

Conference report
In terms of Black’s presentation, for instance, this was Our relationship with the
reflected in particular in the second half, during which
he touched on both user participation as well as the programme started off on what I
management of expectations in terms of timescale. The would describe as a parent/child footing
event’s second ESN presentation, meanwhile – taking
place at the start of day two – focused almost entirely on As well as the Emergency Services Network, BAPCO
the experience of those already using the network in Online also featured presentations from several other
some capacity. national emergency services broadband roll-outs. These
This session was introduced by ESN director of included Ed Parkinson and Jefferey Bratcher from the
deployment and user insight Becca Jones, who began with FirstNet Authority giving an update on the US equivalent
an update on the aforementioned ‘early adopters’, for of ESN, as well as Erillisverkot’s Ari Toivonen discussing the
instance Durham & Darlington, and Dorset & Wiltshire path to Virve 2.0 in Finland.
fire and rescue services. “Despite COVID-19, we’ve been
able to make some pretty steady progress over the course of Open to new tech
the last year,” she said. As anyone following the UK public safety communications
Finishing her introduction, Jones also listed the sector over the past few years will know, the biggest news
organisations tasked with hosting operational testing of inevitably tends to be generated by the Emergency Services
the ESN Beta, which will be followed by Version 1.0, Network. There are always plenty of other talking points,
as mentioned above. These include Avon and Somerset however, as reflected by the rest of the BAPCO Online
Police, Cheshire Constabulary, Merseyside Fire & Rescue conference schedule.
Service, West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, and the UK With that in mind, another key topic across the event
Ambulance Radio Programme. was the burgeoning use of artificial intelligence within the
Following Jones, the session was continued by two emergency services/mission-critical environment. This was
representatives from the user organisations themselves, in explored by a variety of different presenters, including NICE
the form of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service’s Mark Jones, robotics and AI consultant Paul Perry, who discussed ‘the art
and ESN programme director for the South West region, of the possible’ at the start of day two.
chief superintendent Colin Searle. Perry began his presentation by outlining the company’s
Discussing Merseyside FRS’s motivation for hosting interest in the use of “virtual/digital workers”, and in
Direct 2, Mark Jones said: “Merseyside has always been particular how that kind of solution could potentially
willing to take calculated risks in order to move projects benefit emergency services organisations. Going into greater
forward, and this was no different. We always knew that detail, he discussed NICE’s ‘NEVA’ digital assistant, which
would be an extremely challenging task with many lessons The UK is designed to take on “workflow-driven tasks, where there’s
to be learnt. Ambulance Radio not a lot of decision-making”. This could – according to
“Because no-one had ever done this before, we opted for Programme will him – include data entry, invoicing, managing duty rosters
a simple, contained, system architecture. We completed host ESN Beta and so on.
testing
user acceptance testing in August, using Direct 2 devices, Perry illustrated this via the discussion of a utilities
alongside two web dispatch terminals.”
Jones finished his part of the presentation by mounting
a live, real-time demo of interworking between an Airwave
handset and a Direct 2 device, both of which were set to
the same talk group. “Only a simple test,” he said, “but
hopefully it proves we’re going in the right direction.”
Searle continued on a similar theme, also discussing
his organisation’s experience of becoming involved with
the programme at an early stage. Describing the initial
relationship with ‘the centre’, he said: “I think it would be
fair to say that when we started, it was difficult.
“[At that point] the expectations of the programme
weren’t exactly our expectations, and the relationship started
off a little bit on what I would describe as a parent/child
footing. We’ve had to work hard to change that, and we
definitely have.
“We’re now in a position to influence how ESN is
developed, how it’s tested and, ultimately, how it’s delivered.
Adobe Stock/Brian Jackson
We’ve been able to challenge the programme about its

processes, and set more realistic expectations.”
Searle finished by referencing Theodore Roosevelt’s
famous ‘Citizenship in a Republic’ speech. “We wanted
to be in the thick of it; in the arena,” he said. “There is no
effort without error and shortcoming.”

Conference report
Let’s not talk about

unprecedented times. Let’s not
talk about the ‘new normal’
company, which he said is using the NEVA software to

guide customer interactions and automatically key-in data in
its customer call centre. Transposing the solution to a public
safety context, he suggested it could provide an emergency
services call-taker with “multiple layers of data” provided in
real time from social media, the Police National Computer
and so on.
Another AI-themed presentation – also on the second day
– came from managing director of the European Emergency
Number Association (EENA), Jerome Paris. His topic was
‘AI: what are the dangers of falling behind the public in
terms of the use of the technology?’.
Paris began his presentation by giving examples of where
public safety has lagged behind. One of the most obvious of
these, he said, was the way Uber has been able to leverage
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far more accurate caller location technology than emergency
services control rooms have historically had access to.
Moving the topic on to AI, he discussed the recent A recurring theme
EENA-Corti project, which explored how the technology of the conference
could potentially be used to help emergency services call- was the use of AI
takers detect signs of cardiac arrest.
Expanding on this, he said: “At the end of the day, we In his words, key questions which need to be addressed
could see that the AI as a decision support tool was quite include: “How do we exchange information better; and how
valuable. It helped us to detect more cardiac arrests [in do we work more collaboratively with partners? This is really
callers], [as well as detecting them] faster.” key to addressing threat, harm and risk, and making good
He finished his presentation by giving two sets of decisions.
recommendations, one aimed at user organisations “[One area] which has caused quite a lot of debate in
themselves, and the other at their technology partners. policing,” he continued, “is around empowering the
Addressing the former, he said: “Try to be as open to new private sector. Our view is that they will absolutely have a
tech as you can. Speak to AI companies, and make data big part to play in this. If you’re supporting policing, [we
available for trials in compliance with privacy requirements. need to know] how to energise the marketplace to get
Tech partners should listen to the needs of public safety, so new innovation.”
they offer solutions which are applicable to these very specific Following on from Parkes, Bell discussed expectations
organisations. Test and validate new tech with users.” going forward. “For me, the focus is on the ‘how’,” he
The third day of the conference began with another said. “How do we learn the lessons from a strategy
keynote address, this time delivered by CEO of the UK’s perspective, and turn that into a reality? [At the same
Police Digital Service, Ian Bell, alongside director of the time] while we do that, how do we appreciate some of
police National Enabling Programmes, Wayne Parkes. the strides that we’ve begun to make over the course of
Together, they discussed the need to enable genuine the last year?”
“business change and support” via UK policing’s current He continued: “Let’s not talk about unprecedented times;
digital transformation programme. let’s not talk about the new normal. But there is recognition
Parkes began his part of the presentation by outlining that while the world of madness that is COVID-19 has gone
the aforementioned effort, summing it up as: “Trying to on around us, there has been a wealth of expectation that
corral policing into a national roadmap around digital delivery has continued to occur.
transformation [in order to address] some of the key “We’ve seen a wealth of progress and continued
decisions that it needs to make. The challenge we’ve had investment into major law enforcement programmes.
from frontline staff has always been how can policing tech Ultimately for us it’s about how we reposition to have
be as good as what they use at home?” capacity that begins to move us forward. How we describe
He illustrated this by discussing the five ‘digital what we thought the art of the possible could be over the
ambitions’, which he described as providing “a roadmap next 10 years, and ultimately how we turn that into the
of digital priorities” across the next five to 10 years. These impact of the deliverable.”
include ‘seamless citizen experiences’, ‘addressing harm’ All BAPCO: The Online Event sessions will be available
(ie, using technology to help protect vulnerable people), on demand until the organisation’s rescheduled annual
‘enabling officers and staff,’ embedding a whole public Conference & Exhibition in October. To register, visit
system approach,’ and ‘empowering the private sector.’ online.bapco-show.co.uk

End User Series
A series of online conferences

designed for users of
business- or mission-critical
communications technology.
JOIN US 23 & 24 JUNE 2021

‘Critical narrowband: The user perspective’
Split over two half-days, this new online conference
will focus on current and future deployments of
TETRA and DMR solutions, looking speciﬁcally
from an operational perspective.
K I V U M \ WÅV L
;
o u t mo re !
FIND OUT MORE:
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Supported by In partnership with
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End User Series

‘Critical Narrowband: The
User Perspective’
Use of narrowband in
the field
Ahead of the first CCBitesize online conference, TCCA Chief Executive Tony Gray
discusses the urgent need to bring users into the critical communications conversation
T ‘Critical narrowband: The

aking place at the
End User Series
“There needs to be as many budgets and travel opportunities.
end of June, the first opportunities as possible for The CCBitesize events will enable
user perspective’
iteration of new online users to engage across the critical anyone with an interest in, or need
series CCBitesize will communications ecosystem, to ensure for, critical communications to explore
focus primarily on they are aware of – and can influence – developments in the technology and
the use of narrowband for critical future developments. Users are on use-cases which would otherwise not be
communications. Topics covered will the frontline, protecting our available to them.”
include lessons learned from significant communities, and we need to do as As convenient as online events
roll-outs, the future development of much as we can to ensure they have the undoubtedly are, that ‘ease of use’
standards such as TETRA, and more.
Where the series will really
best possible resources.”
Moving on to the topic of the
means nothing if the content itself
isn’t up to scratch. And one look at
differentiate itself, however, is via CCBitesize events themselves, Gray the programme (see opposite) should
a unique emphasis on the user expresses his expectation that they provide plenty of reassurance that the
experience. Indeed,
In partnership with the conference will build
Supported by on the achievements of last first CCBitesize will be time very well
will be specifically designed for November’s Critical Communications spent. The event is designed to quickly
organisations – such as those in public Week, particularly when it comes to deliver crucial information, straight to
safety – which may not necessarily have uncovering new audience segments. the user.
WORLD
the resources to2021
attend global events Elaborating on this, he says: “The new
Discussing the thinking behind
taking place in the ‘real world’. audience that we reached through the content itself – and in particular
Discussing why it is so vital to focus CCWeek last year proved that online how the presentations will help users
on users in this way, TCCA CEO Tony events can be massively complementary make decisions going forward – Gray
Gray says: “Users have always been to those taking place in-person. Ninety continues: “To quote Steve Jobs:
the key participants in conversations per cent of the people who registered ‘People don’t know what they want
around critical communications. They for CCWeek had never attended until you show it to them.’
are the people who need to use the Critical Communications World. “At the same time, it’s also true that
products and services, and they are the “With that in mind, we hope users will always have fundamentally
people who drive the market. If the that CCBitesize will reach an even the same high-level need for
users don’t want or like a product, then wider audience – users in particular secure and reliable voice and data
it won’t succeed commercially. – and especially those with limited communications. The CCBitesize

More speakers to follow. Check criticalcommunicationsbitesize.com for updates End User Series
content has been designed to sit in that

space, between current requirements
Preliminary programme
Wednesday 23 June 2021
and future development. Users’
14.00-14.30 BST TETRA in the time of change: the perspective of the end user
needs will by definition change as the 08.00-08.30 CDT An ‘in-conversation with’ session, discussing:
technology to support them evolves, • The benefits and challenges of using TETRA
with the potential of each evolution • How do you navigate changing times?
being recognised and exploited in turn. Steven McLinden MAPD GIFireE, retired senior fire and rescue officer, Wales, UK
We believe that the event will play a key 14.30-15.10 BST Recent developments in TETRA networks around the world, and how these are
08.30-09.10 CDT being used effectively
role in helping to shape that landscape.”
• How are TETRA networks currently being deployed?
As mentioned, the first CCBitesize • What are the lessons of the past that can help with future deployments?
will focus on the role being played by Matilde Brown Megård, senior advisor, Critical Communications and Public Safety
narrowband technologies. Of these, Network, Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, Norway
TETRA in particular continues to 15.20-16.00 BST TETRA roll-outs in the USA: successes, challenges, lessons that can be learned
09.20-10.00 CDT around the world
represent the gold standard when it
• Advantages of using TETRA in the US
comes to critical voice communications, • Overcoming challenges to TETRA deployment
and as such will play a key role Chair: Keith Ammons, director, North America TETRA Forum, USA
at CCBitesize. Panellists: John Monto, senior director, Collins Aerospace, USA, and others TBC soon
Discussing why it is so important 16.00-17.30 BST TETRA use case studies: what has worked well and what has gone wrong
to focus on narrowband, Gray says: 10.00-11.30 CDT • Presentations highlighting specific uses of TETRA across multiple sectors and industries
“Current narrowband solutions like • The presentations will demonstrate situations that have gone well, and not so well
• Lessons that can be learned from these specific examples
TETRA will remain a crucial part of
Highways England case study: use of TETRA on a nationwide road network
the critical communications technology Al Edwards, technology operations manager & sponsor, Highways England
mix for the foreseeable future. They Robin Davis, TCCA & Actica Consulting
have supported users’ critical voice 17.30 BST Close of day one
11.30 CDT
services and provided reliable – if
Thursday 24 June 2021
limited – data applications for decades.
14.00-14.40 BST Making the best use of the technology
“Look at the countries that are 08.00-08.40 CDT This session will provide advice on:
considering critical broadband for • Radio discipline
nationwide public safety and you will • Effective communication strategy at the scene
find a narrowband network already, • Use of LTE to support or complement TETRA
Ian Taylor, assistant chief fire officer; senior lead business change, National Fire Chiefs
quietly and efficiently, providing robust
Council
and trusted support. They are not going 14.40-15.40 BST TETRA use case studies: what has worked well and what has gone wrong
to be turned off any time soon.” 08.40-09.40 CDT • Presentations highlighting specific uses of TETRA across multiple sectors and industries
He continues: “TETRA remains the • The presentations will demonstrate situations that have gone well, and not so well
best, and currently only, way to deliver • Lessons that can be learned from these specific examples
fully standardised, proven, secure, Use of TETRA at Minsk European Games

John Dundas, consultant, DundasTech Limited, plus a representative from the Minsk
interoperable voice and short data. It European Games Operations Team
is in use by a huge variety of sectors Benefits and challenges of using TETRA, CLP Power Hong Kong
worldwide, from small, private Terrance Lai, senior telecom manager, CLP Power Hong Kong
systems to huge nationwide public 15.50-16.30 BST Selecting the right option
09.50-10.30 CDT
safety networks. • Advice on the future outlook for TETRA and long-term strategic planning
• How to select the correct communications option based on the needs of your
“It is a trusted technology, giving organisation
user organisations full control of Steven McLinden MAPD GIFireE, retired senior fire and rescue officer, Wales, UK
their communications and related 16.30-17.00 BST Evolution or revolution
investments. It is designed for the sole 10.30-11.00 CDT Insight into the evolution of TETRA technology and usage, including:
purpose of delivering gold-standard • Updates to data services
critical communications, spectrally • Security
• Standardisation and certification
efficient, with end-to-end encryption, • TETRA and broadband interworking
customised coverage, and even off- Brian Murgatroyd, ETSI & TCCE
network service.” 17.00-17.40 BST Future direction of TETRA
CCBitesize will be a crucially 11.00-11.40 CDT • New opportunities across different sectors
important series for the sector, while • International outlook: new opportunities in different parts of the world
• TETRA and broadband interworking
also heralding the return of Critical
;K IVUM\ WÅV L
• Hybridisation: new devices
Communications World in November. • What does the future hold?
Register your interest and join us Ken Rehbehn, Omdia ou t more!
for Critical Narrowband: The User 17.40-17.45 BST Summary and take-home messages
Perspective on 23 and 24 June. 11.40-11.45 CDT
Supported by In partnership with
WORLD 2021

Interview
On to the
next century
Following the recent 100th meeting of TCCA’s
Technical Forum, group chair Harald Ludwig
and association vice-president Tero Pesonen The 40th meeting of TCCA’s Technical Forum,
discuss what the future holds for TETRA held in Shenzhen, China, in 2007
What are the key differences between the TETRA who will fund the process. Basically everything was an issue.
market now and when the group first started? These were resolved by co-operation and collaboration across
When the Technical Forum was formed, TETRA technology countries, operators and vendors, with the Technical Forum
was brand new, and only first networks with limited bringing the industry and operator/user communities together
functionality were in place. At that time, prospective purchasers to consolidate views for prioritisation and goals. It is a good
– used to single vendor proprietary systems – had little example on the benefits of co-operation for the benefit of all.
confidence that TETRA infrastructure would really work The market responded very well, as demonstrated by the fact
together with radios from different manufacturers. The risk of that in most tenders, the IOP tests and IOP certificates were a
this infant market fragmenting was evident. fundamental requirement. It also shows that when purchasers
The way forward therefore was to have a forum bringing formally ask for interoperability by putting a requirement into
stakeholders together to discuss matters on a practical level, their tenders, they’ll get it. It does not come by itself.
without commercial pressure. The TETRA Interoperability
Process [IOP] was instigated to ensure fully documented and What will be the key areas in terms of TETRA’s
certified processes were in place, in order to reassure potential continuing development going into the future?
buyers, as well as provide common guidance to vendors. Going forward, we see the main work item as being the
The IOP has underpinned the success of TETRA, which development of the standard to be able to interwork with
rapidly became the leading narrowband mission-critical radio 3GPP critical broadband systems. This work has been ongoing
technology throughout the world. TCCA’s IOP process remains for some time but is vitally important for those users who want
in place as a critical element of the TETRA ecosystem as new a dual systems option where it is possible that TETRA is used
infrastructure elements and user devices are developed. We take for voice, and maybe for Direct Mode.
it as a compliment that all the work going on behind the scenes A second key area is in delivering improvements to TETRA
to ensure interoperability goes largely unnoticed! data services, for instance making packet data over TETRA
more efficient. ETSI TC-TCCE is already working on packet
Who was involved in the group at the start? data group calls, which really enhances efficiency.
The first TF meeting took place on 16 February 1999 at the The third area is security, which always requires updating
UK Home Office in London. Both users and operators were and improvement to stay ahead of the bad actors. End-to-end
involved, including the Home Office itself, British Telecom, encryption is outside the scope of ETSI standards and is dealt
Dolphin Telecom, The Police Netherlands and KTL. Vendors with by TCCA’s Security and Fraud Prevention Group (SFPG).
included Marconi/OTE – now Leonardo – and Nokia, as well
as test vendors/test house IFR and Tele Danmark. Some of What is the future for the standard? Does
those original organisations are still very active in TCCA and broadband represent a challenge?
standardisation activities. We predict that the TETRA standard has a long and healthy
future ahead. The advent of critical broadband based on 3GPP
How did the market/users respond to the new LTE/5G is an opportunity for TETRA as it could increase the
technology? overall volume of critical communications telecoms being used,
Everything was new at the beginning, and we had to convince leading to a wider overall global market for both standards.
the industry of the benefits of co-operation, which is the It is very clear that large national PPDR networks will
essence of the TETRA MoU. The public safety market at the migrate to broadband to benefit from higher data capacity.
time used proprietary technology, so there was no need for However, this will take time due to the complexity of
interoperability testing. This approach was new for all involved. implementing the new technology, as well as building the value
Issues were how and what to test and how to organise testing. chain in order to meet the day-to-day operational requirements
We also discussed who would be the certification body and of critical users.

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