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the technology delivers. Te strength and depth of this success is underpinned by the interoperability of the technology. Tis means is that air interfaces, network interfaces, services and facilities have been specified in sufficient detail to enable independent manufacturers to develop infrastructure and radio terminal products that are fully interoperable with each other.
Tis has generated a competitive marketplace, giving the users the two most important elements with which to drive a thriving industry: confidence and choice. As many independent manufacturers support the TETRA standard, full interoperability increases competition, provides second-source security and allows a greater choice of terminal products for specific user applications.
PMR users can choose between handheld, mobile,
covert and ATEX terminals, and benefit from a range of specialized models designed for use in overground and underground trains, motorcycles, helicopters and fire and rescue vehicles.
Competition TETRA’s dominance of the PMR marketplace is accepted, yet it must be noted that the technology has faced little competition. While users have a choice of hardware and software suppliers, TETRA has set the standard for mission-critical communications. Today the competitive landscape is changing, and it is a difficult time to be a user looking for a PMR network. Now, there is more than one choice of technology out there, some making claims that can result in user confusion. Society, too, is changing, and the need for a genuine mission-critical communications capability across a range of situations and scenarios has never been more important.
Wants and needs Mindful of all the noise from lower-end technologies looking to play in the PMR market, users need to take a step back and really consider their options. Needs must be defined by the features and functions
necessary today, yet with full consideration given to the requirements of the future. Operational aspects must be in balance with available budget: users must consider which network features are mandatory, which would be nice to have, and which are optional. Do the delivery promises really meet mission and business-critical levels of performance? Different approaches to evaluating PMR requirements may be taken, depending on whether the customer is a new user, or an existing user looking to upgrade. Is the migration process required to be gradual, or is the demand for the rapid roll-out of an enhanced voice and data
Issue 1 November 2010 - February 2011 TE TRA TODAY
network? Are significant increases in capacity, functionality, and coverage required? Is multi-vendor choice important in the procurement process – or not? Users with a sizeable network need resilience,
redundancy, full network control and accurate reporting. Are these stated network capabilities true to their descriptions – so that the network really will remain operational even under attack from either man-made or natural disasters? If radio communications are critical to the safety of personnel and business survival, then the network must be truly business-critical. Radio networks need to be specified with the future in mind. Users expecting to grow radio use need to consider channel usage – will trunking be needed in the future?
Some alternatives It is increasingly myopic to expect that PMR networks can stand alone, isolated from other communications. Users may need their radio network to be an integral part of an overall telephone network, with full duplex communication, and/or an integral part of an IT network with full voice and data capabilities. Tere are other PMR standards, and equally there are
standards that work in tandem with TETRA, such as WiMAX, LTE and the GSM family. But they are not mission-critical. Tey provide complementary capabilities that enable users to tailor network services to suit their individual needs, while retaining the critical core network.
Left: an ATEX-rated TETRA radio for specialist users such as firefighters and petrochemicals workers – one choice from a field of more than 40 TETRA terminals available from a variety of manufacturers
Mission-critical communications: TETRA networks offer levels of availability and resilience beyond those provided by ‘consumer’ radio networks
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