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deployment


Planning the network O


f TETRA Ireland’s 600 sites, the great majority are existing sites with only 90 new ones. “TETRA Ireland had a large database of sites, 5000”, says John Reilly, one of TETRA Ireland’s RF specialists. “And in the event a site could not be used for planning reasons or could not give the necessary coverage, another site was selected. Continually we were reviewing our sites and alternatives, and this was the key for a fast build-out of the network.” Has Mr Reilly any advice now for other operators planning a deployment? “There’s one very, very important thing”, he answers, though he admits that he didn’t


welcome it at first. “And that is... that we all worked in one office – the team that did the roll-out, the team that did the RF planning and project management. You could have the morning discussions over a cup of coffee, as well as all the meetings and so on. “If you are on the opposite sides of the city, and you need three meetings a week, you are


losing two hours a day. That’s an awful lot of time just disappearing.” Mr Kelly foresees plenty of growth for TETRA in this area


for the future. “Te new solution is much more than your traditional pager”, he says. “Tis will be a multifunctional device that will bring additional messaging capability with an added personal security assurance.”


Voice and data For now, the NDRS is being used primarily for voice, but a standard automatic vehicle location system (AVLS) will be offered to network users soon, and then other data applications will be added, beginning – most likely – with database interrogation. Tese could be based on devices such as tablets and mobile PCs.


“Ten we will see whether we can develop some more


complex data applications with third-party providers”, Mr Kelly says. “Te UK police have done crime incident reports over PDAs, which we have looked into. We want to start with data SDS applications. We will develop onwards from there.” More advanced technologies such as TETRA TEDS


wideband data are still some way off, in Mr Kelly’s view. “Te difficulty about mobile data is actually to see where the drivers are coming from, from an operational perspective”, he says. “Tere are drivers, but it’s not a simple story and it’s not a single solution either. You have to work with your customer to see what they actually want.”


TETRA tips TETRA Ireland’s strategy, Pat Kelly admits, was an ambitious one. But he says, “Despite concerns by some that the network could not be built and delivered in the timescale proposed, we were always confident. We leveraged the experience and knowledge of our partners Motorola, the national telecoms provider Eircom, who operate fixed and mobile communications themselves, and Sigma Communications, who have a lot of PMR experience. What, then, would be his advice to others planning a radio


project? “First would be planning. Know your sites. Te key


thing is, what’s the coverage required? What is the optimum number of sites? Have alternatives to sites because if the first chosen one isn’t a feasible option, you will need a back-up. “Good communication with the customer at the various


levels is key. “And lastly, manage supplier dealings well. Be absolutely


clear with responsibilities. Clarity. Have systems that, if things are going wrong, that you are measuring the metrics to know. Planning, communication, partnership with the agencies is critical. “Te way I see this, we are building a network on behalf


A fire engine picks is way through the streets of the Irish capital: the fire service is the one major agency not yet committed to join the NDRS TETRA network


22


of the agencies. Tis is really their network. Tey set out the coverage spec of what they wanted in the network, so they were the key from the start. “If that is right at the start, it really gives a very good foundation to build a network.”


TE TRA TODAY Issue 3 May 2011


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