Integrated PMR-Broadband-IP Network for Secure Real-time Multimedia Information Sharing

This article appeared in Homeland Security Affairs (May 2012), supplement 5, article 3"In this paper, the authors present a novel solution for the integration of TETRA-based [Terrestrial Trunked Radio] PMR [Professional Mobile Radio] and IP [Internet Protocol] based wireless broadband networks through a novel inter-system interface. This solution enables secure group communications based on PMR standards using heterogeneous devices ranging from a traditional PMR device to smart phones such as the iPhone. Thereby a Smart-phone user will be enabled to leverage on one hand the multimedia data capabilities of 3G and 4G wireless networks (UMTS [Universal Mobile Telecommunications System], LTE [Long Term Evolution]) while at the same time be part of a PMR group communication. In other words, any authorized Smart-phone can become part of a PMR communication group by simply downloading the appropriate, dedicated Application. As a key benefit, homeland security personnel can be included in the disaster response actions instantaneously, without necessarily carrying around a PMR device and without the need for PMR coverage. In contrast to existing solutions, the proposed interface solution prevents the reduction of the voice quality when bridging system boundaries by tandem encoding with a TETRA-over-IP (ToIP) interconnection. The presented solutions include different interconnection setups including Trunked Mode (TMO) and Direct Mode (DMO) capabilities. To enable the group communications services as known in PMR systems, a dedicated protocol, the Push-to-X protocol developed by CNI [Communication Networks Institute], is leveraged. The results of performance evaluations show that the speech quality is still acceptable even under harsh conditions. The proposed system therefore paves the way towards a future, high performance PMR based on LTE, while preserving backwards compatibility with existing PMR systems.

The Evolution of ICT in the Public Safety domain: Challenges and Opportunities

The services provided by public safety organizations bring value to society by creating a stable and secure environment. These services include protection to people environment and properties and they address a large number of threats both natural and man-made, acts of terrorism, technological, radiological or environmental accidents. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have always played an important role in the public safety domain. The capability of exchanging information (e.g., voice or data) is essential to improve the coordination of public safety officers during an emergency crisis. Wireless communications are particularly important in field operations to support the mobility of first responders. Operational and business requirements in the public safety domain are significantly different from the commercial domain. Innovative ICT concepts and technologies may not be directly applicable to the public safety domain or they need to be customized to fit specific requirements (e.g., security). This paper will identify the most significant challenges in the Public Safey domain, the main technical enablers and the opportunities provided by new ICT technologies. In particular, this paper focuses on the lack of interoperability and broadband connectivity for public safety organizations. The potential evolution paths for ICT in the public safety domain will also be described.JRC.G.6-Security technology assessmen