Top Improvements an LTE Public Safety Network Overlay Can Provide to Traditional LMR Networks

In the wake of a number of recent local, state and federal emergency situations, public safety practitioners and other authorities have begun to recognize the need for next-generation wireless networks that are capable of quickly and securely delivering data and other mission-critical services across multiple locations and disciplines.

For this reason, the public safety community has embraced Long Term Evolution (LTE (News - Alert)) technology, which is being adopted at a widespread level by wireless service providers around the world. LTE technology is a perfect fit for public safety needs because it provides nationwide interoperability and utilizes standardized protocols and interfaces. This means that users that are outside of their home public safety network can stay connected with emergency personnel through the public safety 700 MHz band or a commercial wireless network.

Furthermore, LTE can support virtually any current or prospective public safety application, including those run through video, digital imaging, remote database access and messaging. With these capabilities, LTE technology can allow emergency response personnel to quicken their response times and securely stay connected.

Referencing its compatibility with the 700 MHz band, LTE has been publicly endorsed by a number of national organizations, including the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council and the 911 Emergency Number Association, among others.

Fortunately, Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert) has been at the forefront of the mass migration to LTE, and has designed a solution that will enable local, state and federal public safety workers to stay connected while having access to any number of mission-critical applications.

Alcatel-Lucent's expertise with LTE and the public safety industry in general gives the company a unique ability to respond to the growing need for a unified, secure and highly-capable next-generation network. In fact, Alcatel-Lucent was responsible for the nation's first-ever 700 MHz interoperable public safety broadband network, known as the National Capital Region system, which was recently built in Washington D.C. The network is currently providing local emergency personnel with comprehensive broadband services that include mobile video and high-speed data connections.

Details of the company's Ultimate Wireless Broadband solution for public safety as well as a breakdown of the growing demand for LTE can be found in the telecom giant's new white paper.

The solution "provides a complete end-to-end network from the RAN to the core, including operations support and a growing ecosystem of application developers, device manufacturers and content developers," note the authors of the white paper.

It also "offers a unified communications infrastructure that can be shared across cooperating public safety agencies, while leveraging existing investment in public safety radio infrastructure to enhance communications and enable key broadband applica­tions that accelerate response times and improve situational awareness," they add.

For more information on Alcatel-Lucent's public safety solution, click here.