Public Safety LTE Networks for When Calls and Data Must Go Through

Public safety agencies exist to provide timely response to emergency situations. For teams responsible for responding to an emergency call, every second counts. The time it takes to respond to an emergency call can mean the difference between life and death. Reliable and quality communications thus are critical. This means not just interactions among first responders, but also multiple media interactions between those on the scene and support capabilities (people and machines) in the vicinity or located remotely. It also means reliability and high performance while on the move. A recent Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert) article, “LTE (News - Alert) mobile broadband enhances public safety with shared video and data,” explores:

• The importance of accurate information sharing among public safety personnel
• How information exchange must take place even if the commercial communications infrastructure is not operating properly
• How new 4G LTE solutions designed specifically for emergency response are enabling public safety officials in various localities to have the enriched interactions and peace of mind they require.   

It highlights Alcatel-Lucent’s (ALU) work with public safety officials and emergency response teams on developing innovative solutions that leverage the speed and service availability in next generation mobile broadband with a focus on improving the entire emergency response operational environment.  The public safety solutions offered by Alcatel-Lucent build on the company’s LTE base stations and its Wireless Packet Core portfolio. Using the Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) backhaul network capabilities, this solution can deliver the power, coverage speeds and bandwidth necessary to transfer video and data services in even the most challenging emergency situations. At last year’s APCO International Expo in Philadelphia, ALU exhibited some of the fruits of its efforts for bringing customized LTE solutions to public safety. The centerpiece was the company’s Striker 1 moible command vehicel pictured below.  

This LTE mobile broadband support vehicle can deliver support in the public safety Band 14 spectrum to enable radios, cameras, tablets and more. Interestingly, the Striker mobile command vehicle was more than on display role at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Rowing Championship this year, as was discussed in an Alcatel-Lucent LifeTalk e-zine article on the event. This was the first use of a public safety LTE network at a large scale water event in the U.S.  Officials at the recently concluded event had the ability to use real-time visual information to ensure the security and safety of spectators and competitors. A dedicated mobile broadband network enabled by ALU extended capabilities to park rangers and emergency medical services providers as well.

The deployment demonstrated the advantages that LTE mobile broadband brings in enhancing situational awareness and collaboration between different organizations. A video feed of the event for the media and public also used the same LTE public safety network, highlighting that public safety LTE has the capacity and capability to ensure and prioritize mission critical operations while still supporting non-critical traffic.

4G LTE public safety solutions in the U.S. operate in the 700MHz band. Alcatel-Lucent in partnership with Cassidian at the recent TETRA World Congress (TWC) in Dubai showed their joint solution, Evercor^® Integrated LTE 400 PMR solution— which is a comprehensive TETRA radio solution also designed with a public safety focus.