Welcome
MARCH 2020
Ensuring
interoperability
Critical Communications Today editor James Atkinson
discusses some of the issues associated with the transition
to mission-critical LTE and how to prevent different
implementations of MC products and solutions
Spearheaded by TCCA, the TETRA community put a lot of work into
ensuring that TETRA products and solutions could all interoperate with
each other. e TETRA Interoperability Certi cation Process (IOP)
provides a series of interoperability tests to ensure end-users can mix and match
products from di erent suppliers and be con dent they would all work together.
We are in the early days of transition to mission-critical LTE, but it has been
apparent for some time that a similar process is needed for MC LTE. e process
will be more complicated, because unlike the integrated approach of TETRA, the
hardware and software for 4G are separate. TCCA is leading the way on this, as our
interview with Jeppe Jepsen (page 14) reveals.
3GPP provides the speci cations for MC LTE standards, so in theory products
from di erent manufacturers should all work together. e problem comes with how
the standards are implemented by di erent vendors and mobile operators. Unless
there is a set of standard conformance
and interoperability tests that everyone
The issue is not a
adheres to, there is a real danger that
technical one; it
products, solutions and networks will
is a political and
not be able to interoperate.
commercial one
Concerns over interoperability are also
considered in our feature on the missioncritical
LTE market in the USA. FirstNet is designed to o er US rst-responders with
a single, nationwide MC broadband network.
However, state and local public safety agencies are not obliged to sign up. Other
carriers also o er PTT over LTE services. Not only that, there will be a mix of PTT
options: 3GPP-compliant MCPTT, carrier-integrated PTT and over-the-top PTT
options. If the goal of full interoperability is to be realised, all these PTT options and
the di erent carriers will also need to interoperate. e issue is not a technical one; it
is a political and commercial one.
Elsewhere in the issue we take a look at critical communications in Scandinavia,
talk to SA6 chairman Suresh Chitturi about progress in 3GPP on mission-critical
speci cations, and examine facial-recognition technology and its controversial
implementation. Finally, we look at what’s required to ensure network resilience in
both LMR and MC LTE networks.
James Atkinson, editor
MISSION STATEMENT
Critical Communications Today
provides the global missioncritical
community with insight
into the latest technology
and best practice required
to ensure that its members
always have access to the
instant, one-to-many wireless
communications that can make
all the difference inmoments
of crisis.
We are dedicated to providing
our readers with the knowledge
they need when determining
their critical communications
strategies and procurements,
though delivering up-to-theminute
accurate information on
industry trends, developments,
and deployments, as well as
the latest new products and
services. Our journalists are
committed to easing out the
little details from your peers
that will allow you to draw
on the industry’s collective
experience of deploying and
implementing new projects
andsystems.
We work to stimulate and
focus debates on the topics
that matter most and provide
our readers with a means to
raise their concerns and speak
frankly about their work and
the lessons they’ve learned
while delivering the devices and
networks that the world’s blue
light organisations depend on.
4 www.criticalcomms.com March 2020
/www.criticalcomms.com