TCCA News
25 years of impact on the world’s
safety and security
Twenty-five years ago, a group
of stakeholders in critical
communications gathered in
Copenhagen to create and sign the TETRA
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Those individuals and their companies
became the founder members of the TETRA
MoU Association, now known as TCCA –
The Critical Communications Association.
TCCA has grown to become a global
organisation, continuing to drive the
development of TETRA technology through
its TETRA Industry Group and ETSI, but
also catalysing and leading the development
of critical broadband 4G/LTE and 5G
standards. This takes place through TCCA’s
Market Representation Partner status in 3GPP,
support of the ETSI MCX (mission-critical
voice, data and video) Plugtests, and TCCA’s
Broadband Industry and Critical Broadband
Working Groups (BIG and CCBG).
TCCA’s core principle of open standards
– the foundation for the success of TETRA
– has remained unshakeable since those
first pioneers came together in 1994. The
TETRA market was built on the unique
Interoperability (IOP) Testing & Certification
Process, developed and led by TCCA’s
Technical Forum (TF). The first TF meeting
was held at the UK Home Office in London
in February 1999, and the first IOP certificates
were published in November 1999. Twenty
years later, the TETRA IOP process continues
to lead the world in independent certification
for critical communications.
TCCA’s IOP process was developed to
enable a truly open multi-vendor market
for TETRA equipment and systems. This
approach gives users clear benefits in terms
of a wide portfolio of compatible equipment,
competitive pricing and rapid development
of new product models. The IOP process also
benefits industry by creating a wider accessible
market, faster market take-up and greater
potential for investment in new developments.
TCCA’s IOP testing is witnessed by an
independent body, currently ISCOM, part of
the Italian Ministry of Communications.
TCCA is working with partners such as
the Global Certification Forum to develop
a global MCX interoperability testing and
certification regime, and works with an
increasingly wide range of industry partners.
25 years of excellence
Jeppe Jepsen is TCCA’s Board vice-chair, the
association’s director of broadband spectrum
and director of international business relations
for Motorola Solutions. He was director of
TETRA at Motorola when the original MoU
was signed, and has seen the association and
the critical communications market develop
first-hand since 1994.
“Over these 25 years the association has
expanded the market to all parts of the world
and all sectors of PMR/LMR. TCCA has
developed across the critical communications
broadband ecosystem to become the place
where user organisations and industry can
debate and clarify their common issues, and
to be the honest place to obtain and share
information,” said Jepsen.
“Through lobbying of governments and
regulators we have gained international
agreement on broadband spectrum for PPDR,
and we have set out, and continue to drive,
technology roadmap agreements across the
demand and supply sectors.”
Tony Gray, TCCA chief executive,
underlines the importance of industry
and user co-operation and the countless
days of work put in by volunteers. “This
25th anniversary is another opportunity to
publicly thank all our members, our partners
and all supporters of excellence in critical
communications. The impact that such a
niche but crucial market has on the world’s
safety and security cannot be underestimated,
and we are proud that TCCA is firmly
embedded at the centre of developments.”
The importance of standards
Brian Murgatroyd, chair of the ETSI TC
TCCE (Technical Committee TETRA and
Critical Communications Evolution), outlines
why TETRA has been a long-lasting success.
“TETRA was conceived at a time when
there was a need to provide reliable, secure
and inter-operable digital mobile radio
services for professional users. This was made
a reality by the development of an open
standard of really high quality and detail. It
was produced by experts from several mobile
radio companies and governments, devoting
years of painstaking work and who foresaw the
possibilities of a modern digital system that
would offer many functions and services. An
open standard has ensured good competition
between manufacturers which has kept prices
affordable and has encouraged continuous
innovation,” said Murgatroyd.
“The TETRA standard was first developed
in the 1990s but is still being improved today
and is seen as having a long-term future
well into the 2030s and beyond. It now
consists of more than 130 separate technical
specifications and more than 35 technical
reports and guides. However, although a good
standard is the basis of success it could not
have happened without the co-operation of
users, operators and manufacturers, hence
what is now called TCCA was conceived and
has always had very close connections to ETSI
and the TETRA standard.
“We are still developing the TETRA
technology to ensure it will still be fit for
purpose for the next 20 years, but we have
extended our remit to cover developments
of specifications for critical communications
broadband services. In particular we are
developing new interfaces to ensure successful
interworking between TETRA networks and
mission-critical broadband systems. We wish
TCCA a great future for another 25 years.”
November 2019 @CritCommsToday 9