8
News
IHS Markit sees steady
TETRA terminal growth
www.criticalcomms.com October 2019
British APCO calls for
clarity on NG999
The British Association of Public Safety
Communications Officials (British
APCO) has published a white paper
on the topic of “Next Generation 999”
(NG999), which highlights the issues that
must be addressed if the UK public is to
have access to an emergency call service that
operates consistently well across all
emergency services and regions
and makes full use of
available technology.
The paper summarises
the discussions from
the association’s
NG999 event on 11
June. It states that
“there needs to be
a clear and agreed
roadmap of future
development including
MAIT (multi-agency
incident transfer), AML
(advanced mobile location),
use of data, video and AI, and the
demise of PSTN (public switched telephone
network) in 2025. As examples, currently
AML is used by all Ambulance services, nearly
all Fire and Rescue services, but only about 60
per cent of Police forces.”
The paper (at https://bit.ly/2ouOTFe) also
says “the Government should lay out a clear
strategy and roadmap, acting like a private
company and considering KPIs, setting clear
expectations and focusing on future 999
performance, responses and consistency”.
The white paper also discusses the danger
posed by “the data deluge” – the possibility
that emergency call-takers will be bombarded
with too much information from various
sources – and the absence of “no single
consolidated system to centralise data – who
owns it, who wants it? Who pays for it?”.
In addition to discussing the role of social
media, AI and the potential benefits of remote
working, the white paper highlights the need
for a more joined-up approach, stating: “There
needs to be a cultural change – we know that
there are a lot of chief officers with many
competing priorities, but the technology
roadmap is a priority. There needs to be a
transformation in the way in which the UK’s
emergency services co-operate in terms of
business processes and procurement.”
The paper also notes that BT is upgrading
An IHS Markit Technology report on the
demand for TETRA terminals forecasts
steady growth across all sectors, with
demand led by industrial users – their
sector is expected to see a compound
average growth rate (CAGR) of eight per
cent over the 2018-2023 period. Other
markets that are expected to record
CAGRs of more than five per cent over
the same period include transport and
utilities, while the public safety market
is expected to grow its TETRA installed
base by more than four per cent in the 12
months to December 2020.
Breaking it down by regions, IHS Markit
expects North America to lead with an
almost 15 per cent CAGR in the installed
base of active radios over the 2018-
2023 period, with Latin America showing
almost six per cent CAGR in the same
timescale, and Asia heading towards five
per cent. Growth in Europe is predicted
to be less but still on the upward curve,
taking into account the expected delivery
of both hybrid and broadband terminals
in the coming years, while the Middle
East and Africa will maintain the steady
growth the region has seen since 2015.
The dual mode TETRA/LTE terminal
install base is forecast to grow at a CAGR
of more than 100 per cent over 2018-to
2023, but less than 100,000 terminals are
expected in total over the next three years.
“Secure mission-critical voice
communications coupled with push-totalk
capabilities through multiple mediums
including smartphones, tablets and
desktop computers have become the
need of the hour for effective public safety
and emergency services,” said Ramya
Balakrishnan, senior research analyst,
IHS Markit Technology. “Having said that,
TETRA has definitely become one of the
most dominant technologies in the public
safety domain, with massive refreshes
emerging in mature markets.”
Tony Gray, TCCA chief executive, said
it was “particularly interesting to see the
predicted growth in North America, where
TETRA has only been present for the last
few years – this success is testament
to the foresight of the companies who
have taken the initiative in the US and
Canadian markets”.
the platform that currently handles the 999
services and that “it is expected that the first
phase upgrade will be in place by the end
of March/April 2021… This will provide
backward capability for voice, telematics
(eCall) and SMS. A three-month migration
period will see the old platform remaining
in place with extended support… BT
plans to have support for ‘normal’
voice calls plus VOIP (voice
over IP), and alerts from
wearables and smart
speakers/digital home
assistants to be in place
by 2025.”
The paper ends by
saying: “The barriers
to advancement
are organisational
and political, not
technological… the
transformation of the
emergency services is sluggish
– there is a real danger of being left
behind and failing the public.”
In an accompanying letter, Ian Thompson,
CEO of British APCO (pictured), said: “The
UK is justifiably proud of its 999 service. The
world moves on though, never more so than
in the field of technology… the public has
ever greater expectations that our emergency
services and their supporting ecosystem will
make full use of the best technology and
information available… We know the reality
does not match those expectations…
“One of BAPCO’s roles is to run the 999
App Accreditation Scheme on behalf of the
UK’s 999 Liaison Committee. I am concerned
we see apps emerging that have real potential
benefit for the emergency services and for
public safety providers. However, these cannot
progress into the 999 system because as of
today, BT can generally handle only voice calls
and a limited number of messages via SMS.
“There are times when those in need cannot
make a voice call. On other occasions, valuable
information could be available from the scene,
but the caller has no option to communicate
other than by voice.”
He said the paper is intended to act “as the
basis for further debate and the development
of what must be a robust project plan that
will ultimately result in a comprehensive
technology roadmap for NG999”.
/www.criticalcomms.com
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