科罗拉多州威斯敏斯特市——一位官员昨日表示，未来三年内，LTE可能取代目前为英国公共安全机构和其他政府机构提供关键任务通信的TETRA系统. 此外，希普利说，与无线电视系统相关的合同计划2016年至2020年到期，因此英国内政部正寻找替代方案. 希普利说，英国官员下个月将举行一次供应商会议，就2016年12月启用公共安全LTE系统的构想征求意见，到2020年，整个系统将过渡到4G技术
科罗拉多州威斯敏斯特市——一位官员昨日表示，未来三年内，LTE可能取代目前为英国公共安全机构和其他政府机构提供关键任务通信的TETRA系统
自2005年以来，关键任务通信通过无线系统传输，这是一个私有的TETRA网络，覆盖了大不列颠（英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士）99%的陆地和98%的人口。据英国内政部的戈登·希普利（Gordon Shipley）说，它为“所有三个紧急服务机构和其他国家用户”提供服务，这些用户需要支付订阅费。他说，尽管TETRA系统的性能“非常好”，但对用户来说“极其昂贵”，特别是与商用无线广播时间每分钟成本的暴跌相比
此外，希普利说，与无线电视系统相关的合同计划2016年至2020年到期，因此英国内政部正寻找替代方案
“因为（无线网络）是一个基于TETRA的系统，它是窄带数据，”Shipley会议期间说。“有一件事已经变得很清楚了，急救服务现越来越趋向于宽带服务，这可以提供更高的速度。我们需要为宽带和窄带语音提供更好、更可靠和安全的服务。所以，我的项目的责任是找到一个替代关键语音和宽带数据服务的替代品，并且这样做是经济有效的
“我们认为，英国，4G LTE比我们目前购买的服务有着显著的优势。”
希普利说，英国官员下个月将举行一次供应商会议，就2016年12月启用公共安全LTE系统的构想征求意见，到2020年，整个系统将过渡到4G技术
这一发展可能会对美国产生影响，美国正试图让全球LTE标准机构3GPP将关键业务语音等公共安全要求纳入LTE的未来修订版中，这些要求可以FirstNet正建设的全国性宽带网络中实施，世卫组织帮助领导美国商务部下属的公共安全通信研究（PSCR）标准工作
“我认为听众中的每个人都必须明白，美国并不是唯一一个真正期待LTE的国家，”Thiessen会议期间说。“很多方面，英国的实际工作速度比FirstNet快，预计2016年将成为关键任务语音系统。”
当然，公共安全的关键要求之一是任务关键，即按键通话语音。Thiessen说，LTE推送谈判的一套要求草案已经分发给其他国家的官员，初步的反应是积极的
他说：“实际上我们已经很接近了。”。“我们回来的评论更多的是澄清某一句话的含义，而不是‘嗯，我们的看法截然不同。’全球公共安全运作相当相似，因此按键通话就是按键通话，无论是TETRA还是P25，还是英国还是美国，用户群体的期望都非常相似。”
WESTMINSTER, Colo.—Within the next three years, LTE could replace the TETRA system that currently provides mission-critical communications for public-safety agencies and other government organizations in Great Britain, an official said yesterday.
Since 2005, mission-critical communications have been transmitted over the Airwave system—a privately owned TETRA network that covers 99% of the land mass and 98% of the population in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). It serves “all three emergency services and other national users” that pay subscriptions fees, according to Gordon Shipley of the United Kingdom Home Office. Although the performance of the TETRA system is “very good,” it is “extremely expensive” for users, particularly when compared to the plummeting per-minute costs of commercial wireless air time, he said.
In addition, the contracts associated with the Airwave system are scheduled to expire from 2016 to 2020, so the UK Home Office is looking for alternatives, Shipley said.
“Because [the Airwave network is] a TETRA-based system, it’s narrowband data,” Shipley said during the session. “One of the things which has become clear is that the emergency services are now increasingly going broadband services, which can provide even higher speeds. And we need to provide a better, more reliable and secure service for broadband, as well as narrowband voice. So, my program’s responsibility is to find a replacement for critical voice, as well broadband data services, and to do so cost effectively.
“We think, in the UK, that 4G LTE promises significant benefits over the current service that we buy.”
UK officials will conduct a supplier conference next month to get input on the notion of having a public-safety LTE system operational in December 2016, with the entire system transitioned to the 4G technology by 2020, Shipley said.
This development could have an impact in the United States, which is trying to get 3GPP—the global standards body for LTE—to include public-safety requirements such as mission-critical voice in future revisions of LTE that can be implemented in the nationwide broadband network being built by FirstNet, according to Andrew Thiessen, who helps lead the standards effort for Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR), a unit of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce.
“I think it’s imperative that everyone in the audience understand that the United States isn’t the only country that’s actually looking forward to LTE,” Thiessen said during the session. “In many ways, the United Kingdom is actually working faster than FirstNet, looking at a 2016 date for mission-critical voice.”
Of course, one of the key requirements for public safety is mission-critical, push-to-talk voice. A draft set of requirements for push-to-talk over LTE has been distributed to officials in other countries, and the initial response has been positive, Thiessen said.
“We’re actually getting pretty close,” he said. “The comments that we’re getting back are more about clarification of what a particular sentence meant and less so about, ‘Well, we view things very differently.’ Public safety operates fairly similar globally, so push to talk is push to talk, whether it’s TETRA or P25 or whether it’s the United Kingdom or the United States—the expectations of the user community are very similar.” |
