When things go wrong, who do you call? Radio applications enable key agencies to respond to events promptly. A&S looks at the market size, product trends and standards for radio, along with real-life integration issues.
In the event of an emergency, getting the word out to the right people is imperative. Radio transmission has evolved from walkie-talkies to a complete spectrum of technologies that communicate needs in a targeted fashion.
When things go wrong, who do you call? Radio applications enable key agencies to respond to events promptly. A&S looks at the market size, product trends and standards for radio, along with real-life integration issues.
In the event of an emergency, getting the word out to the right people is imperative. Radio transmission has evolved from walkie-talkies to a complete spectrum of technologies that communicate needs in a targeted fashion.
However, communicating clearly is easier said than done. Governments and local authorities rely on communication systems to fight crime, detect threats and respond to disaster. Each agency usually has its own equipment, making it difficult to pool interagency resources. A communication breakdown could be catastrophic, resulting in pandemonium, confusion, delays and lost lives.
More communication channels also mean that operators have more information to work with. Land radio technology is enhanced with video surveillance, geospatial data and voice communications. Existing communication networks and systems can handle voice, but not video and data, due to limited amounts of bandwidth.
The demand for timely communications in emergency response is loud and clear. Take the U.S. for example. While radio communication is a small part of homeland security and defense, the American market is expected to grow from US$73 billion in 2011 to $86 billion by 2014, according to a Homeland Security Market Research report from November 2010. President Barack Obama plans to spend $10.7 billion on a high-speed wirelessnetwork dedicated to first responders. It would transmit data, images and video to 98 percent of the U.S. over the next five years.
The resounding need for communications has resulted in proposed legislation reserving a block of radio spectrum for first responders. In May, American senators proposed the Senate Broadband for First Responders Act, which would dedicate $5.5 billion to building a national network for first responders and budget another $5.5 billion to maintain the network. As countries throughout the world combat deliberate acts of terrorism as well as natural disasters, clear communications offer clear benefits.
Technologies
Historically, radio covered voice communications, but that definition is rapidly expanding. “Today's radio communications for public safety and first responders are primarily based on analog or digital trunked radio systems (TRS) or private mobile radio (PMR) systems that include MPT1327, TETRA, Tetrapol, Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) P25 and other standards,” said Shih-Jih Yao, VP and Head of Communications and Security Business, ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems). “Such systems support voice, short messages and low-rate data. Voice is still the primary means of communication, with data playing the complementary role providing location and incident reporting services. As we see more demand for command-and-control applications emerging, there is a growing trend to use broadband wireless data infrastructure based on WiMax, long-term evolution (LTE) or even public 3-G data networks to support such applications.”
IP broadband wireless data is a trend for public safety, while TRS is still used for voice. “In the public safety or homeland security sector, first responders from different service agencies such as police, fire service, special forces, social support groups and more may not use the same type of communication system,” Yao said. “Some may use TRS of different types or conventional radios. Others may even use public cellular phone systems. Interoperability of disparate communication systems among the different service agencies poses a problem and affects operations.”
More agencies are migrating to digital voice and data communications, led by TETRA and APCO P25 technologies. “TETRA is the dominant standard chosen by public-safety agencies in nearly all regions except for North America, where P25 technologies dominate,” said ABI Research in a 2010 report. “Regulations, spectrum access and funding continue as the foundational drivers for adoption regardless of region.”
Newer technologies are changing the radio landscape. “The first-responder community is waking up to the possibilities of broadband data services encouraged by the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S., advocating LTE for next-generation public safety broadband communications,” ABI Research said. “Partnerships are forming to pursue broadband public safety requests for proposals, as well as to take on Motorola for large projects.” This can be seen by Cassidian joining forces with Alcatel-Lucent to develop field radio communications systems.
Applications
Radio plays an important role at large events. “Missioncritical communications are essential to public-safety operations,” said Shaohong Zhang, CEO of Security and Communication Solutions for China, Cassidian (an EADS company).
The company provided a TETRA solution for Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010, linking government organizations that included the police, fire brigade, rescue and civilian administration. A record-breaking 2.2 million calls were made on the first day over the PMR system. “Applications such as automatic vehicle location, database inquiry and network management systems were developed in the TETRA network to meet the requirements of different users,” Zhang said. Other large events requiring effective communication solutions include international summits, the Olympic Games and the World Cup tournaments.