Critical communications users look to information-rich services of the future

There is huge potential for broadband capability to transform critical communications services. However, the true value will only be unlocked through the effective analysis of the data deluge that broadband will bring. The identification, extraction and targeted delivery of key intelligence from multiple sources will enable a paradigm shift in the impact of communications on critical users such as public safety professionals and the communities they serve.

In addition, the industry must foster an environment that encourages application developers to build a thriving ecosystem to create and deliver applications and services that directly benefit users and enhance the critical communications industry.

These are the key conclusions from the Future of Mobile Communications 2020+ event hosted by PSCE and the TCCA. The event was led by visionaries from leading information technology companies, futurologists, research institutions and social commentators who gave their views on how mission critical communications could develop. Critical communications users* from 17 countries then joined in an open debate on the future shape of the European mission critical communications market.

“The emergence of IPv6 is driving ever more interconnection, and there is increasing use of the cloud for both public and private data storage. However, this means that the sheer amount of information now available is rendered valueless unless we can extract the relevant intelligence,” said Manfred Blaha, Chair of the PSCE User Committee and Technology Advisor at the Austrian Ministry of Interior.

“There is much work going on around enhancing LTE for mission critical broadband so we know we will have high speed data,” said Hans Borgonjen, Vice-Chairman of the TCCA and Senior Coordinator, International Standardisation for National Police Netherlands. “We now have to encourage people to move out of their comfort zones, imagine the potential and realise the possibilities.”

Advances in areas such as robotics and augmented reality mean that the only limitation to the evolution of information-rich services for mission critical communications may be imagination.

*Including representatives from the TCCA, PSCE, the EU Law Enforcement working Party (LEWP), Public Safety Research Group, NATO Industrial Resources and Communications Services Group (IRCSG), EU-Project SALUS, EU-Project PPDR-TC EU-Project Establish Pan-European Information Space to Enhance Security of Citizens (EPISECC)