British APCO: sufficient Harmonised 700MHz spectrum should be made available for public safety use
The organisation also states that there is a general consensus that not all of the existing public safety voice features such as mission critical push-to-talk will be standardised in time for the start of the ESN rollout.
British APCO is the only independent body representing the interests of those who use public safety communications. HM Government, through its Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP), is in the process of procuring a replacement for the existing trunk-based radio (TETRA) network. The intention is to change the Emergency Services Network (ESN) to a 4G/LTE technology platform – a move which British APCO fully supports. It is a significant step to change the technology platform as well as potentially the supplier(s).
In the short term, British APCO believes that a smooth migration is vital in order to minimise the impact to public safety responders and the communities they serve. There is a general consensus that not all of the existing public safety voice features such as mission critical push-to-talk will be standardised in time for the start of the ESN rollout. Implementation of the standards may take up to a further two years. A smooth migration therefore depends on either parallel running of the two technologies (until the appropriate standards are in place) or some form of interim service. Either way, the move to 4G/LTE will require extensive testing to prove ability to perform in the operational environment.
In the longer term, British APCO believes that sufficient harmonised 700MHz spectrum should be made available for public safety use in order to cater for both additional capacity and enhanced interoperability. Sufficient controls need to be put in place to allow for robust pre-emption to guarantee access to mission critical communications at all times or lives will be lost.
If the spectrum is sold off or leased without such controls with the risk determined by the commercial operators, there is the potential for commercial imperatives to take precedence over public safety user requirements. At a future time of need this could jeopardise the ability to provide the necessary resilience, coverage and capacity as described in British APCOs ‘4Cs’ model with no guarantee of an adequate long term solution.
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