The white paper is based on a sector-wide survey, which also highlights the importance of testing and certification of mission critical applications.
The survey was targeted at members of TCCA, as well as other critical communications sector associations around the world. According to the association, the emphasis was on public safety, with representation from other mission critical organisations including utilities and defence.
Top user requirements revealed by the survey included service coverage, application reliability and security, with the management of applications also seen as a “key challenge.”
Discussing the findings, a TCCA spokesperson said: “The survey shows the need for broadband application developers to understand mission-critical requirements and design applications for use on different types of devices. The survey also highlights that MCPTT remains the most important capability for critical users, with MC video capability gaining more importance in public safety use.
“However, the majority of these broadband applications [leveraged by mission critical users] are currently deployed over commercial networks, with over-the-top, best-effort quality of service [QoS]. As broadband data applications become increasingly important for day-to-day operations, users will demand their applications be delivered with mission-critical QoS.
“The wide range of applications that the survey respondents considered to be mission-critical may mean that changes and additions to the 3GPP specifications are necessary, beyond the current MCPTT, MCData and MCVideo definitions.”
TCCA Board member and leader of the task force that created the survey and the white paper, Tim Clark, said: “The deployment and use of mission-critical broadband applications will greatly increase the effectiveness of first responders and the efficiency of mobile workers.
“The findings from our market survey provide valuable insights into the requirements of public safety, and other critical communications users, regarding their current requirements and future expectations.”
TCCA CEO, Kevin Graham, said: “Adhering to MCX standards and certification will be crucial for ongoing multi-vendor innovation of applications, and most importantly interoperability intra- and inter-agency, and where required, across borders.
“Harmonising the approach will ultimately lower the risks and efforts by all stakeholders and deliver richer operational capability into the hands of critical industry end-users.”
The white paper is available to read here.
