Teltronic, part of the Sepura Group, and Técnicas Competitivas, a ICT services and product development company based in the Canary Islands, have deployed "the first mission critical LTE network in Europe".
The already fully operational network provides complementary broadband services to RESCAN, the private TETRA network of the Canary Islands’ public safety agencies, whose end users include ambulance, police and environmental services.
Building on the existing Teltronic NEBULA system, the solution uses an eNEBULA system deployed as a hybrid TETRA-LTE network, the MVC-6000 – a vehicular system capable of integrating different wireless technologies such as TETRA and professional LTE – and rugged commercial LTE handhelds to provide services such as real-time field-to-control video transmission, internet and intranet access, and customised applications that tackle the agencies’ operational challenges.
The LTE network has been designed to comply with the rigorous availability and security parameters required in critical mission environments. It provides RESCAN with: high data transmission rates, low latencies in call establishment and data transmission, an integrated network management system for both TETRA and LTE radio access and specific functionalities for professional communications, such as group calls, emergency calls or priority management.
To meet the spectrum regulations for public safety users and broadband services laid out in Spain’s National Table of Frequency Allocations, the system uses frequency bands below 1GHz, bringing additional benefits in terms of radio propagation and indoor coverage.
“A hybrid TETRA-LTE network expands the range of services available to PMR users, protecting their investment while maintaining the same levels of security, reliability and resilience,” said Juan Ferro, Sepura’s vice president systems.
“This revolutionary deployment represents a significant milestone in mission critical communications and provides a clear path for the evolution of existing TETRA systems.”
