As different telecom operators look for better handling of critical communications and establishing resilient public safety networks – LTE is fast becoming a de-facto standard for enabling next generation ready critical communications infrastructure.
Amit Marwah, Head of Technology, India Region, Nokia Networks, speaks with Zia Askari from TelecomDrive.com about the company’s focus towards critical communications and prevailing global trends in this space.
What are some of the top trends that are set to redefine the business landscape for critical communications in the years to come?
As general view we foresee global trends as such: LTE MBB and its evolution to 5G, Big Data in the Telco Cloud, Analytics to analyze massive amount of data, IOT, Smart Cities.
Nokia estimates that the global LTE Public Safety Market including MBB, Devices & Applications and Services will exceed 6 billion Euros annually by 2020. This market value does not represent potential vertical upsides (utilities, mining, transport etc.)
Mobile broadband connectivity in a mission-critical environment ensures more efficient handling of the crisis. For instance, live videos streams from camera attached to fire fighter’s helmets or from drones can enable the organizations to respond more effectively to a disaster. Similarly, telemetry from ambulance to hospitals can potentially allow medical professionals to prepare the best treatment for patients.
Reliable, secure and resilient communication is at the core of any public safety communication. It is easy to see why public safety organizations are opting for LTE to incorporate mobile broadband elements in their strategy. It is a win-win proposition for the public safety agencies since the technology not just combines voice communication with broadband capability but also offers enhanced speed over traditional technologies.
A key reason for the growing popularity of LTE in public safety systems is that it allows prioritization for emergency responders, when executing Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) missions. By its very nature, public safety networks require enhanced resilience and security than commercial networks and LTE is perfectly equipped to meet this need.
How does your organization align with these trends?
Nokia Networks combines industry leading mobile broadband portfolio with best-in-class public safety devices and real-time applications for addressing this PS domain Nokia LTE mobile broadband portfolio enhanced with 3GPP public safety functionalities and carefully selected partner products to offer a full end-to-end public safety product and service portfolio Nokia quality standards ensure reliable and secure public safety connectivity.
Cost Optimized Digital technologies such as DMR are critical towards mass adoption of critical communications. Do you agree?
Mobile broadband can offer significant help to emergency services, for example with live mobile video, situation aware dispatching and remote diagnostics. LTE is the technology of choice for this.
The TETRA and Critical Communications Association (TCCA) announced that LTE is the selected technology for mission-critical mobile broadband communications MBB LTE networks can be cost efficient thanks to lower cost of economy of scale.
What are some of your offerings that are set to enable next generation adoption for critical communication in various segments such as Oil and Gas to Mining etc?
Nokia combines its own industry-leading mobile broadband products and services with best-in-class partner devices and applications conforming to stringent Nokia quality requirements to provide an e2e solution. To address these specific segments we can propose one of our innovations Nokia Network in Box (NIB). Nokia NIB is a complete LTE network
What are some of the big growth areas for your organization and why?
- Public Safety (PS) networks provide communication services to entities such as police, fire fighters, civil defense or paramedic services
- Current Public Safety Networks such as TETRA or Project 25 (P25) support mission-critical voice communications but are limited in data connectivity
- E2E LTE public safety services will provide LTE data rates and lower costs for devices and network equipment and Nokia continues to drive Global standardization and adoption of LTE based connectivity, devices and application eco-system for Public safety services.
- E2E Public Safety solutions will address Push to Talk, Group calling, Direct communication, Positioning, Sensor analytics, Alerts, Maps & location, Video sharing, Database access, Reporting and Surveillance.
- In India Nokia is already working on a pilot project under its CSR initiatives to help communities with Disaster Risk Reduction in India by building self-contained fast deployable Network in a Box( NIB) using LTE technology on which Govt can provide various disaster recovery Services. This is a unique initiative on how technology can saves lives in marginalized communities living in disaster prone areas across 5 states ( Bihar, AP, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Delhi)
- In a noteworthy step toward a smart city future, Nokia Networks and du, the Middle East’s fastest growing telecommunications service provider, employed drones carrying smartphones with network testing applications to analyze du’s network. This shows how Governments have already started to adopt these solutions
- Nokia is looking to collaborate closely with Operators and partner eco-system to offer high capacity, low latency and cost effective Public Safety solutions to Govt and institutional Customers under Digital India and Smart City initiatives.
