TCCA | Celebrating 30 Years of Advancing Critical Comms

For 30 years, TCCA has been at the forefront of promoting the use of standardised technologies to deliver mission-critical communication systems that are secure, available, resilient, interoperable and, ultimately, trusted.

“During all these years, the market has shown that this kind of association was necessary.” said TCCA Board chair Mladen Vratonjić. “TETRA is not only a marketing hit, it is a triumph of quality, a careful and smart approach, a joint success of producers and users under the watchful eye of TCCA – and TCCA initiates the same approach when defining broadband solutions for critical communications.

“The increasing number of members, the better and more comprehensive world congresses, the undeniable desire of all stakeholders to cooperate in the application of high-quality open standards are a guarantee that TCCA will continue to be a leading player in the field of critical communications in the future.”

Moving forward with mission-critical broadband

TCCA Working Groups and task forces continue their excellent work on a range of initiatives all designed to enhance critical communications for end users. Topics include broadband callout, broadband spectrum, cybersecurity, high-power user equipment (HPUE), massive mission-critical video, mission critical applications and devices, mission critical roaming, narrowband-broadband interworking, physical network infrastructure security, non-terrestrial networks, and quality of service, priority and pre-emption (QPP).

Critical broadband is moving forward with projects around the world in various stages. TCCA's work as the Market Representation Partner for critical communications in 3GPP is bringing the unique requirements of mission critical users incorporated into the defined features of 3GPP Releases, the basis for the development of standardised products and services for critical broadband.

This year saw a particularly notable achievement when, after several years of work by many dedicated individuals, the Global Certification Forum (GCF) announced that it is adding 3GPP-based Mission Critical Services to its certification programme. With this new certification, operators and service providers can be sure of the quality and compliance of critical broadband devices and services. This will facilitate the development of an ecosystem of mission critical services with multiple interoperable providers.

Talking TETRA technology

Certification and interoperability is essential to ensure a thriving market, as proved by the ongoing growth of TETRA technology underpinned by our world-leading TETRA Interoperability (IOP) process. This has continued uninterrupted despite the lockdown and travel restrictions, with 21 sessions since 2019 including those conducted online during 2020 and 2021. Regarding enhancing TETRA security, with the support of industry and ETSI, the new additional TETRA Set B security algorithms have been published, and our Technical Forum worked hard to include these into the TETRA Interoperability Profiles (TIP)s and Test Plans, meaning products using the new algorithms can now be IOP tested.

“TETRA’s growth trajectory is twofold: it is supporting the refreshment of existing public safety networks while simultaneously driving the digitalization path in transportation, utilities, and critical industrial sectors globally. What is particularly noteworthy is how TETRA has transcended its European roots, which represents 49% of the total TETRA market. Omdia has observed how Asia is the fastest growing and now represents 23% of the TETRA market, followed by the growing adoption in the Middle East, and American markets,” said Ildefonso de la Cruz, principal analyst in the Public Safety & Critical Communications group at Omdia.

“Critical communications are entering an era where the strengths of TETRA in voice communications will be complemented by critical broadband data-centric services,” continued de la Cruz. The status of global critical broadband adoption by public safety agencies could be categorised as being in the “planning” stage. However, the market is evolving toward actionable implementation programs, reflecting the commitment of government stakeholders and the industry to drive the evolution of their critical communication networks.”

On the global stage

TCCA representatives and members continue to be invited on to the stage at many events around the world, and our own Critical Communications World (CCW) has seen significant growth over the last five years since CCW in Malaysia in 2019. Following a very successful Critical Communications Week held online in 2020, we returned with a physical event in Madrid in 2021, introducing the Government Authorities Global Village, a unique feature that has gone from strength to strength, most recently in Dubai hosting 22 authorities from 18 countries.

2022 saw us head to Vienna, with the introduction of guided Tech Tours, which have become a key component of the exhibition. 2023 will always be remembered as a landmark edition; taking place in Helsinki, it was the busiest ever CCW with more than 4,800 visitors and five host operators from the Nordic Countries supporting the event, truly encompassing its core theme of success in cooperation. 2024 saw the event taking place in Dubai. With support from host operator Nedaa, the show was a huge success.

CCW 2025 will take place in Brussels, with host operator ASTRID and co-located with the ASTRID User Days. At the time of writing, we have sold 80% of floorspace and are bringing new and exciting features to the event. Whilst maintaining a steady 20% growth in revenue per year, we expect record numbers of visitors and exhibitors, making 2025 our largest ever edition.