TCCA drives new initiative for 3GPP mission critical interoperability testing, certification

As 3GPP specified mission critical (MC) features start to mature and manufacturers begin to implement the standards in their products, vendors, operators and users alike are looking at how best and most efficiently to test and certify standards conformance and interoperability for MC devices and systems.

The most cost effective testing and certification of MC clients and devices is of critical importance as it will lower the overall cost of solutions for operators and end-users.

Led by Harald Ludwig, Chair of TCCA’s Technical Forum, TCCA hosted an initial meeting of device manufacturers, application developers, mobile network operators (MNOs) and user agency representatives to share information and ideas regarding testing and certification of future MC broadband products. The meeting was held at the second ETSI MCPTT Plugtests™, hosted by Texas A&M University’s Disaster City facility in College Station, Texas.

Current approaches applicable to consumer devices and products were considered to see how such regimes might be most cost efficiently and effectively applied to the significantly smaller, but very important, MC market.

The need for global collaboration and information sharing between all interested parties, most especially between non-competing MNOs entering the MC market, was stressed at the meeting as being a basis upon which a robust testing and certification regime could be achieved for MC products.

Further meetings are intended with the aim of creating a formal Interest Group to continue the dialogue and collaborate on delivery of an acceptable solution for the benefit of all stakeholders in the MC community worldwide.