TCCA signs 3GPP market representation partner agreement

The TETRA & Critical Communications Association (TCCA) and the 3GPP Project Coordination Group have signed a formal 3GPP partnership agreement that confirms the TCCA as the latest market representation partner (MRP) in 3GPP.

MRP status is given to organisations that have the ability to offer market advice to 3GPP and to bring a consensus view of market requirements such as services, features and functionality that fall within the 3GPP scope.

The CCBG is a Working Group of the TCCA, which represents organisations with an interest in the future of critical communications. With LTE services already being rolled out for consumer and business use, the standard will have a key role in the future in bringing broadband services to the critical communications sector. LTE also presents a unique opportunity as the potential single, harmonised, global standard for critical mobile broadband. However, as currently defined, the LTE standards do not deliver key features and functionality required by critical communications users.

Working together, the CCBG and other stakeholder groups around the world have already achieved agreement to develop specific critical communications features in future iterations of the LTE standard. With MRP status, the CCBG will continue to work closely with 3GPP to define and clarify user requirements and use cases for critical mobile broadband.

The CCBG aims to enable all mission- and business-critical users to access their information systems, intranet and internet at broadband speeds using their professional mobile devices wherever they are and whenever they have the need. This broadband capability should meet the specific needs of the user in the same way that critical voice and narrowband data services are currently delivered by current technologies such as TETRA, Tetrapol, P25, GSM-R and others.