Public safety networks shifting to LTE and 5G: survey

Spending on LTE and 5G NR-based public safety broadband is continuing to increase according to a recent global survey.

According to market research, annual spending on LTE and 5G NR-based public safety broadband infrastructure and devices will exceed US$6.3 billion globally by the end of 2028. The market’s upward trajectory is coupled with realistic prospects of migration from land mobile radio (LMR) systems to 3GPP broadband technology across multiple national markets in the coming years.

SNS Telecom & IT’s ‘Public Safety LTE & 5G Market: 2025–2030’ report estimates that annual investments in public safety LTE/5G infrastructure and devices reached US$5 billion in 2025, driven by both new projects and the expansion of existing dedicated, hybrid government–commercial, and secure MVNO/MOCN networks. The market will further grow at a CAGR of approximately 8% over the next three years, eventually accounting for more than US$6.3 billion by the end of 2028 as nationwide mission-critical broadband deployments move from concept to delivery.

Western and Northern European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Finland and Sweden, are moving ahead with plans to migrate all public safety users from TETRA and Tetrapol systems to nationwide mission-critical 3GPP networks between 2028 and 2031. South Korea is an outlier, having carried out its transition much earlier due to the previous lack of a digital LMR network with nationwide coverage.

Transitions aside, a host of national-scale public safety broadband deployments are either operational or moving into the delivery phase. One of the largest projects that recently emerged from secrecy is Saudi Arabia’s US$8.7 billion mission-critical broadband network for the Kingdom’s defence, law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Another new addition is the Hong Kong Police Force’s US$250 million 5G-based NGCS project, which is comparable to national programs in smaller countries and follows a very different approach from mainland China.

Other programs extend from high-profile initiatives such as the United States’ FirstNet, South Korea’s Safe-Net, Great Britain’s ESN, France’s RRF, Sweden’s SWEN and Finland's VIRVE 2 to New Zealand’s PSN, Royal Thai Police’s LTE network and Japan’s PSMS, among many others.

3GPP-compliant MCX services are a foundational component of nationwide public safety broadband networks, and multiple contracts have recently been awarded for both gateway-enabled interoperability solutions and standards-based IWF technology. Other key focus areas include in-building coverage enhancement, 5G NR sidelink, hybrid LMR-broadband terminals and other alternatives for off-network communications, rapidly deployable network assets, satellite direct-to-device connectivity, and the integration of NG911, live video, geolocation services, AI analytics and situational awareness.

Beyond state-funded national programs, public mobile operators in some countries are pitching network slicing over their recently launched standalone 5G cores as an alternative to dedicated networks. In the United States, both Verizon and T-Mobile have launched first responder network slices to rival the AT&T-operated FirstNet national public safety broadband network.

Independent small- to medium-scale private 5G networks are also being deployed to address specific operational needs, with examples being Mexico City Police and Madrid City Council.

Australia and New Zealand

In the Australian market, limited progress has been made so far on Australia’s national PSMB (Public Safety Mobile Broadband) initiative despite an RFI in 2024 to prequalify vendors for a future procurement, according to the report. Telstra has carried out demonstrations of MCX services, LMR-3GPP interworking, and prioritised access at its Gold Coast PSEC (Public Safety Experience Centre) to build its case to serve as the primary carrier for PSMB. The NSW Telco Authority is leading advocacy efforts to secure suitable spectrum for emergency services and impose enforceable licence conditions on commercial mobile operators to guarantee priority, pre-emption, national roaming and public-safety-grade resilience.

As part of New Zealand’s PSN (Public Safety Network) program led by cross-agency entity NGCC (Next-Generation Critical Communications), over 25,000 public safety subscribers rely on a multi-network cellular roaming service for broadband communications. Priority and pre-emption are operational for more than 80% of these users to ensure first responders stay connected even when the Spark and One New Zealand cellular networks are congested or degraded. In addition, compact rapid deployables are also being procured to provide temporary cellular coverage during major emergencies or incidents. They will be stored across the country in strategically selected geographic locations, ready for deployment as required.

Image credit: iStock.com/IURII KRASILNIKOV