French public safety broadband project moves forward

The second phase of the French LTE4PMR mission-critical communications research and development project has been planned out.

The project team, led by Airbus Defence and Space, held a meeting to undertake finalisation of an LTE scheme for professional mobile radio (PMR).

“LTE4PMR has rapidly progressed thanks to the strong involvement of all partners. We will soon be able to offer a full-fledged LTE solution for public safety,” Airbus Defence and Space Head of Secure Land Communications Olivier Koczan said.

LTE4PMR will be focusing on three aspects in the coming 15 months. Firstly, the project will enable existing communications systems to interact with the project’s LTE developments. Secondly, the project’s engineers will adapt mobile LTE solutions to actual field use cases outlined by the end users during the first phase. Finally, LTE4PMR will bring in line the overall LTE solution with Release 13 of the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a global organisation that sets international telecommunications standards.

Since January 2016, the LTE4PMR consortium has comprised French telecommunication companies and universities to develop mission-critical broadband solutions for public safety organisations. The project is partly funded by the French authorities through the Banque Publique d’Investissement (BPI) and the Investissements d’Avenir program.

The final results of LTE4PMR will be presented at the end of 2017. They will consist of a comprehensive and interoperable set of mission-critical solutions leveraging commercial mobile broadband services as well as dedicated networks in 400/450 MHz and 700 MHz radio frequencies.

Image courtesy of Airbus Defence and Space.