Nokia gets serious about public safety LTE

Nokia has announced the launch of the Nokia Group Communications portfolio, which it said will expand its range of LTE-based public safety solutions.

The company said the solutions “will enable first responder teams to securely communicate through new applications, such as instant video connectivity, alongside traditional push-to-talk features on a single device to enhance operations and safety”.

According to Nokia, compatibility with 3G and Wi-Fi networks will ensure high service availability even if there is no LTE network coverage.

Nokia Group Communications can be used with the Nokia Compact Network, a rapidly deployable solution that allows first responders to quickly deploy a private network in emergency situations.

Nokia said the portfolio is “fully aligned” with 3GPP and ready for mission-critical push-to-talk standards.

The portfolio includes a high-capacity platform that supports real-time push-to-video for 1000 active users and 20,000 push-to-talk active users per single server, with the ability to scale. The software licence is offered on a pay-as-you-grow basis. It also comprises dispatch consoles that incorporate voice, video and mobile CCTV features.

Nokia said that push-to-talk/push-to-video features are pre-integrated within a range of secured and certified devices supporting a wide range of LTE frequencies. There is fast call set-up, with latency below 300 ms, and secured communications with end-to-end encryption at the application layer.

“Nokia Group Communications further bolsters our comprehensive public safety offer with capabilities that will help first responders react more effectively in a crisis,” said Henri Tallon, Nokia’s head of public sector.

“With new applications like push-to-video, fully standards-ready, we can ensure public safety teams are better informed of a situation and therefore enhance safety and security for all concerned.”