TETRAFlash 2012 Issue 1

TETRAFlash

Issue 1 2012

PUBLISHED BY TETRA-APPLICATIONS.COM

Exciting announcements during 2012 exhibitions!

A little bit later than planned please, find herewith TETRAFlash Winter 2012.

Trade shows, congresses and exhibitions are there to inform us about new exiting solutions, developments and to

Please, note that for the upcoming Issues, we have decided not to release a specific Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn edition anymore. By analysing our website statistics we realised that the

understand the general direction the “business” is going. With all new developments that are coming up as well as the direction for Public Safety Data, I expect 2012 to be a very exiting year for

number visitors of our website, coming from the Southern Hemisphere, are increasing rapidly and we now can say that our TETRA Web Portal is frequently visited by communications professionals

the TETRA and Mission Critical Communications Industry!

Understanding the enormous speed of developments around the combined use

1. TETRAtab’s successful integration 2. C2000 region uses coveragetools.com

from all over the world! This is the reason why we have decided to just number each edition from now on.

of TETRA and LTE, and the name change of the TETRA Association into TETRA + Critical Communications Association, it looks like a new era for Mission Critical Communications is yet to

3. LTE according to P3 Communications 4. Axell Wireless sets new industry standard 5. TETRA Crime fighting gone covert 6. Piciorgros GmbH and Dortmund

For our web portal, many new visitors means, many new members. Therefore, we are proud to announce that recently we have welcomed our 3500th member after just 1,5 year of operation!

TETRAFlash is a quarterly Newsletter for the TETRA Communications Industry Professional

start.

I can’t wait to visit the next TETRA World Congress in Dubai, where we will most likely see an increase of new so called TETRAFlash “Dragon House” Dragonweg 57 2 2 1 5 B N Vo o r h o u t The Netherlands Editor-in-Chief: Agnita Cheung

“heterogeneous solutions” that will hit the market. We will know more in a few months time!

Enjoy reading TETRAFlash!

Agnita Cheung

In this edition solutions

University enhances Push to Talk protocol

7. Panorama Antennas successful in Russia 8. Crystal Code’s success with TETRA Apps for RAKEL

9. Logica Merlot Medi system receives EU certificate

10. Safemobile’s “SafeDispatch solution” delivers enhanced safety to GASSCO

11. SkySweep introduces new product line 12. Prescom solution chosen by the Paris Metro

New technology 'keeps Warwickshire Police on beat for longer

million by 2015, following massive government funding cuts.

About 450 police officers and staff are expected to go from the 1,800 workforce.

In 2009 and 2010, Warwickshire Police undertook a pilot project to assess the benefits of mobile data.

Nine mobile print devices are also included in the new technology, which will enable officers to identify suspects in the street rather than taking them to the station.

During the pilot, two suspected shoplifters were successfully identified after the officer cross checked CCTV images against police records, while on the beat; an officer found a van displaying false number plates and, during a subsequent search, found £30,000 of stolen tyres inside; and a vulnerable missing person was found by a patrol officer, after the man’s photograph was sent to the officer on his mobile device.

Warwickshire Police – one of the smallest forces in the country – will see its £100 million budget slashed by £23 million by 2015, following massive government funding cuts.

Supt McGee added: “Mobile data represents policing in the 21st century and demonstrates Warwickshire’s new policing model based on resilience, prudence and seamless policing”.

"In the future we hope to be able to use them at incidents, taking statements, signatures and witness information.”

About 450 police officers and staff are expected to go from the 1,800 workforce.

In 2009 and 2010, Warwickshire Police undertook a pilot project to assess the benefits of mobile data.

During the pilot, two suspected shoplifters were successfully identified after the officer cross checked CCTV images against police records, while on the beat; an officer found a van displaying false number plates and, during a subsequent search, found £30,000 of stolen tyres inside; and a vulnerable missing person was found by a patrol officer, after the man’s photograph was sent to the officer on his mobile device.

Supt McGee added: “Mobile data represents policing in the 21st century and demonstrates Warwickshire’s new policing model based on resilience, prudence and seamless policing”.

PC Anita Dyer and PC Ian Bassett using the new notebooks "In the future we hope to be able to use them at incidents, taking statements, signatures and witness information.”

Nine mobile print devices are also included in the new technology, which will enable officers to identify suspects in the street rather than taking them to the station.

Warwickshire Police – one of the smallest forces in the country – will see its £100 million budget slashed by £23

Coveragetools.com Independent measuring radio coverage of a TETRA-system has become much easier.

The applications developed by Coveragetools are proven to be extremely user friendly and suitable for outdoor and indoor surveys.

With their applications it is possible to measure the radio coverage with the use of a Motorola radio (firmware MR5.8 or higher). It has a very user-friendly interface and the settings are easy to understand and consistently shown.

This is what the security-regions Rotterdam Rijnmond and Brabant North in the Netherlands are saying about our products:

More Information: www.coveragetools.com

The Challenge: We have searched for a solution to carry out an independent survey of the nationwide TETRA-system, this of course for the sake of public safety. We want to be able to survey and investigate radio coverage of “special coverage locations” (indoor installations using Cell Enhancers), festival terrains, problem areas and also research complaints from the field.

To assess the coverage of a location, for instance a new special coverage location or festival terrain, the radio coverage have to be measured. Several solutions are available to measure the radio coverage of a TETRAsystem. A separate receiver with terminal and application or a TETRA radio with terminal and application are currently the obvious choices. We have chosen a TETRA radio because of the possibility to test the uplink of the system by activating the transmitter of the radio. The applications needs to be user friendly and the output easy to analyze and usable for the reporting process.

The solution: Coveragetools is the best solution for our engineers.

Tetra OUTDOOR is using a GPS receiver to reference the information received from the radio, such as signal strength, serving cell, channel, and neighbours, to the positioning data. During the survey, this information can be displayed and stored in a comma-separated file. This file, for example, can be imported in Microsoft Excel to analyze the data or even better it can also be exported to a KML-file, which can be used with Google Earth. In this way you will be able to project the measured values on a map. You can download the free application “CSV2KML” from our website.

Tetra INDOOR is the application for measuring in-house coverage. A map or floor plan must be loaded to reference your position. During the measurements your location can be pointed by a simple mouse click on the floor plan. To analyze the data the measured values can be projected at the floor plan. This picture can be saved and be used directly in your report. A comma-separated file is also available to analyze the data.

High speed data White paper

White paper foreword

LTE for Critical Communications Drivers, Benefits and Challenges Next Generation’, ‘3.9G’, ‘4G’..... whatever the hype, broadband is the overall name of the game in the wireless world these days, and one of the leading technologies in the field for the meantime is ‘Long Term Evolution’ or LTE. In common with commercial network operators and service providers globally, critical communications users such as Public Safety and Security (PSS) and Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) agencies are currently evaluating their own needs for future wireless broadband services, with LTE and its future extensions emerging to be the favoured technology.

The 3GPP LTE standard provides for peak user data rates of up to almost 300 Mbps in the downlink, latency as low as 10ms, and high-speed mobility. Based on a new air interface and flat all-IP network architecture, LTE will allow for a considerably enhanced end-user experience by supporting significant new broadband applications and services. In addition, it can offer a compelling value proposition, particularly for commercial network operators, enabling a smooth migration path, flexible spectrum bandwidth, and the ability to deliver relatively low cost-per-bit services.

But what of the generally bespoke - and in many aspects particularly demanding - requirements of critical communications users?

•

Can adequate suitable spectrum be found in which to operate broadband services such as LTE?

•

Can commercial LTE technology be adapted to provide sufficiently robust, resilient, secure and

reliable services to meet the demanding needs of critical communications users?

•

Will the business case for broadband critical communications applications be sufficiently well made to justify fund holders authorising the notinconsiderable budgets required?

•

And finally, but by no means least, will LTE adequately interconnect and co-exist with other pre-existing narrowband critical communications radio access technologies, e.g.

TETRA, P25, TETRAPOL, etc.?

P3 has an extensive background in providing engineering support and consulting services to the global telecommunications industry generally, and in particular to the critical communications sector. The company has gained strong practical experience and knowledge of the LTE standard and technology whilst working with commercial network operators on their own next generation network rollouts.

Now critical communications users are also benefiting from the wealth of expertise developed by our consultants and engineers, as the first steps are taken towards bringing them truly broadband, resilient and reliable data services.

As an independent company, P3 has proven to maintain the best-practice knowledge for current challenges in mobile and fixed telecommunications networks.

This white paper document provides an overview of LTE technology and the current situation in the critical communications LTE market, as well as some of P3‘s views and opinions on the way forward for user agencies aspiring to implement these new broadband services.

If you would like to read the white paper, please contact Tony Gray or Dr. Martin Steppler: +49 241 9437 400

About Axell Wireless Axell Wireless is one of the largest global manufacturers of wireless coverage solutions and the No 1 provider of solutions for the public safety market.

New Optical Master Unit provides suport for both cellular and Public Safety Applications

Employing over 250 people, Axell Wireless has headquarters in Chesham, UK but operates from a network of 10 offices across the globe.

Axell Wireless has an enviable track record spanning some 30 years having supplied coverage solutions for many applications including road and rail tunnels, metros, small and large buildings, stadiums, remote or rural environments and transportation systems

Axell Wireless setting new industry standards for performance and affordability for in building coverage systems with next generation DAS Axell’s new OMU II (optical master unit II) is a next generation DAS hub that fully supports frequencies from FM to 2.6GHz, including all major global LTE frequency bands. The system is flexible and modular in design and can be configured to provide connectivity for a variety of remote units from eight high power MBF-40 series remotes through to twenty four of the new low power MBF-20 series remotes or virtually any combination in between. This allows a single DAS system to be both optimised in terms of performance, and cost, with the MBF-40 series used in larger coverage areas complimented by the MBF-20 in smaller buildings, or sub sections of a campus.

The OMU II also fully supports both MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) configurations and also up to 8 separate base station sectors – both critical characteristics given that data throughput and overall capacity are essential requirements for most mobile operator in building designs.

Crucially, the OMU II system when operating with both the Axell MBF-40 and the new MBF-20 series remotes has an extremely low noise figure. For example an OMU II operating with one MBF-40 has a noise figure of only 3db, significantly lower than virtually any other commercially available DAS system. The significance of low noise figures is that it maximises both capacity and data throughput across the coverage area of the DAS. Systems with high noise figures cause interference with base stations thus reducing overall coverage and capacity; especially for data services.

The OMU II system contains an “auto configuration” routine to enable simply and quick setup and can be configured using a web interface. It also incorporates SNMP (simple network management protocol) functionality and can thus communicate alarms and status messages to a mobile operator’s NOC (network operations centre).

The new MBF-20 series is a dual band IP65 rated DAS remote providing approximately 22dBm composite power per band in a compact approximately A4 size package. Each MBF-20 is connected to an OMU II hub via a single fibre optic cable. Further two MBF-20 units can be simply combined together in the field to create a quad band unit again whilst still operating over a single fibre optic cable. The MBF-20 series will be available in a variety of cellular band combinations including 850MHz/1900MHz; 700MHhz/1700MHz, 900MHz/2100MHz, and 1800MHz/2600MHz. In addition to setting new performance and flexibility standards within the industry, Axell’s next generation DAS system sets a radical new price point with many configurations coming out approximately 30% less than the current systems.

“Axell has already established a leading position as a global manufacturer of DAS systems for both cellular and public safety applications. The launch of the OMU II and the MBF-20 series remotes demonstrates once again Axell’s continued innovation and leadership in wireless coverage systems. Combined together the new OMU II and MBF series remotes provide immense flexibility to mobile operators allowing configurations supporting both moderate, or high, data throughput with system level performance that sets new standards in the industry” commented Ian Brown, CEO Axell Wireless.

The OMU II and MBF-20 series remote is available for ordering during March with first shipments following shortly thereafter. The MBF-40 series remotes are already available for immediate ordering and shipping.

Crime Fighting Gone Covert

TETRA Covert For the first time ever, IMS Research has measured the size of the TETRA Covert market and confirmed that it represents significant growth opportunities for the TETRA community.

In recent years, the PMR market has seen an increase of specialised TETRA users including Covert and ATEX. IMS Research latest study of the PMR market confirmed that approximately 2% of all TETRA users are now using covert devices. This was further confirmed through a recent survey of over 260 PMR/LMR agencies, where respondents indicated that 2% of all PMR users were using covert devices for their operations.

This is illustrated in the below figures which show the proportion of respondents that indicated their agency used covert devices and then, for those that did, what proportion of their LMR users based used covert devices.

Combined these results give this figure of 2% of users using covert This is significant for TETRA vendors as Covert devices offer specialised features that add new customers, in surveillance and undercover operations, to the existing TETRA installed base.

The major players in the TETRA Covert market include Motorola, Sepura and Thales; however, IMS Research forecasts more devices being announced over the coming period. In fact, Covert devices are not just limited to TETRA, for example; Hytera has its DMR Covert device and there are also P25 devices used in North America for Covert operations.

Thomas Lynch, Mobile Radio Market Analyst at IMS Research states “The covert market presents a unique opportunity for vendor manufacturers go gain increased margins by providing solutions in features and hardware that allow specialists operators the confidence to carry out their operations successfully. The current macro environment and terrorist activities including 9-11, the London bombings and the recent attacks in Norway have created a world that remains in unstable and the need for intelligence, both covert and overt has driven this demand.

IMS Research is publishing its analysis on the World TETRA Terminals market in 2012, where the TETRA Covert market is further analysed on a regional basis.

You can contact IMS Research if you would like more information on this report. T: +44 (0) 1933 402255

FunkElectronic Piciorgros creating smart solutions for customers interfacing TETRA and LTE. The DVI-100 from Piciorgros GmbH allows for an easy and effective connection of different TETRA infrastructures regardless of manufacturer, frequency band or geographical location.

The device can be connected to a TETRA infrastructure without any loss of the excellent TETRA voice quality, since the voice is never turned into an analog signal and remains digital throughout the whole process. There are a number of different options to connect the DVI-100 to an infrastructure: backto-back, directly through a TETRA Base Station (switch), through a computer or iPhone via IP/WiFi or using GSM 3G/IP communications, as a backup solution and as a MicroSPOT.

Commitment Funk-Electronic Piciorgros GmbH is committed to providing service to customers based on the TETRA standard. The commitment can be found back in the interoperability, user friendliness, ingenuity and security of the solution.

Easy integration The DVI-100 (Digital Voice Interface) is attached to a TETRA Network in the same way as a normal TETRA hand portable, and it can be a member of up to 25 groups. When it receives a voice call, rather than decoding the digitally coded ACELP data stream into analog audio and feeding it to the loudspeaker, it is sent as a digital (UDP) data stream to its IP port.

The first option The first option is to connect two DVI-100s back-to-back with each device connected to a different TETRA network (each could be from different infrastructure manufacturers, using different frequency bands or even geographically separated). This allows the networks to be “interconnected” based on group calls, status messages, and short data messages (SDS).

Since the voice data stream is not converted back into an analog signal at any time, the voice signal retains the same brilliant quality as if received directly on a TETRA hand portable. This option is a very useful tool for interconnecting two TETRA infrastructures with one another. This could be a nation wide blue light network that – in a disaster scenario – has to be able to communicate to a privately owned infrastructure. A

disaster scenario for example could be a tram accident in a tunnel where the public transportation guys have to co- operate with ambulance, fire brigade and police. The public transportation company that uses its own privately owned TETRA network can communicate with its members but cannot communicate with the public safety TETRA infrastructure, because they are provided by different TETRA manufacturers or because the public safety uses encryption while the private network is used unencrypted. The DVI-100 can solve that problem by interconnecting the two networks back-to-back making it possible for the public safety members to talk to a group in the private infrastructure.

Additionally, the DVI-100 is able to communicate with groups from an encrypted infrastructure to a nonencrypted infrastructure or vice versa, voice data is always decrypted before being sent between DVI-100 devices. By connecting two DVI-100s via back- to-back using an IP link Funk- Electronic Piciorgros GmbH has invented an easy Inter System Interface (ISI) for voice, Status and SDS transmission.

The second option The second option the DVI-100 provides is to connect the device directly to a TETRA base station in order to expand an existing TETRA infrastructure. This is useful if a TETRA infrastructure operator wants to cover a white spot or a TETRA island or even if he wants to provide in-house coverage somewhere, where the existing TETRA infrastructure cannot be reached.

This is also an interesting option if a new infrastructure should be connected to an existing one. The DVI-100 is registered on a base station anywhere in the existing network and is connected to the new base station using IP. The DVI-100 acts as a gateway between the two infrastructures enabling members of a TETRA infrastructure to make group calls to radios in a white spot within (or outside) the TETRA network.

The third option In order to communicate via a PC from outside the network into an existing TETRA infrastructure the user has to connect the PC via IP/ Ethernet to the DVI-100 that is registered to a base station in the TETRA infrastructure. This allows a PC user remote from the TETRA network to intercommunicate with a group within the TETRA infrastructure, either to just listen or even participate in group calls. An iPhone application is available, as well as Java based software for Mac or Windows computers.

This solution has been in use in a utility company, where one of the managers does not live inside the coverage area of the TETRA network but needs to be reachable at any time though the TETRA infrastructure. Using this setup it possible for the manager to control, communicate or just listen to the group conversations.

Back up solution The DVI-100 could also be used as a “worst case backup” if the E1 or IP link between the TETRA switch and the base station fails. If for any reason the link gets lost, the communication between the control center and the lost site can be restored via an IP connection, which is directed to the DVI-100 which is registered to the base station that has lost the link and is operating in fallback mode.

Additional to the direct connecting via IP or Ethernet the DVI-100 can also be reached from outside the TETRA infrastructure via GSM/3G. In this case a member of a group can be anywhere in the world, where he or she has GSM/3G connection and can interact with the groups through a mobile device. The mobile device, which is connected to a GSM/3G

network, can establish an IP connection to an IP address of a router anywhere in the world. That router is connected directly to a DVI-100 in a TETRA infrastructure, which means that the DVI-100 is able to interconnect two different digital networks - in this case the GSM network and the TETRA infrastructure - to one another.

It should be mentioned at this point again that the voice signal is never turned into analog signals at any time, but remains digital from end to end. The software used on the mobile device uses an ACELP-codec to turn the voice into the high quality TETRA voice standard even before leaving the device. This means that the voice quality will not suffer from the usage of the GSM network.

MircoSPOT This configuration can be used to create a local TETRA access point (MicoSPOT), which operates in DMO mode. The DVI-100 in DMO mode is connected by an IP connection to another DVI-100 in server mode, which is attached to a TETRA network.

All TETRA terminals in DMO mode and in range of the DVI-100 MicroSPOT can access the configured group(s) of the trunked TETRA network by using voice, SDS and status communication. Sample applications for the MicoSPOT can be improving in-house coverage or covering white spots inside a TETRA network. By using a reliable mobile IP link (3G or LTE) mobile forces can use the TETRA network even in uncovered areas.

Dortmund University The Communication Networks Institute (CNI) from TU Dortmund University and Funk- Electronic Piciorgros GmbH enhanced the PTX (Push To Talk) protocol formally developed at the CNI, which is responsible for the transmission of voice, status and SDS messages. It is a license free protocol and can be implemented to an interface device (PC, smart-phone, tablet, Mac) or directly into a TETRA switch.

So an Inter System Interface (ISI) for voice and data based on groups can easily be implemented.

The head of the institute Professor Christian Wietfeld released the

following statement concerning its research using the DVI-100.

“We use the DVI-100 for our research about Critical Communications in heterogeneous network environments. With the help of the DVI-100, we could show migration paths from state-of-the-art TETRA networks to Next Generation Public Safety Communication Systems. This research was made possible, because the DVI-100 enables us the use of a new and unique packet format. We were enabled to couple TETRA with WiFi, 3G, 4G (LTE) and Satellite networks. Our research interests are new protocols for a convergence layer for PMR communication via heterogeneous networks.”

At this point, where the DVI-100 can be interconnected with a GSM/3G network Funk- Electronic Piciorgros GmbH is only a step away from also connecting the DVI-100 to an LTE infrastructure.

As soon as the first LTE smart phones are available, FunkElectronic Piciorgros GmbH will implement the ALCEP-codec onto the devices for the usage of smart phones to interface between TETRA and LTE infrastructure.

If you wish to get in touch with Piciorgros GmbH, please visit their website www.tetramodem.com or call +49 2203 911770

Panorama Antennas launches new Glonass / GPS Combi- Antennas for Russia Since 1995 Panorama Antennas has been developing and growing its range of TETRA antennas to facilitate the expanding range of frequencies and applications.

Panorama Antennas, a family business now in its third generation and founded by Leon Jesman and partners, as JFJ Ltd in 1947, are offering over 40 different antennas for the various applications today.

With a proven track record with all major radio manufacturer and equipment suppliers Panorama can now be seen as the first choice when it comes to TETRA antennas.

At the end of 2011, Russia completed the full restoration and deployment of 24 satellites for the Glonass (GNSS) navigation system giving full global coverage. From June 2012, Russian legislation requires Glonass navigation system to be used in conjunction with GPS, on all Government contracts.

This means that there is a need for Glonass antennas to support the radios and navigation systems in use.

As part of its entry into the Russian market, Panorama Antennas recently launched a range of combined GPS/ Glonass antennas, which have full CE mark approval. A range of combi antennas, these give customers the capability of using either GPS or Glonass or both.

Combination antennas allow a user to deploy a complex solution utilising VHF, TETRA, UHF or GSM systems as well as GPS and Glonass, all in one product. All antennas supplied with high quality low loss cable and a range of industry standard connectors.

If you wish to know more about Panorama Antennas and their TETRA solutions, please visit their website: www.panorama-antennas.com

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2012 Stand No. 2C26 (Hall 2, C26)

Introducing our Next Fibre DAS System

Generation

New OMU II (optical master unit) provides support for both Cellular & Public Safety applications v Supports ANY wireless technology (including GSM/DCS/UMTS/ LTE/CDMA/AWS/PCS/P25/Tetra) in ANY frequency band from FM to 2600MHz. v Radical new price point making coverage more affordable. v Single OMU II enclosure provides flexible support for both low and high power public safety and cellular remote units. v “Auto-configuration” function enabling easy and simple field set up. v Fully resilient architecture allowing designs with no single point of failure. v Easy and flexible base station connectivity including multi sector support. v Web based management with SNMP support.

About Axell Wireless

Contact: fdas@axellwireless.com www.axellwireless.com

Axell Wireless is a leading worldwide developer and manufacturer of wireless coverage equipment. Operating out of 10 offices across all 4 continents, Axell Wireless is one of the global leaders within wireless coverage and provides both standard and customised solutions for four primary sectors – cellular, public safety, broadcast and specialist – ensuring seemless and cost effective coverage irrespective of location.

Crystal Code, introduces smart apps over the RAKEL TETRA network in Sweden

The company was founded in 2001, originally focusing on web site development.

The main business during the last couple of years has been development of iOS Apps.

Crystal Code has during these years always been one of the leading iOS development companies in Sweden with several successful projects in the iTunes AppStore. In 2010 Crystal Code decided to expand the business and brought in private equity to

finance the expansion. Apart from extra capital for growth the private equity investors are guiding the company through a successful expansion phase and contribute with a solid experience from the application development business.

With networks based on TETRA technology, public safety entities to use voice, text messaging and data services. There are many vital public authorities that have signed up to TETRA networks and because Rachel is shared between different authorities and emergency services as it provides great opportunities for cooperation between the organisations.

TETRA unfortunately, is limited by a very low transmission rate for data services and it is therefore not a good idea to send large images and movies or synchronise large amounts of data over TETRA as a user then takes claim to all the capacity in his cell. For this reason, many authorities are considering the use of standard mobile phones instead of joining the public safety net.

TETRA, however the user a number of extremely important advantages when compared to conventional telephony, including:

- Base stations are backed up with generators and therefore resistant to extended power outage - Coverage of Rachel is superior to GSM, GPRS and 3G - Multi-party calls via Talk-groups - The traffic priority and important traffic has precedence - Strong encryption to prevent eavesdropping - If work must be done for example in a tunnel where there are insufficient coverage, a basic TETRA radio can be used as a repeater to increase the coverage area.

At Crystal Code, we thought you might want to use a hybrid solution between a traditional mobile solutions and Tetra radios. This way you can synchronise large amounts of data over the mobile network and send critical status updates and alarms over a TETRA network. This can be done if the user connects a radio to his smartphone. This gives you the best of both worlds and also the opportunity to use advanced smartphones based on Android and iOS example. You will be able to deliver a quality user experience that really makes life easier for Tetrausers and without the way having to overload the network. While retaining the important features of TETRA for critical data.

We have developed a proof of concept where we have paired an iPhone, an iPhone and a rugged Android device, each with its TETRA radio from Sepura (STP 8000). The units we have for the sake of simplicity, coupled with an ordinary serial cable which could be a good solution for example bilmontage. The communication is also possible to solve with Bluetooth and ZigBee, for example if you want to avoid the cable.

"When I visited the Tetra World Congress in Munich in 2009 concepts I talked to almost every exhibitor but I did not find any solution combining smartphones with Tetra. There was a proof of concept on Windows Mobile completed but the Tetra customers I was in contact with at that time was not ready then. The proof of concept that we did now with Android, iPad and iPhone has generated a lot of interest from public service, energy companies, the police and even the defence. We are already having the first meetings with some customers

Logica's Merlot Medi emergency medical care information system receives the EC certificate Merlot Medi is a real time system for emergency medical care enabling fast information sharing between personnel at the scene of an accident and hospitals and more efficient emergency interventions. It has been

and potential partners. With the fast adaption of smartphones and tablets in large organisations there will are situations where you would want to combine the possibilities and usability of apps on a smartphone or tablet like the iPad with the security and unique features of Tetra. The solution we have developed enables a smartphone or tablet to control the the Tetra handsets but still keeping the data transfer very low with just using an SDS well within the guidelines for even single slot first generation of Tetra. We have published a video on YouTube at tiny.cc/rakel where we show how the concept works on an Android device and an iPad / iPhone.

In our proof of concept, we show how a Commander int the field use a iPad connected to his Tetra handset to assign the different areas on a map to a patroling teams who may be looking for a missing person or searching a crime scene. The assigned area show up on an iPhone or Android smartphone connected to the Patrols Tetra handset The possibilities of the App over Tetra technology is of

developed together with emergency medical care professionals in Helsinki University Hospital and Helsinki City Rescue Department. Merlot Medi is in operative use in ambulances on metropolitan area of Finland (1 million inhabitants, over 50 vehicles, 90 000 first care cases/year).

Use of Merlot Medi has been done easy and it fully supports treatment process. Simple touch-screen interface enables fast and accurate data feeding. Merlot Medi includes wireless interface to defibrillator: All measured vital data and EKG can be included to patient record. Like other data in patient record vitals and EKG is shared immediately with other units and office application used by consultant physician.

This ensures outstanding precision and speed in consultancy of a physician. In addition to consultancy instructions and used doses are added to electronic patient record not only for minimise human error by reducing ambiguity but also improve the legal protection of all involved in medical intervention.

course vast and not limited to this particular example."

- Says Michael Ă…kerman, Senior Partner

Based on the new European Union directive all software used in the treatment of patients will be considered as medical appliances.

The objective of the legal reform is to ensure the safety of devices used in medical care and to help maintain an unbroken chain of responsibility during the entire life span of the devices. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has granted the EC certificate to Merlot Medi, an electronic management and reporting system for emergency medical care developed by Logica.

The certificate proves that Merlot Medi meets the requirements laid down in a new European Union directive on medical devices.

Case study

SafeDispatch Delivering Enhanced Safety to GASSCO Several issues come to mind when one thinks about oil and gas refinery operations. Safety, is one of those key issues. Gassco AS found itself in a situation where they needed to upgrade their current communication platform to meet their strict safety standards and offer a solution to provide enhanced safety and peace of mind to its employees.

The Glitch Gassco’s analogue two-way radio system fell short of the functionality they required to meet their current safety standards and communication requirements. They needed a system that would easily expand to accommodate additional users and communication channels, while allowing them to locate personnel and send automatic alerts if and when an employee became injured or unable to respond.

With two separate plants in Emden and Dornum whose operations centres currently functioned independently from one another, but housed personnel that worked across both sites, it was also imperative to create a central network for both operation centres to be able to control and maintain both plants.

Increasing the number of communication channels was another area of concern, as Gassco wanted to: 1) be able to more effectively coordinate various maintenance teams across sites 2) accommodate operators both inside and outside the plant during routine shut-down periods to allow for better team cooperation and organisation 3) provide a dedicated emergency channel which was capable of intercepting all communications while simultaneously broadcasting a message to all users if an incident occurred Due to the hazardous nature of gas distribution facilities there are stringent regulations in place that necessitate every precaution be taken when upgrading a communication network. This in turn meant that radio

equipment and applications had to comply with the specified levels of protection for safe operation near hazardous materials.

The Solution SafeMobile played a key role in this three pronged approach to Gassco’s communication system overhaul.

Together with AIRadio Deutschland and their local reseller partner, FSN Neermoor we were able to help deliver a system to allow Gassco to make a smooth transition from their analogue network to a digital network and provide the necessary GPS Location features they required to meet their safety standards.

With Gassco now moving over to a Dimetra IP Micro TETRA system they were able to utilise MTP850Ex terminals, which met ATEX and IECEx international safety standards and implemented SafeMobile’s SafeDispatch application.

By integrating SafeDispatch with the radio GPS receiver on the TETRA ATEX approved two-way radios, operators now had the capability of pinpointing the location of their personnel on site maps.

The Benefits The available “man down” feature on the MTP850Ex radios integrated with the GPS Location function of SafeDispatch delivers more peace of mind to employees.

They now have the reassurance they need for that critical situation moment, when they call for help and operators can access their precise location in a matter of seconds.

Not only is timed saved but production, safety and efficiency are also increased.

Frank Tabbert, Process and ICT Professional at Gassco Company noted: “The GPS location application is particularly useful during weekends when there are only two operators working – one inside and one outside the plant. Previously, if a member of staff was lost in the plant, we had great difficulty in locating them.”

DID YOU KNOW? The name change of the TETRA Association

has been received very well by the TETRA communications industry and the end users of TETRA systems. Tee most heard comment is that the new TCCA (TETRA + Critical Communications Association) name shows that the TCCA is evolving in the same speed as the technology Over the last 3 months our TETRA web portal has received an increased number of members browsing our solutions and companies database

Zenitel Denmark offers a highly reliable and efficient wireless communications platform for Police Motorcycles – and other vehicles

That the one day conferences & exhibition events organised by the are seen as a very important and are a driver within the industry

TETRA Association

You can find latest job positions on the website TETRA-Applications.com

TETRAsim is still the number one in TETRA training solutions

SkySweep Technologies offers a new product line to support effective and low cost high speed data There are many Finnish companies that are involved in applications development for TETRA. SkySweep, based in Espoo Finland provide complete data radio systems with inbuild applications such as IP data,

instant messaging, e-mail GPS based tracking and video (2012).

The company just launched a new range of products that are focussed on the use of high speed data (up to 100 kbit/s) solution, which can be used as add on encrypted secure data system to existing analog or digital trunked voice radio networks such as MPT1327, TETRA, P25, DMR, dPMR and TETRAPOL systems.

Many of these systems support thousands of radio communication networks around the world. Mainly all of these radio communication networks are focused on transmitting voice but do not offer excellent nor secure data capabilities within the net.

With the launch of the new product range, it is clear that SkySweep know these challenges very well and the result of this is that the company offers a very cost-efficient solution (based on the successful platform)

that is reliable and already works for many satisfied military, public and civil organisation customers around the world.

The products of SkySweep Technologies are based on the IP network architecture and no extra computer is needed for these applications. The products are state of the art and environmental friendly because of low power consumption.The system can be powered independently by solar energy or a very small fuel cell.

Mikko Huttunen, CEO: "Our company is rapidly growing delivering high speed and high quality HF/ VHF/ UHF data solutions to the most demanding customers world wide. The company relies on its strong and experienced R&D. For an example, all the core members of our R&D teams have more than 10 years of experience of the telecommunication business.�

2012 World Wide TETRA Events Some of the events where TETRA products & solutions will be exhibited and discussed.

Visit our website to view all known events

March

April

May

06-03

03-04

14-05

ATC Global Amsterdam RAI Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Forum Radiocomms Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, France

TETRA World Congress Dubai World Trade Center Dubai, United Arab Emirates

12/03

16-04

20-05

APCO Australasia Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre Broadbeach, Australia

British APCO 2012 Manchester Central Manchester, United Kingdom

UTC Telecom Rosen Shingle Creek Resort Orlando, United States

20-03

19-04

VIRVE day 2012 Marina Congress Center Helsinki, Finland

Counter Terror Expo Olympia London, United Kingdom

PRESCOM chosen by the Parisian Metro to provide an interoperability solution for its TETRA-UIC Regional Express Network (RER).

The chosen solution for the Paris Metro provides a gateway that allows the Centralised Command Post (CPC) to operate trains communications with any type of radio technology used (analog or TETRA system UIC).

The solution is based on the platform of PRESCOM M5S and will enable RATP to perform a gradual migration of trains in TETRA. PRESCOM also designs and markets cards, modules and gateways that enable developers and integrators to customise their own applications and integration solutions around radio networks like Analog, TETRA or TETRAPOL.

PRESCOM, the leader in France for the provision of communications systems for command and control rooms dedicated to public safety, public safety, Maritime Safety, Transportation and military organisations was recently chosen by the Parisian Metro to provide an interoperability solution for its TETRA-UIC Regional Express Network (RER). The French company was created in 1982 and stands out as leader in management systems, multimedia communications with not only a solid technological expertise, but also their approach to "trade".

TETRAFlash - Comments and contributions welcomed – please send to: editor@tetra-applications.com. More information on products and companies in this edition can be found at www.tetra-applications.com. The views in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or Tetra- Applications.com. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct and accurate. The editor and TETRAApplications.com cannot accept any liability for any consequential loss or damage, however caused, arising as a result of using the information printed in this magazine. Printed in The Netherlands, 2010 The TETRA-Applications.com logo is registered. All other trademarks and logos are the properties of their respective owners.