Cassidian and the French Ministry of Interior have conducted the world’s first demonstration of 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile broadband communications for security forces.
The demonstration was shown during the Cassidian customer conference SNUC (Secure communications Network operators and Users Conference) held in Cannes, hosting more than 200 executives from various public safety and other critical users organisations, partners and prospects from all around the world
After a brief presentation of the ongoing experimentation of LTE network at 400 MHz, currently conducted by the French Ministry of Interior, a live duplex with Tours provided the wide international audience with the ability to share the success of this operational trial.
It featured Mission Critical applications, including a life video being streamed in real-time between one vehicle equipped with a camera and a command and control centre in Tour using a 400 MHz LTE network. Two 400 MHz base stations have been deployed on two Tetrapol sites in the area of Tours to allow a first on the field verification of the technology performance.
These first tests at the SNUC were very satisfactory. It was showing that by leveraging existing sites, using neighbouring frequency band, new 4G mobile broadband capabilities can be added to existing Tetrapol networks in a non-disruptive and cost-effective way thanks to a new dual mode base station by Cassidian supporting both Tetrapol and LTE services.
“It is no mystery that our TETRA and Tetrapol customers are facing an increasing need for data capacities. The 400 MHz band is a traditional band for dedicated professional and governmental networks and like other technologies, Tetrapol and TETRA are going through an evolution, aiming of new ‘very high-speed broadband’ capacities”, says Eric Davalo, Head of Portfolio & Technology Authority for Cassidian Security Solutions.
“Cassidian is investing in those technologies in mission critical communication of the future, such as IP and broadband. The trial clearly shows that a smooth migration of existing PMR networks, leveraging existing sites and customer investments, is becoming possible.”
“The French Ministry of Interior is proud to be the first, running this kind of experimentation of LTE at 400 MHz on its Tetrapol network,” added Pierre-Philippe Lidureau, INPT Program Director after the successful demo at SNUC. “We are considering the future of our secured network, and with that respect, this solution leveraging the 400 Mhz frequency is showing a path towards the modernization of our network.”
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