SUMMUM: The ultimate goal of public safety communications

Rohill is convinced of the need for a new type of company to serve mission-critical mobile communication users. This new company understands the current situation of each market, listens to the specific needs of users, and focuses on open technologies and solutions, not only its own product portfolio. The company must be able to advise Governments and agencies with full independence from existing and future suppliers as well as mobile network operators (MNOs). It must guarantee the openness of all systems, building the next generation of mission-critical communications on the same principles as for Rohill TetraNode.

Fully independent

National security and public safety organisations must be fully independent of shareholder-driven companies so the new entity must be structured as a public-private partnership, perhaps majority Government-owned and controlled, operating like a critical national infrastructure – power, railways, airports etc. – model.

Integration of private and public broadband networks

TETRA remains critical in Europe, so upgrades and new deployments must be truly open, based on open software and interfaces, with fully transparent voice at the core, integrating broadband services. SMVNOs (secure mobile virtual network operators) created for public safety must not depend on a core TETRA network with proprietary interfaces. The new company must be able to integrate broadband services from MNOs with private regional networks and rapidly deployable solutions.