China is becoming the pioneer of dedicated broadband for critical communications

Asia is a key market for critical communications systems. Many developing countries are investing massively in transit systems. Critical communications in the wider Asia market have developed quickly during the past decade as many countries and areas moved to digital solutions. Multiple digital technologies including TETRA, Project 25 (P25), Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) and Professional Digital Trunking (PDT) have been adopted in the Asian market.

The transport sector, one of the most active markets for critical communications, is preparing for future evolutions. Some metro companies and airports are implementing hybrid networks by using TETRA for voice and broadband for data. In many regions including Asia, rail operators are still realizing advances in cellular technology. China is becoming the pioneer of dedicated broadband for critical communications with advances in broadband trunking standardizations and dedicated network allocations.  BelFone Prochat PoC system is Push-to-Talk system that use VoIP technology over the existing cellular network to offer PTT one-to-one private calls or one-to-many group calls like two way radio. It provide half-duplex or duplex communication through a single, multifunction device.

Broadband brings significant advantages for both public-safety and cellular communications, including higher data speeds, lower latency and high spectrum efficiency. Deploying this technology on public transport enable emergency services to share interactive, allowing faster situation analysis and response times.

opportunity for POC solutions

With the rapid development pace of wireless networks and the massive proliferation of smart mobile devices, broader opportunities for PTT over cellular (PoC) solutions are emerging. Below we will discuss the opportunity for POC solutions specifically

 

1 The expense of maintaining legacy infrastructure is a critical burden

2 Delivering a PTT solution that can be installed on almost any device and will work across different commercial networks as well as WIFI is critical as many location have strong in-building WIFI solutions where cellular coverage often lags

3 The opportunity for PoC-enabled solutions and devices in the US is growing and is expected to reach almost 3 million unit shipments by 2019. Over the forecast period, the installed base of PoC end users is expected to grow from over 3 million active users in 2015 to almost 6 million users by 2019

4 A visible opportunity to use their existing LMR network and extending PTT functionality to more workers

5 Demand for broadband data applications is a significant catalyst for the adoption of smart devices among today’s workforce

6 The development of open interoperability standards and the improved quality of service and scalability offered by carrier-based PTT solutions are challenging the limitations of legacy PoC solutions.

Now, with the advent of next-generation 4G/LTE networks and the continued proliferation of smart mobile devices, the opportunity to provide PTT services across these and in-building WiFi networks is becoming a reality.  Augmenting those legacy PTT users with PoC users represents a significant opportunity.