1. Session: New applications – new requirements:
CEPT Workshop on 5G Mobile Communications Mainz, Germany – 2-4 November 2016
Session: New applications – new requirements:
(Mission) Critical Communications
for PPDR/Public Safety

2. How PPDR work PPDR … work in „emergency“ situations
accidents and incendies
large scale events (concerts, football games etc.)
natural catastrophies
terror attacks
are organised in groups
are organised in hierarchical structures (command + control)
act under time pressure
with potentially life-threatening consequences
in areas without network coverage
sometimes need absolute confidentiality

3. What PPDR need to communicate I
PPDR need (among other features) …
voice communication is paramount, but increasingly also data
immediate access to their communication partners under any circumstances
Push-to-Talk (MCPTT) instead of dialing-in
group talks
(one talking to many / between group members)
pre-emption – access and capacity if needed
alarm – absolute priority in emergencies
DMO – using terminals without network connection
end-to-end encryption
control over their „fleets“ (rights and roles)

4. What PPDR need to communicate II
Networks used by PPDR need …
to provide high availability under all circumstances
to be very resilient to function during catastrophies when other networks fail
to provide full coverage in all areas where PPDR might have to become active (presently the coverage has to be permanent; deployable networks might be helpful in the future)
provide high degrees of security and data protection
ideally also a low latency

5. What PPDR are using today
Narrowband Tetra Standard et al. that provide
Emergency button ‐ pre‐emption and priority
Group voice calls ‐ all informed talkgroups
very rapid call set‐up
good voice quality even in high noise environment
Voice plus data
Short data service / status messaging
Packet data can be concatenated
Direct Mode
gateways and repeaters
Multi‐level security
Air interface encryption
mutual authentication
remote terminal disabling
end to end encryption

6. Digital Radio Standards for European PPDR (2016)
TETRA in operation
TETRA roll-out
TETRA planned
TETRAPOL
APCO 25 (mainly deployed in U.S.)
Quelle: Public Safety Radio Group (PSRG) “Status for Public Safety Radio Networks in Europe”, Status: April 2016

7. PPDR Requirements discussed + processed in ETSI + 3GPP
Functional requirements described are:
everything that TETRA provides plus other services only possible over a broadband bearer
Streaming video
Video conferencing
Passport and biometric checks
Ability to move the back office to the field
Transfer of medical information
Fire service access to hazardous materials gazetteer
Improved automatic vehicle/person location
Intranet browsing

8. What PPDR expect from 5G
All functionalities they are used to in Tetra/Tetropol environments
Availability, coverage and reliability as in dedicated PPDR networks
Plus all functionalities that have been or are being standardized in 3GPP releases.
And on top further advantages promised by the new radio technology, f.e.:
high performance and resilience by default
extremely low latency

9. Towards the Future
Mission Critical Communication is a fast moving target:
PPDR want to take advantage of the functionalities of the broadband world. The more they integrate these functionalities in their daily work the more „mission critical“ they become.
The increasing digitalisation of sectors with high relevance to society (transport, utilities etc., also defense) leads to an increasing number of IT-based critical infrastructures. Their owners have an rising interest in highly secure, efficient and resilient infrastructures.
In several European countries this convergence of interest has led PPDR organisation and critical infrastructure owners to invest in common infrastructures.

10. Contact
Barbara Held – Board Member, TCCA (BDBOS – Federal Agency for Public Safety Digital Radio Berlin Germany)