UAE-based mobile operator du claimed to have completed the first test of LTE Broadband Trunking in the Middle East, and said the trials of the technology will pave the way for "futuristic" connectivity services for enterprises and government departments.
du trialled LTE Broadband Trunking using legacy systems including TETRA and P25--the colloquial term for the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials – International's (APCO) Project 25 digital radio standards. The mobile operator states it achieved data rates of 100 Mbps, far higher than the speeds possible using legacy trunking techniques.
Those higher data rates make LTE Broadband Trunking suitable for services including high definition (HD) voice and video communications, du stated, adding that the technology will enable it to offer businesses reliable communications with field staff and remote offices, along with remote surveillance services.
"The successful testing of the new LTE Broadband Trunking services and the evolution of current trunking solutions provides tremendous opportunities in a digitised world, where real-time transfer of information is at the heart of communication," commented Saleem Al-Balooshi, EVP of network development and operations at du.
du explained that the LTE Broadband Trunking system provides encryption and authentication to ensure secure communications. The technology offers full duplex calls, SMS, MMS, multimedia dispatch, multimedia video conferencing and location-based services.
The operator said the latest technology "renders older trunking systems obsolete" by improving "reliability and security in public networks, and facilitating network maintenance." LTE Broadband Trunking "also provides high-rate data services, VoIP [voice over IP], and video surveillance under NLOS [non line of site] applications, remarkably improving overall performance and efficiency of smart grids, and critical communications networks."
du predicts that demand for LTE Broadband Trunking will increase in the near future, as machine-to-machine (M2M) communications proliferate. The operator also forecasts that the technology will "redefine connectivity solutions" by providing a framework to "develop innovative solutions catering to various requirements in a smart city."
Infrastructure vendor Huawei demonstrated an LTE Broadband Trunking system for enterprises at the Communications World 2014 event in Singapore in May 2014. The company also helped to established the enterprise LTE (eLTE) Solution Alliance, which aims to promote greater collaboration in the development of the technology.
For more:
- see this du press release
- view this APCO P25 definition
- read this 2014 Huawei announcement
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