Airbus Defence and Space Strongly Contributes to SALUS EU Project on the evolution of Public Safety Communications Networks

Airbus Defence and Space has been a major contributor to the European research consortium SALUS, thanks to the company’s specific know-how in the Public Safety market, particularly in spectrum requirements and frequency allocations for mission-critical solutions. The project has been recognised by the professional mobile radio (PMR) industry and won in the “Best Evolution to Future Broadband” category at the International Critical Communications Awards 2016 (ICCA) in London at the end of February.

The goal of SALUS is to design, implement and evaluate a next-generation communication network concept for Public Protection and Disaster Relief agencies (PPDR), setting the ground for future public safety communication networks used, for instance, by police or firefighters. Within the project’s framework, Airbus Defence and Space is providing a Tetrapol solution allowing voice interoperability with certain broadband systems at the final demonstration in summer 2016.

“Shaping the future of LTE-based technology for Public Safety, we are proud of our skills in the field of mission-critical communications,” explains Olivier Koczan, Head of Secure Land Communications at Airbus Defence and Space. The company has been the leader of the SALUS ‘Economic and Business case analysis’ work package, and, as Olivier Koczan puts it, “provides specific knowledge of public safety users’ needs and distinctive experience in professional mobile radio networks on a nationwide scale”.

SALUS is funded by the European Union, with a total budget of 4.8 million euros. Seventeen partners are involved in the project that started in 2013 and will be concluded by the end of this year. Among them are representatives of the PMR industry, such as Airbus Defence and Space, research institutions, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as end users.