LTE  |  2013-05-21

Motorola Solutions Launches the Next Generation Mission-critical TETRA and LTE Base Station

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

Public safety organisations are looking to gain advantage from broadband technologies such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) to enhance the efficiency and

Public safety organisations are looking to gain advantage from broadband technologies such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public safety agencies, while not compromising mission-critical secure voice and data services over TErrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) and TETRA Enhanced Data Services (TEDS) digital radio networks.

Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI), a leading provider of mission-critical communication solutions and services for enterprise and government customers, today announced the dual technology MTS4L base station that enables operators to deploy a TETRA/TEDS network and be ready for the addition of an LTE eNodeB in the same base station cabinet. The TETRA and LTE base station allows public safety agencies to deploy TETRA today and be future-ready to facilitate a cost effective and staged migration to a unified TETRA and LTE network.

The MTS4L can be installed as a TETRA-only base station, and also include the services required for Evolved Node B (eNode B) such as shared backhaul, common power supply and battery backup in a cost-effective way. This feature also allows operators the flexibility to choose which regions will have LTE service initially, and then roll out the service to a wider area progressively - a valuable feature if the operator has any uncertainty around which frequencies will be available for LTE for each region they operate.

Key Facts

  • The MTS4L provides for an eNodeB in the same cabinet as the TETRA base station and allows a rapid installation of eNobeB as a simple future upgrade with minimum cost and disruption.
  • The combined base station enables mission-critical operators a flexible migration path to LTE, including choice of frequency, service region and timing of roll-out.
  • Built and designed for future communications needs, the MTS4L is based on the MTS4 base station delivering best-in-class transmitter output power and receiver sensitivity.
  • MTS4L supports TEDS - software upgradable - the platform for secure mission-critical high-speed data services as well as Multi-Slot Packet Data (MSPD) for enhanced data services.
  • The MTS4L is a high-performance base station supporting C-SCCH - through software upgrade - to enable additional control channels on the main carrier and quadrupling control channel capacity.
  • MTS4L enables operators to utilize the most efficient and cost-effective transmission networking technologies available today and in the future.
  • Reduced transmission costs over Ethernet capability means that the MTS4L can enable up to 70 percent savings compared with non-IP based transmission.

SUPPORTING QUOTES

Tom Quirke, vice president and general manager, Global TETRA Organization, Motorola Solutions

“Public safety organisations are looking to build up solutions that are future safe and will allow them the evolution path to high-speed data in the mid- to long-term future. Organisations realize the necessity to keep TETRA and TEDS as a core network and consider adding LTE as an overlay in the future. One of the main barriers, besides others, is cost. The running costs of base station sites in particular typically account for a significant portion of the total cost of ownership of a TETRA network. With the MTS4L base station we look to make transition to LTE as painless and inexpensive as possible, removing the need for any additional floor space and minimising disruption. This solution allows public safety organizations to have today a solution that equips them for future needs and gives them the flexibility to choose when and where to add LTE to their networks and to select