Campaign for broadband super-airwave is coming

Next month will see the beginning of a campaign by the Tetra association to begin a public sector based super airwave digital radio system using broadband.

Government ministers will be urged to allocate a portion of the radio spectrum, which will allow the public sector access to broadband digital communications, by The Tetra association, a group that represents suppliers of Tetra radio systems like the ones used by Airwave.

The ability for people to be able to receive data-intensive services or real-time video on portable handsets is currently the main aim of The Tetra Association.

Only a fraction of radio spectrum is currently available to the public sector when compared to the 28 percent that the Defence sector is currently allocated. A representative of the Tetra Association’s regulatory affairs group, David Happy recently said “Less than one percent of the radio spectrum is used for public safety in the EU.”

When TV switches over from analogue to digital there will be what is known as a ‘digital dividend’, which is the releasing of the radio spectrum created with the switch-over occurs, and this will be something the group will by fighting the commercial mobile phone companies for. The mobile phone operators are currently looking for this extra radio spectrum so they can provide mobile TV and a whole range of other bandwidth intensive services to their customers.

The Tetra community is currently discussing what to use once it achieves its first goal of obtaining the spectrum when it is release is this will only be the beginning of creating a ‘super Airwave’. The current consideration is whether it will create a new broadband Tetra standard or whether it will move towards the WiMAX option.

Initially, however, a case is being created to present to both ministers and regulator by Lord Lucas of Crudwell and Dingwall, of the All Party Civil Contingency Group, when he chair a meeting in London on June 11th.

Source – www.ukauthority.com