Murray Hill, NJ — Alcatel-Lucent has successfully completed initial Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program interoperability testing with their Public Safety Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. This is the only system that has successfully completed 3rd party interoperability testing for both its radio access network (RAN) and core network components. This represents an important step towards the FirstNet goal to provide interoperable mission-critical broadband mobile service to first responders - nationwide.
This interoperability testing highlights the benefits to public safety of using open standards based commercial broadband technology. It offers public safety the flexibility to use a core from one vendor and eNodeBs from a 2nd as well as a 3rd vendor; a major shift from today’s single vendor Land Mobile Radio (LMR) networks. This enables an agency to optimize their network by selecting best in class solution elements for an application while minimizing risk by eliminating the dependency on a single vendor for future network growth. Since the RAN and associated backhaul are typically a significant part of the overall LTE network cost, the flexibility to select the best in class for a specific location is beneficial. Multi-vendor commercial LTE networks which include the Alcatel-Lucent eNodeB are today in service with many large wireless service providers.
The tested network solution operates in the public safety 700 MHz band 14 spectrum, covering both PSBB and D-block spectrum. Interoperability testing validated a solution using the Alcatel-Lucent eNodeB with a Cisco Evolved Packet Core. Testing also validated a network with an Alcatel-Lucent Evolved Packet Core and an Ericsson and a Nokia Siemens Networks eNodeB. This testing follows Alcatel-Lucent’s industry first completion of phase 1 testing.
Alcatel-Lucent offers an end-to-end Pubic Safety LTE solution. For more information on the Alcatel-Lucent solution and a free copy of the Public Safety LTE, A How-to-Guide - FirstNet Edition, please visit: www.alcatel-lucent.com/publicsafety
To learn more about the use of LTE and video at a large public event, please read the article Mobile broadband for public safety shown at Iowa State Fair: http://www2.alcatel-lucent.com/blogs/lifetalk/blog/
Information on PSCR Public Safety Broadband Demonstration Network Testing: http://www.pscr.gov/projects/broadband/700mhz_demo_net/testing/about_testing.php