When people think of a standard, they tend to think
of everyone using the same solution. Many people think
of APCO P25 as the standard for digital communications
in North America, and the only way to achieve
interoperability. P25 is a digital radio standard and it
is the preferred option for Public Safety in North
America, but it is not for everyone and does not mean
instant interoperability. (
P25
Information)
In North America, there are now 4 major standards for
digital LMR radio communications; P25, NXDN, DMR, &
TETRA and there are still Analog options for both
conventional and trunking systems. With more than one
option, many people are confused about which technology
they should be using. Further confusing the industry is
the emphasis on broadband LTE, which is sometimes
promoted like it is almost ready to deploy.
Clients often ask which is the best radio technology,
believing that the differences are technical factors,
such as capacity, reliability, coverage or audio
quality. In reality, the best radio technology is the
one that can meet your requirements at a capital and
operational cost you can afford.
In North America, the preferrred solution for Public
Safety is P25. P25 supports VHF, UHF and 700/800/900
MHz, in both conventional and trunking. With the ISSI,
P25 systems can be connected together to support
interoperability. One challenge for P25 is the capital
and operational costs which can be beyond the
reach of some user groups. This is one reason why P25 is
often deployed as a large multi-user system, which
improves interoperabilty and distributes the costs over
a larger user group.
For smaller Public Safety systems, utilities and
businesses, DMR, NXDN and TETRA can provide a reliable
and typically less costly solution. Which one to use
really depends on your requirements and who wants
to provide a solution in your area. This is where
an RFP needs to focus on the user and
system requirements, not on technology specific
attributes.
TETRA is a new option in North America and is being
marketed primarily to the transportation and utilities
segment. TETRA is the European Public Safety standard
and has been deployed around the world.