Throwing around acronyms

Acronyms are common in the radio and public safety communications industry, especially to reduce the long names of associations and groups such as the TETRA & Critical Communications Association’s Critical Communications Broadband Group (TCCA CCBG), Australian Radio Communication Industry Association (ARCIA) and Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA).

However, the acronym that was thrown around most at this year’s RadioComms Connect was LTE (long term evolution).

LTE is a standard for wireless data communications technology and an evolution of GSM/UMTS standards. It has become a hot topic among radio professionals as they look to the future.

LTE is said to provide high speeds and low latency over a long distance. It is primarily used for data, with a voice application. Many critical communication presenters at the event were asking whether LTE will deliver the broadband service requirements they need and whether it will support their applications.

Tony Gray, regional business development director at P3 Communications, asked this question and more in his presentation, ‘Towards a broadband future: can LTE ever support the critical communications features required by users of today’s PMR technologies?’. He also raised the concern that technology, government budget and spectrum may not be able to handle the coming releases of LTE support features.

Des Bahr, CEO of APCO Australasia, was positive about LTE and spoke on how to integrate conventional radio and LTE in the public safety sector. He said that 3GPP 4G LTE is the preferred public safety radio band and spoke about how government and public safety agencies can use LTE with conventional radios to achieve a common operating picture.

David Deacon, director of Auria Wireless, was also positive. He said LTE can deliver broadband services. Narrowband technology has clear limitations with data rates that LTE can overcome; however, there is no direct mode with LTE and Deacon believes it will not be available anytime in the near future.

Whichever way you look at it, LTE is here for the long haul. ‘Long Term Employment’, as it was coined in one of the presentations, will hopefully re-energise the radio industry and provide many benefits to its users.