LTE unlocks the full potential of

public safety services

Executive Summary

Public safety networks

Public Safety networks are the key to providing mission-critical communication and data services
to governmental and civic authorities such as police and fire departments, civil defense and
paramedic services.
The main requirements for todays public safety networks are high availability, resilience,
guaranteed security and Quality of Service differentiation. Public safety also requires coverage
in areas where commercial network coverage is not viable or has been compromised.
While the traditional public safety communications rely mostly on voice, critical data
transmission is increasingly important. The development of Internet of Things (IoT) and the
parallel development of smart cities will introduce billions of connected objects. With reliable
networks, this development opens the door for new applications, data services and products for
public safety. For example, wearable sensors with IoT connectivity can further enhance the
safety of first responders and fire fighters.

History of the public safety networks

Until recently, two dominating and mutually incompatible standards have had a major stake in
the public safety market. In North America and a number of other large markets such as Brazil,
India and Russia, the leading standard has been APCO P25 whereas in Europe and over 60 other
countries, the leading standard has been TETRA. Additionally, there are several proprietary
systems in use around the world.
Although these standards support mission-critical voice communications well, their main
disadvantage is the limited data connectivity. Standardized mobile broadband technology can fill
this gap and open a variety of new opportunities to enrich public safety communications.

Standardization of LTE for public safety

LTE is widely recognized as the technology of choice for public safety. The National Public Safety
Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) and the TETRA & Critical Communications Association
(TCCA) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to underscore their joint commitment of the
need to develop mission critical public safety communications standards for LTE-based
technology.
Nokia drives the 3GPP standardization of public safety specific LTE features such as missioncritical group communication service enablers and proximity services in 3GPP Releases 12 and
13. With proximity services, LTE devices can communicate directly between each other without
data being routed via the network infrastructure. Future group communication services based
on the enablers allow, for example, the use of evolved Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast
Services (eMBMS) for efficient delivery of real-time video for large groups.

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Todays standardized LTE mobile broadband technology is available for public safety data
connectivity. It complements the existing narrow-band network through which the missioncritical voice services can be routed. It is also possible to take advantage of mobile broadband to
provide mission-critical voice services with proprietary applications over LTE. When the
standardization of public safety specific features is complete, the mission-critical services can
be built completely on 3GPP-compiant LTE networks.

LTE mobile broadband for public safety

With the adoption of LTE technology, public safety networks can respond to the pressing need
for fast, reliable voice and data connectivity with guaranteed security.
Examples of new use cases that LTE enables:

Real-time video streaming for a variety of use cases such as remote medical
support and patient monitoring, natural disaster rescue missions, as well as
surveillance applications.
Large file transfer, such as satellite images, videos, and data files.
Facial recognition applications.
Mapping tools that capture, store, and analyze all types of spatial or geographical
data.
Vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-infrastructure communications for real-time
road safety related warnings and information sharing.

Additional benefits of LTE for public safety operators include:

Quality of Service differentiation to ensure mission-critical connectivity in all

situations.
The economies scale of standardized technology.
Cost-effective LTE devices.
Possibility to harmonize spectrum frequencies across public safety specific and
commercial LTE networks

LTE deployment alternatives

LTE-based public safety networks have different implementation scenarios:

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Public safety operator deploys a private LTE radio access and core network
infrastructure for the sole purpose of providing public safety services and
applications over mobile broadband.
Public safety operator has a network and/or spectrum sharing agreement with a
commercial mobile network operator.
Public safety operator acts as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which
means it does not own the wireless network infrastructure but it provides the
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public safety service over an existing network and deploys its own database,
applications and billing information.
Public safety operator provides only the related applications and a mobile
network operator owns and provides the infrastructure service.

These flexible scenarios open the possibility for public safety players of different scale and
scope. In some cases, it is necessary for the public safety operator or governmental authority to
maintain full ownership of the network, whereas smaller public safety application providers
benefit from the possibility to offer their services over a commercial network infrastructure.

Internet of Things
Public safety is one of the first and most important use cases of the developing IoT connectivity.
Examples of IoT objects for public safety include smoke sensors, heat detectors and flood
warning systems as well as advanced road safety systems and new kind of wearable technology
for the safety of first responders or fire fighters.
LTE mobile broadband is a secure and reliable solution also for the IoT connectivity.

Nokia unlocks the full potential of LTE for public safety

Nokia Networks is combining its own industry-leading mobile broadband products and services
with best-in-class partner devices and applications conforming to stringent Nokia quality
requirements for an end-to-end public safety solution. The partner portfolio also includes
interworking functions for legacy systems such as TETRA and P25.
Today, public safety operators have access to our fully-featured LTE voice and data
communications network solution that is 3GPP compliant, including Quality of Service, high
availability, mobility, security and resilient IP connectivity. The public safety LTE network is built
on Nokia Networks radio access network, evolved packet core, VoLTE solution, IP Multimedia
Subsystem, Core in a box solution, subscriber data and device management, network
management, Self-Organizing Networks, and Nokia Liquid Applications technology. Costeffective LTE devices and innovative applications are available through the partner ecosystem.
Available applications suitable for public safety from our Liquid Applications developer
community include, for example, mobile edge video analytics that processes real-time video and
applies analysis and predictions at the network edge to increase situational awareness across a
wide area.
Nokia ensures the end-to-end security for public safety networks, protecting both devices and
the infrastructure. Nokia professional services provide deep expertise for designing,
implementing, optimizing, operating and maintaining networks that fulfil the specific
requirements of public safety authorities reliably and efficiently.

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Nokia innovation for public safety

Nokia Networks LTE Network in a Box is a key element in enhancing public safety
communications. It can be installed in a vehicle such as an ambulance or a fire truck, and it will
create a reliable 4G LTE network in areas where cellular network coverage is missing or has been
compromised. Its Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) capabilities enable the integration of new
applications at the edge of the mobile network that benefit from low latency, such as Harris
BeOn Communication suite for critical communications capabilities familiar to land mobile radio
(LMR). Those include push-to-talk, group calls and messaging, location tracking, as well as
advanced broadband functionalities such as situational awareness and real-time video
streaming.

Proof points and references

Nokia Networks is an established leader in providing mobile broadband communications
networks to leading operators worldwide. We have delivered more than 500 security projects
around the world, and provided LTE networks security solution for more than 20
customers. Additionally, Nokia has a 60-year track record of working with government
customers such as, security agencies and other governmental departments.
Examples of Nokia Networks LTE public safety customer references include:

A portable public safety network for New Jersey police department in Atlantic
City providing real-time video streaming and location data for prevention of
incidents and fast response in emergencies.
One of the worldss first dedicated and nationwide public safety LTE networks in
the Middle East.

Summary
LTE mobile broadband is the technology that best supports current and future needs of public
safety operators and field crew. Innovative applications combined with cost-effective devices
open a variety of new opportunities for enhancing the safety of citizens. IoT connectivity,
sensors and wearable technology for public safety pave the way towards smart cities.
Nokia Networks helps public safety operators explore and make most of these opportunities
with a reliable, highly available end-to-end public safety solution based on industry-leading LTE
mobile broadband. Innovation from Nokia and partners means that latest technology and
applications are always available for our customers. We also guarantee the quality and security
of the full solution.

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Public
Nokia is a registered trademark of Nokia Corporation. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks or
trade names of their respective owners.

Nokia
Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
P.O. Box 1
FI-02022
Finland
Visiting address:
Karaportti 3,
ESPOO,
Finland
Switchboard +358 71 400 4000
Product code C401-01165-ES-201502-1-EN
Nokia Solutions and Networks 2015

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