Since September 11, 2001 tragic day, municipal authorities and search & rescue around the world have been working together to boost urban defense networks and improve tactical communication and interoperability among first responders in times of emergency. That’s certainly a step in the right direction: interoperability – the deployment of unified connectivity schemes that combine multiple communication and teleprocessing technologies, frequencies, and protocols – enables better coordination and synchronization between forces in the field and allows for maximum control over the scene.

This capability helps to save the lives of civilians, as well as first responders, and search & rescue authorities.

Today, more than ever, it’s clear that the only way to effectively manage a state of emergency is to deploy a dedicated network that connects all the forces in the field on a single platform and enables them to send and receive real-time video footage of the events. In cases of emergency where civilian communication infrastructures are down or become inoperable, as a result of physical damage caused by a natural disaster or due to overloads during a terror attack, a mobile, interoperable 4G LTE tactical cellular network can provide a continuous channel of communication for responders. This type of network can also be used to facilitate communication with distant areas where cellular coverage is not normally available.

Tactical Cellular Networks for Municipalities

With the aim of improving a city’s ability to respond to emergencies, many municipalities around the world have set up mobile tactical LTE networks to help them manage emergency situations quickly and effectively. This technology allows authorities to comply with national emergency demands, which require that they respond quickly to a range of emergency scenarios, from terror attacks and mass accidents, to nature disasters and incidents involving hazardous materials.

The tactical control system that was set up in Towers 1 and 3 of the new World Trade Center after the September 11 attacks relies heavily on LTE and RoIP technologies. These solutions allow first responders to synchronize their communications using cellular, UHF, and VHF devices. In times of emergency, federal agencies and first responders can communicate with one another in a heterogeneous radio environment while retaining the ability to communicate with users outside the system, such as authorities using traditional radio systems. This means, that the police and fire departments, who normally operate on separate frequencies, can communicate with one another without making any changes to their standard communication protocols.

Moreover, LTE technology can be used to relay information from a wide range of sensors, such as CCTV cameras, helmet and body cameras, still cameras, infra-red imaging devices, wiretap microphones, fire-detection thermometers, and more. In addition, bandwidths available to mobile and independent LTE networks are substantially higher than those of public networks, due to the relatively small number of users and thanks to specialized configurations for bandwidth optimization.

Videos, images, and other files can be transferred at high speeds to first responders, medical teams, tactical teams and even the media, creating a fully synchronized ecosystem. This also ensures that decision-makers remain informed and medical specialists or off-site command centers can watch real-time video feeds from the forces in the field and decide how to respond to a particular threat or situation.

The fact that communication is done on a data network adds a whole new layer of operational capabilities, by enabling users to install and use tactical applications for even faster, more efficient communication. Some useful applications include: Push-to-Talk, which allow for instant two-way communication during an event. Other possible applications include chat apps, instant messaging, or file sharing – all at high speed and in real time. Data networks also enable the use of layered maps to display the position of the forces in the field, this increases situational awareness for first responders, enhancing the commanding officers’ ability to manage and control the situation.

MER offers a wide range of tactical communication solutions, including mobile LTE networks, mobile command centers, and advanced RoIP systems. The company’s solutions have already been implemented within a large number of government, military, and civilian authorities in Israel and around the world