Why do we need the new digital radio network?

Digital radio brings enormous benefits to safety authorities

Public authorities and organizations with security tasks – such as police, firefighters, customs and rescue services will communicate in one uniform nationwide digital voice and data radio system. The digital radio fulfills important operational-tactical requirements of a modern public safety communications and is characterized by a variety of technical features that support its forces in the performing their duties.

The following table shows the major advantages of digital radio compared to analog radio:

 

Digital radio Anlog radio
A common network for all

All authorities and organizations with security tasks to use for voice and data communications on a nationally standardized, nationwide network. The inter-agency communication enables new forms of cooperation and offers considerable advantages in the use of organization and control.

Each organization (and even suborganization) has its own network with their own radio channels and spatially limited range.
Privacy

Air interface encryption is included in the TETRA standard as a base feature. This protects the transmission section between the mobile device and the base station. End-to-end encryption provides privacy for the whole transmission due to encryption between two radios.

The analog radio does not prevent eavesdropping.
Single communication

TETRA not only facilitates group calls but also direct communications between individual users without having the rest of the group listening to this call.

A limitation of the group of participants is not technically possible. All users of a radio channel can listen to all radio calls (open radio channel).
Group Communication

In addition to communication within a static group of participants, it is possible to interconnect participants from various groups and organizations. This may be necessary in case of a major critical situation or on bigger events.

The mission-oriented interconnection of different user groups is not centrally controlled.
Capacity

The radio channels are only occupying ressources, if they are actually used.

Each channel permanently claims its own frequency. Even when not actively speaking. That’s why it comes regularly to congestion and bottlenecks on radio channels with critical communications during major incidents.
Better voice quality

The digital radio offers a significantly improved voice quality, because ambient noise is suppressed or filtered.

In analog radio reception and voice quality are partially bad.
Data transmission

An emerging requirement for mission critical communications is data. This service is already realized with the digital radio network.

In analog radio transmission of data is very limited.
Emergency button

All digital radios are equipped with an emergency button. By pressing the emergency button, a voice connection with priority over all other participants will be established. In this way, messages can be forwarded immediately to the emergency control center.

Analog devices do not have an emergency call button.