Public Safety Networks from LTE to 5G

4Keys to Building a Reliable Public Safety Communications Network

4.1 Introduction

According to Future Mobile Broadband PPDR Communications Systems (2015), a reliable public safety communications network has guidelines for optimal operations. One of the guidelines refers to the duty to serve requirement. Duty to serve implies that the public safety communications network must be available for, and is expected to be at, the right position to work when scheduled regardless of events that are going on. It needs to work even during extreme events like:

• Flooding
• Earthquakes
• Hurricanes
• Man‐made disasters like terrorist attacks
• Wildfires.

These systems must be in working shape in order to facilitate the flawless and efficient work of emergency response workers like firefighters, paramedics, etc. Duty to serve extends to enabling seamless communication among the respondents by creating, a safe, secure, and efficient system, which can create priorities for communication between the respondents. The modernization of networks, applications, broadband internet, and social media has become an opportunity and challenge for stakeholders in public safety. Thus, policies have been developed to engage the “whole community” in national preparedness activities. The department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the USA has worked with municipalities to update the National Emergency Communications Plan. In the plan, voice, video, and data will be used to communicate and share information in all instances. ...