First responder mobile networks are become more common, with deployments in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and cities in Spain, China, Pakistan, Laos and Kenya. FirstNet in the US is another of example of a nationwide system, as is the early pilot for the Sate-Net programme in South Korea.
Driven by demand for both dedicated and secure MVNO networks, SNS Research estimates that annual investments in public safety LTE infrastructure will surpass $800 Million by the end of 2017, supporting ongoing deployments in multiple frequency bands across the 400/450 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, and higher frequency ranges.
The market – which includes base stations (eNBs), mobile core and transport network equipment – is predicted to grow at a CAGR of nearly 45% over the next three years. By 2020, these infrastructure investments will be complemented by up to 3.8 Million LTE device shipments, ranging from smartphones and ruggedized handheld terminals to vehicular routers and IoT modules.
The figures were revealed as part of SNS’s “Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market: 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts” report.
SNS Research said: “Until recently, LTE has predominantly been considered a supplementary mobile broadband technology in the public safety sector, to provide high-bandwidth data applications that cannot be delivered over existing narrowband LMR (Land Mobile Radio) systems.
“However, with the standardization of capabilities such as MCPTT (Mission-Critical PTT) by the 3GPP, LTE is increasingly being viewed as an all-inclusive critical communications platform for the delivery of multiple mission-critical services ranging from PTT group communications to real-time video surveillance.”
