Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) has been developed by industry experts alongside the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and has emerged as the unchallenged standard for the most demanding and professional users of radio communications worldwide.

TETRA technology brings new outstanding features to mobile communications, by combining the features of mobile cellular phones with fast data communications and the workgroup capabilities of PMR. All communications over TETRA are reassuringly private, secure and robust. The fully digital technology provides consistent and low noise voice quality. Further, the TETRA technology is inherently efficient in the way it uses the frequency spectrum.

Some of the key services differentiating TETRA from other wireless technologies include individual simplex and duplex calls, group calls, pre-emptive emergency and priority calls, dynamic group number assignment, call authentication, late entry, voice encryption, packet data services.

Motorola Solutions is the leading supplier of TETRA to public safety customers. We have won the majority of recent nationwide public safety TETRA contracts. In parallel Motorola Solutions is supplying TETRA systems to airports, Metro operators, Oil and gas companies and many other industrial organisations. The advantages of the centralised architecture together with other powerful features are available to all types of operator and end user.

Motorola's TETRA solution offers secure, reliable and efficient communications customised to meet the needs of different markets. Mission-critical communications demand a system that’s stable, reliable and flexible. With a large installed base and multiple vendor support, we offer a wide choice of products and applications so organisations can select exactly the right solution for their needs.

As the inventor and driving force behind TETRA infrastructure and radios, Motorola Solutions has taken a leading role in the development of the TETRA Standard. This commitment continues today with new products and initiatives designed to meet the ever-changing needs of customers.

TETRA: A FUTURE PROOF TECHNOLOGY

To continue to meet changing user requirements and utilise the latest in technology developments, TETRA is a ‘living’ technology by continuing to meet the changing user requirements and by utilising the latest in technology developments. The current evolution phase includes the TETRA Enhanced Data Service (TEDS) that provides wideband high-speed data communication services.

TEDS complements the existing data services provided by TETRA and meets the growing demand for increased data services to meet the operational needs of users. TEDS carriers can be reallocated as voice carriers, when increase in voice capacity is deemed more important than data capacity. TEDS uses several coding schemes - each optimised for different needs - and balances data speed versus coverage. The coding schemes change dynamically during operation to continuously optimise throughput performance. TEDS meets the needs of the majority of data applications for public safety and mission critical operators. It is available on the MTM5000 Series TETRA mobile radios from Motorola.

TETRA is designed for all professional users who need critical communications. It is used in many market sectors, from nationwide public safety networks to small, private, site-specific installations in locations such as sports arenas, shopping centres, leisure complexes and manufacturing plants. Customers in many industrial segments use Motorola TETRA solutions. Public cellular networks come under considerable strain at a time of emergency, or even during a significant incident such as a traffic jam on a busy highway. This is why dedicated mission-critical communications networks remain essential. While many public safety officers and other critical personnel utilise public mobile communications systems during their normal working day, at critical times these networks cannot offer the resilience, speed, coverage and special features that are essential for emergency response staff to do their work properly. TETRA has proved its ability to connect first responders in the high-stress environments when they must perform to the limit of their ability

PURPOSE-BUILT DEVICES AND RADIO NETWORKS

Organisations have different communications requirements based on the environments in which they work. Employees may work in high noise environments, on extended shifts, outdoors in the hot and cold, or in dangerous environments that require intrinsically safe devices. 

Different use cases may require devices that can be used with gloves, include displays or operate hands-free. Supervisors may not carry a radio but need to interoperate with radio users from a smartphone. TETRA radios designed for specific use cases can meet all of these needs–from extra loud speakers, noise cancelling microphones, glove friendly ergonomics, extreme temperature ratings, purpose built accessories, to intrinsically safe terminals rated to ATEX standards. 

Motorola tests radios using an Accelerated Lifetime Testing where we shake, bake, soak, and drop the radios to ensure reliable performance under harsh conditions 

DATA APPLICATIONS TO DRIVE EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY

TETRA Radio systems offer secure data capabilities, including:

• Query databases for the information you need in the field
• Monitor biometric data, such as the heart rate of a firefighter
• Send text messages (and one-touch canned messaging)
• Link to email gateways, so you can send an email directly to the radio
• Coordinate work order tickets for example sending room service or cleaning services in a hotel
• Locate staff and assets (GPS -outdoor, Bluetooth -indoor)
• Set up telemetry to let your machines talk to each other
• Manage your fleet effectively and automate updates

The camera in the MTP6750 gives the users the ability to record evidence or images that cannot be tampered with and can be used in investigations.

SECURE COMMUNICATIONS

Security is a major concern for both public safety and mission critical users, from consumer data breaches to cyber attacks. With TETRA, you tightly control who can listen to your voice and data traffic. In addition, there are many security features that protect your voice and data traffic, from business level secure voice encryption to government certified end-to-end encryption with features such as over-the-air encryption key management. From communications on the battlefield to government agencies, TETRA secures the most sensitive data

SAFETY AND RELIABILITY FEATURES

To be safe, your communications must be reliable. Your calls need to always get through. There are features built in to make sure calls are prioritised and radio traffic is load balanced. Systems include redundant backhaul links at remote radio sites to redundant system controllers and back-up power. Plus, radios always have direct mode/simplex/talkaround operation so communications can occur directly between radios