Nokia launches Mission Critical Comms Alliance

Nokia has joined a consortium of operators, public authorities and first response agencies in forming an alliance to formalize standards for the use of LTE in public safety.

The Mission Critical Communications Alliance will work to inform and guide policy makers on the benefits of LTE in providing critical communications services.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia and Japan’s Mobile Radio Center are among the founding members of the new alliance.

“Having worked with the various Governments in the public safety field for over 60 years, we are happy to facilitate a broad group of stakeholders in the global public safety community to drive the adoption of LTE in critical communications,” Nokia chief customer operations officer Ashish Chowdhary said.

“The Mission Critical Communications Alliance will work towards realizing the unique benefits of LTE in public safety, enabling national, regional and local authorities to provide a higher level of safety and security for their citizens, while creating innovative new business models for service providers.”

The move comes shortly after Nokia and SK Telecom jointly announced the development of a portable public safety LTE system that is compact enough to fit in a backpack, and can provide 5km coverage and accommodate up to 400 users.