Telstra to launch mobile broadband capability for ESOs

Telstra plans to introduce a national public safety mobile broadband capability for emergency services organizations (ESOs) this summer.

Alex Stefan, Telstra’s national general manager public safety and security, said the technology behind Telstra LANES Emergency allows ESOs to communicate with each other, and it could also provide governments with significant cost savings.

“Preserving the safety, security, and prosperity of Australian communities is an essential role provided by our emergency services and Telstra is committed to providing innovative solutions and capabilities to support them,” he said in a statement.

Telstra developed the LANES Emergency solution in collaboration with Ericsson primarily to help ESOs increase their network capability, coverage and reach, without building their own private network but by offering them priority access on Telstra’s LTE network.

Telstra LANES Emergency will be available in two forms – Telstra LANES Emergency Priority, which will provide access to Telstra’s LTE spectrum; and Telstra LANES Emergency Tailored, which will consist of customer-owned dedicated spectrum and access to Telstra’s LTE spectrum or enhancements to Telstra’s LTE network.

“Through LANES we can offer Emergency Services priority data access on our 4G network or on a dedicated and partitioned spectrum for their exclusive use. On the wireless highway it is like offering Emergency Services their very own express lane,” explained Stefan.

A recent report from the Australian Productivity Commission indicated that a commercial public safety solution like LANES has the potential to save ESOs $4 billion over 20 years over the cost of running their own systems, and provides them with access to more easily updated technology and innovations.

“Telstra will be initially providing access to up to 160MHz of Telstra LTE spectrum, including our 700-MHz band, for use by ESOs under this new offering,” Stefan said.