April 1, 2014, Analysis from radioresourcemag.com/

New data, from James Bennett of SNS Research, suggests that by 2020 the installed base of private public-safety LTE eNodeB units will approach 155,000, serving an estimated 4 million professional users worldwide.

The success of LTE, combined with the limited potential – for data - of existing private mobile radio systems, has led public-safety organizations to consider LTE as the de-facto future standard for mobile broadband. The article also points out that large LTE deployments can save up to 40 percent in the total cost of ownership, by opting for a public-private partnership, using a mix of private and commercial spectrum.

However, James Bennett sounds a cautious note; “…the transition to LTE will be one of the most complex technical changes the public-safety communications industry will witness and will present challenges, particularly in the context of global standardization.”

See Also:

• Delivering Public Safety Communications with LTE, A 3GPP article by Iain Sharp 
• 3GPP’s programme to provide integrated public safety communications through LTE, by Matthew Baker