Why do we need the new digital radio network?
Digital radio brings enormous benefits to safety authorities
Public authorities and organizations with security tasks – such as police, firefighters, customs and rescue services will communicate in one uniform nationwide digital voice and data radio system. The digital radio fulfills important operational-tactical requirements of a modern public safety communications and is characterized by a variety of technical features that support its forces in the performing their duties.
The following table shows the major advantages of digital radio compared to analog radio:
| Digital radio | Anlog radio |
| A common network for all
All authorities and organizations with security tasks to use for voice and data communications on a nationally standardized, nationwide network. The inter-agency communication enables new forms of cooperation and offers considerable advantages in the use of organization and control. |
Each organization (and even suborganization) has its own network with their own radio channels and spatially limited range. |
| Privacy
Air interface encryption is included in the TETRA standard as a base feature. This protects the transmission section between the mobile device and the base station. End-to-end encryption provides privacy for the whole transmission due to encryption between two radios. |
The analog radio does not prevent eavesdropping. |
| Single communication
TETRA not only facilitates group calls but also direct communications between individual users without having the rest of the group listening to this call. |
A limitation of the group of participants is not technically possible. All users of a radio channel can listen to all radio calls (open radio channel). |
| Group Communication
In addition to communication within a static group of participants, it is possible to interconnect participants from various groups and organizations. This may be necessary in case of a major critical situation or on bigger events. |
The mission-oriented interconnection of different user groups is not centrally controlled. |
| Capacity
The radio channels are only occupying ressources, if they are actually used. |
Each channel permanently claims its own frequency. Even when not actively speaking. That’s why it comes regularly to congestion and bottlenecks on radio channels with critical communications during major incidents. |
| Better voice quality
The digital radio offers a significantly improved voice quality, because ambient noise is suppressed or filtered. |
In analog radio reception and voice quality are partially bad. |
| Data transmission
An emerging requirement for mission critical communications is data. This service is already realized with the digital radio network. |
In analog radio transmission of data is very limited. |
| Emergency button
All digital radios are equipped with an emergency button. By pressing the emergency button, a voice connection with priority over all other participants will be established. In this way, messages can be forwarded immediately to the emergency control center. |
Analog devices do not have an emergency call button. |