Discussion room

Take part in discussions on key public safety issues with other industry experts.
Apr 17, 2023

WhatsApp for Met officers

Hi there, I was reading BBC news article https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-65274794 Interesting to read that Met officers are currently provided with smart devices (of the shelf Android and ioS smartphones) and WhatsApp application. Most of the WhatsApp features should be available in MCData client applications in addition to MCPTT and MCVideo. MCX clients have MCPTT ability something what WhatsApp is missing, also pre-emption,  different Qcis, on premises installed systems for additional security, interoperability with legacy PMR technologies. But what WhatsApp has, is maturity and usability. Just wondering, how many police officers will use MCX clients for messaging instead of WhatsApp if they have both clients in the same device?
Mar 17, 2023

The future of ESN

Most European nations have a dedicated, well-established & trusted, specialised critical communications operator sitting between the Interior Ministry and the public safety agencies & end-users. This same operator is ideally placed to lead the transition from narrowband TETRA to broadband LTE/5G taking into account local requirements & conditions. UK Home Office/ESN are increasingly looking like outliers, struggling to deliver an operational public safety LTE network in spite of being one of the first to start their transition, & now embroiled in a lengthy & highly damaging dispute with its key technology supplier. Can ESN actually ever be delivered under the current model or does the UK need to align more with its European counterparts to get ESN over the line?

About this room

This is a room to facilitate discussion threads around key mission critical communications topics. There are some pre-existing discussions for you to take part in by replying to an individual thread, or we actively encourage members to start a new thread by clicking the green 'Create' button and select 'Start a conversation'. This will be visible to all members on the Critical Communications Network, allowing you to learn and share ideas with other experts across the public safety sector.