Mission-critical Mobile Communication

Mission-critical mobile communication of Public Safety & Security organizations in Germany will continue to be based on the proven TETRA Network at least until the end of the 2020s. TETRA guarantees almost complete coverage in Germany and in other EU-countries. However, TETRA Networks can only transmit narrowband data (essentially voice and short messages) – their technology is comparable to GSM, formerly used in commercial mobile radio networks.

Importance of Broadband Connectivity

Regardless of the radio technology used, broadband connectivity of the mission forces to their Command & Control Centers (CCC) is becoming increasingly important. For the use of specific APPs, video transmission or access to central databases, broadband data transmission using 4G/LTE/5G enables more efficient operations. Standard cellular terminals can be used e.g. for transmitting real-time videos from the scene to the CCC, for digitizing operational documentation and for using AI-based software applications.

Use of Commercial Cellular Networks

As there is no dedicated governmental broadband cellular network available, commercial cellular networks have to be used for this purpose. The main problems for the authorities are the inadequate reliability and network hardening (remaining time in the event of a blackout only approx. 4 hours) and the lack of nationwide full coverage and availability. Furthermore, commercial cellular networks are quickly congested during major events and the associated concentration of users in a radio cell.

Cells-on-Wheels Solutions

One solution to the problem described above are “Cells-on-Wheels”, i.e. mobile, “deployable” 4G-/5G-radio cells that operate in frequency ranges reserved for the authorities. These cells can be moved to any location and put into operation in just a few minutes. As a supplement to commercial cellular networks, Cells-on-Wheels are an economical and operationally practical solution for absolute availability and thus ensuring connectivity at any time at any geographical location.

VITES' vikomobil 2.0

VITES offers a corresponding field-tested and energy self-sufficient complete solution: vikomobil 2.0.

vikomobil 2.0 – the Cell-on-Wheels for civil protection and public safety integrates several communication technologies to ensure broadband data communication for the mission forces even if the public and governmental networks are congested, disrupted or destroyed. In the operational area, the mission forces can log into the radio cell provided by vikomobil 2.0 using their official smartphones or other mobile radio terminals.

The vikomobil 2.0 is designed as a vehicle trailer and is primarily aimed at Public Safety & Security / Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) authorities and organizations. A complete cellular network (4G-LTE or 5G) is integrated, consisting of a radio base station (eNodeB / gNodeB) and the associated mobile radio core.

The radio cell ensures the connectivity of the PPDR smartphones and terminals, even if the commercial mobile networks are not available. The integrated SATCOM terminal (GEO or LEO) ensures connectivity of the vikomobil 2.0 to CCCs at all times.

Features and Benefits

Thanks to the modular design of the vikomobil 2.0, other radio technologies (such as TETRA) and other customer-specific systems and applications can be integrated with little effort. The integrated methanol fuel cell ensures energy self-sufficient operation for several weeks.

The vikomobil 2.0 is designed for all emergency response scenarios, for major events and for public safety applications. Whenever broadband connectivity (LTE/5G, SATCOM) is required in the operational area and from there to a remote CCC, this can be provided quickly, efficiently and economically with the help of the vikomobil 2.0.

The advantages of the vikomobil 2.0 come into play, in particular when a public communication infrastructure is not available, overloaded, unreliable or destroyed. This is typically the case in major emergencies such as major fires, floodings and earthquakes. However, public networks are also congested during major local sporting and cultural events, demonstrations and other large-scale public safety operations.

In these cases, video recording of the situation and, if necessary, the identification of aggressors is becoming increasingly important. The monitoring of critical infrastructures is another use case.

In all of these scenarios, the vikomobil 2.0 has another major operational advantage: the integrated direct methanol fuel cell allows for self-sufficient operation for several weeks without generating noise or harmful exhaust fumes. This makes the vikomobil inconspicuous and unobtrusive.

Due to the relatively low permissible gross vehicle weight (GVW) of approx. 1.5 t, mid-range cars or SUVs are suitable as towing vehicles, thus achieving a high level of mobility. This eliminates the need for command vehicles, as the vikomobil 2.0 can be moved without incurring additional costs, and can also remain autonomously at the scene for longer observation of a situation. By maintaining several vikomobil 2.0 units in the regional area of responsibility of the respective authority, high operational flexibility is achieved.

Integration and Connectivity Options

The vikomobil 2.0 integrates a mobile radio cell and a SATCOM terminal. The latter can be a classic self-aligning GEO terminal, but depending on customer requirements, user terminals for LEO constellations can also be assembled, e.g. from the ViSAT product family from VITES. With Eutelsat-OneWeb, there is already a European satellite constellation that can be used for governmental communication. Furthermore, the EU constellation IRIS2 is currently being developed. With the help of SATCOM connectivity, the connection to mobile and central CCCs is ensured at all times.

Thanks to intelligent SATCOM tariff models, organizations with smaller budgets can also benefit from SATCOM connectivity. Our partner IABG-Teleport provides corresponding models.