Major milestone for worldwide digital radio implementation

3.5 millionth TETRA digital radio terminal handed to German public safety organisations at Motorola Solutions’ TETRA Center of Excellence in Berlin

Number of TETRA users will rise to 5 million by 2021 according to IHS Markit research

Motorola Solutions has announced that it has shipped its 3.5 millionth TETRA digital radio terminal to public safety and commercial customers worldwide. To mark this important milestone, Christoph Thomas, MSSSI Vice president sales and country manager Motorola Solutions Germany handed over a specially designed TETRA digital radio terminal to Dr. Dieter Romann, president of the Presidium of the German Federal Police, at Motorola Solutions’ newly opened TETRA Center of Excellence in Berlin, Germany. The equipment of all federal public safety organizations with digital radios and accessories from Motorola Solutions takes place based on a framework contract with the procurement office of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior following a Europe-wide tender.

Motorola Solutions’ major milestone comes at a time when public safety organizations are under enormous burden. Threats are getting more complex, populations are growing, and budgets are under pressure. Customers need interoperable solutions for voice, data, multimedia and other applications that enable them to work faster, safer and more effectively.

“The delivery of the 3.5 millionth TETRA radio terminal reinforces our position as a trusted market leader in providing mission-critical solutions to public safety and commercial organizations worldwide,” said Mark Schmidl, corporate vice president of sales for Motorola Solutions in Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We will continue to invest in both TETRA and new mobile broadband-based smart public safety solutions. As the TETRA market continues to evolve, driven by systems upgrades, innovations and new requirements from front line professionals we will continue to enable our customers to work safer, smarter and in the most extreme environments.”

According to IHS Markit research, the number of TETRA users will rise to 5 million by 2021. This trend underlines that there is a strong demand for innovations and next-generation TETRA communication solutions to drive safer cities and communities. The demand is mostly generated out of EMEA which is responsible for 70 percent of the global market. Europe alone receives 50 percent of the worldwide TETRA shipments.

“At IHS we feel positive about the TETRA market,” said Thomas Lynch, director for Safe Cities, Critical Communications and Security Research at IHS Markit. “We see TETRA as a complementary technology for LTE/broadband technologies, which are growing in popularity. We expect the market to continue to grow as organisations look to move to digital also because TETRA is a proven mission-critical technology, trusted by governments and public safety organisations throughout the world.”

The new Motorola Solutions MTP6650 TETRA portable radio is an example of how TETRA is helping public safety agencies address today’s market demands and of Motorola Solutions’ continual investment in TETRA. The radio offers enhanced coverage, location services and Bluetooth® 4.1 ensuring public safety professionals can take advantage of wireless devices such as wireless push-to-talk (PTT) buttons or sensors such as a heart rate monitors to improve safety on the frontline. Support for Global Navigation Satellite Systems ensures users can take advantage of the latest location-based services. When combined with the Si500 Video Speaker Microphone, officers can also take advantage of new body-worn video camera and digital evidence management solutions.