The Common Challenge
European Interoperable Mobile Broadband for Public Safety
What?
- Secure, Mission Critical broadband communication – operable everywhere
- Applications & the Internet of Public Safety Things (IoPST) Ecosystem
- Future evolution as technology advances – standardised with no vendor lock
Why?
- To Improve Collaboration between responders from different agencies and different countries
- To Enable mobility of responders between different countries
It is expected that BroadWay will uncover new challenges in terms of:
- Policy– Harmonised service provision of critical mobile information services across Europe will require intervention both on an EU and national level. BroadWay seeks to catalyse the policy discussions needed to achieve what is needed.
- Investment– Pan-European broadband for public safety will rely on each member state and associated country to invest in new infrastructure to bring broadband to their public safety services in each country. Investment in innovation is also key to ensure that public safety is never left behind again with 20 year old technologies.
- Responder Practitioner acceptance– Responders working in times of crisis must trust that their technologies are useable in their role, that they have confidence that they are secure and reliable enough in those difficult situations where they counter and respond to disaster, crime and terrorism. New technologies must not hinder their operations. BroadWay relies heavily on the evaluation of new technologies by practitioners.
- Test and Conformance– This will be a key outcome of BroadWay that will ensure that products and services procured for live use, will be to the satisfaction of all representatives of member states who will manage, operate and use those services, both nationally and in pan-European collaborative situations.
- Global and European Standards – BroadWay will keep a check that the global 3GPP Mission Critical standards will continue to provide suitable capabilities and longevity as mobile standards develop. New capabilities to cooperate in cross border and cross agency situations will bring the need to study and standardise new ways of cooperating and to further refine pan-European standards with regard to co-operational procedures.
- Governance, Sustainability & Full European Adoption – BroadWay is a team of 11 buyers from 11 member states. During BroadWay we aim to create a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC), with the aim to initiate an appropriate governance structure for sustainability of pan European broadband for public safety, after completion of the BroadWay PCP. Other member and associated states are welcome to join us both now, and once the EGTC is formed. Co-operation outside of Europe is also expected to become a key topic as similar projects around the world develop.
The work of BroadWay will continue long after the BroadWay project itself will finish. Activities are already planned and will be taken forward to bring the procured innovative solutions in to live use. You can read about how PCP works and the future beyond BroadWay by clicking here.