TETRA Around the World

TETRA (TErrestrial Trunked RAdio) is an international, private digital mobile radio standard. It was developed by ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute) over a ten year period and is designed to provide the emergency services, public utilities, transport organisations and other professional users of mobile communications with greatly improved communications.

TETRA networks have been deployed throughout Europe and many other regions of the world since 1997. The public safety sector remains the largest user, followed by transport, utilities, government, military and oil and gas sectors.

This section summarises news on the implementation of TETRA-based systems around the world, and tries to provide a flavour of the types of organisations and applications using TETRA technology. The listing below is by date with the current year first.

For more details on the geographical analysis of TETRA contracts click here.

For the latest TETRA news stories visit the TETRA Association website.

2008

The Jordan Rally, part of the World Rally series chose TETRA to provide its communications.

TETRA used in Greece by the National Ambulance Service in Thessaloniki.

The Pakistan police force migrated its communications to TETRA, with some 70,000 terminals expected to be rolled out over a 3 – 5 year period.

The Crown Macau Hotel and Casino uses a TETRA based communication system for communication between staff on security and front of house duties.

The fire service in St Petersburg in Russia followed its ambulance colleagues in deciding on a TETRA communications system for its mission critical communications.

The emergency services communications system in Valencia in Spain is moving to a TETRA solution and will be built to support up to 15,000 users from various emergency and security services.

Madrid’s Zaragosa Airport, host to the 2008 World Expo, used TETRA to enhance internal and external communications and aid its operations.

TETRA technology chosen to provide the communications for Beijing’s Airport Rail Express project.

2007

During 2007 the use of TETRA expanded in a number of countries and sectors.

In the transport sector, TETRA is providing a unified digital radio system for the St Petersburg metro, communications for the North Luzon railway in the Philippines, links for the Hong Kong MTR Metro stations, communications for Barcelona, Leipzig, Sofia and Munich airports, and bus communications for Connex in the Swedish town of Umea.

TETRA was chosen for national public services networks in Estonia, Hungary, Norway, and the French region of Aix en Provence; for the South Korean Police; and for municipal communications in Lima.

In the commercial sector TETRA is providing the communications at a large train manufacturing plant in Canada, for one of Australia’s five star gold coast resorts, and for Anne Frank House in the Netherlands.

In the sporting events world a TETRA-based communications system monitored the location of ambulance crews, paramedics, race doctor and race organiser for the Great North Run in the UK, the world’s biggest half marathon, provided communications services for the July 2007 pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, with the system subsequently retained by the Rio Police, and for the Asian Games in Qatar.

2006

• The Estonian Government for the Estonian Public Safety Network.

• The Argentine civil police force in Mendoza province.

• Barcelona Underground.

• Stadtwerke München GmbH, Germany’s largest municipal energy supplier.

• The Portuguese Government for a seamless inter-agency voice and data communications across 53,500 users in the police, fire and ambulance services, and civil protection agencies.

• The Shanghai Government with 50,000 users from different government agencies in Shanghai.

• Seville’s metropolitan public safety network.

• Beijing Metro Line 1 and 2 Operations.

• The Swedish Coastguard service which patrols thousands of square kilometres of sea from Haparanda in the North to Strömstad in the West.

• The Panama Canal Authority to manage traffic on one of the world's busiest commercial waterways.

• The municipal enterprise of the city of Riga for the Latvian capital’s public transport.

2005

• TETRA chosen for communications services for England’s fire and rescue services.

• Italy’s 5 national police organisations use TETRA.

• Communications for the Helsinki World Games.

• Ambulance Trusts in England chose TETRA.

• Secure communications for the G8 summit in Edinburgh.

• Support for the emergency services in the aftermath of the London bombings on 7/7 (7 July 2005).

• Completion of rollout to all 51 police forces in the UK.

2004

• Temporary service to help the emergency services respond to the Boscastle flooding in Cornwall in August.

• Olympic Games in Athens.

• Minera Argentina Gold SA announced its intention to use a TETRA system.

• Support for emergency services in the aftermath of the 11 March Madrid bombings.