Evolution of 4G networks at the service of public safety and emergency telecommunications

One of the main objectives of the implementation of PPDR networks in Latin America  (public protection and disaster mitigation, for its acronym in Spanish) is to offer efficient tools to the community to provide safety and emergency services during risk situations.

During the forum "Challenges and Opportunities of 4G Networks to provide solutions for Public Protection and Emergency Telecommunications", organized by CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, Carolina España, the financial institution's representative in Colombia highlighted, "these spaces contribute to the study of the potentials of 4G networks with respect to public protection and emergency services, as well as to the national public policy development plan. Regarding the ICTs, CAF's objective is to increase coverage, quality, and access to wide band infrastructure as support for advanced communications and information services. 

The proposal to significantly incorporate PPDR networks in the public agenda seeks to facilitate cooperation between the agencies and organizations in charge of security and disaster mitigation, as well as improve the response capacity and understanding of situations which threaten public safety, through applications that allow for the management of a high volume of information such as videos, images, automatic data analysis, etc. In this respect, the expansion of PPDR network services, through LTE technology, provides a high performance and quality for the services that receive and transmit data. 

Mauricio Agudelo, CAF's ICT and Telecommunications specialist, explained, "We are looking to work in a coordinated and harmonious manner with other regional entities to help develop digital ecosystems in Latin America, where the subject of infrastructure continues to be an important challenge. CAF is one of the main sources of financing for telecommunications and a generator of knowledge to contribute to public policies. In past years, the bank has mobilized resources of 7 million dollars for this purpose". 

The services of the public protection networks and disaster aid are aimed at institution such as the National Police, Military Forces, units that address risks such as the Civil Defense, humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross, and local authorities such as Mayor's offices and Governor's offices. 

During the forum, relevant topics were discussed, such as the incorporation of 4G networks in a post-conflict stage in Colombia, communications systems for citizen protection, implementation models for 4G  networks, and the roadmap for Latin American countries in the implementation of wide band solutions for PPDR.