Nextgen Device-To-Device Mission Critical Communication

Purpose and goal

In Sweden the police and rescue services uses the so-called Rakel network for mission-critical communication. The system does not fulfil the requirements of the future and soon needs to be replaced. Globally, there is a transition for mission-critical communications from narrowband LMR networks to modern 4G/5G technology. In Sweden this means a transition from the national Rakel network to Rakel G2 based on the 3GPP standard. This project aims to investigate the Sidelink technology´s potential as a platform for future development of connected mission-critical applications.

Expected effects and result

The main project deliverables consist of evaluation material and guidelines for how Sidelink technology can be applied in specific use cases within mission critical communication, as used by public safety and defense. The result will influence demand for user equipment and applications to fulfill the needs of those specific and other use cases. These results are expected to be incorporated into new products in the time perspective 2026 onwards, becoming mainstream closer to 2030 where existing LMR networks are planned to be dismantled at a larger scale in Europe.

Planned approach and implementation

The project is a Swedish-US collaborative project that includes technology manufacturers, research organizations with test infrastructure and end users. Use cases are identified by MSB and Saab. These use cases are then broken down into verifiable requirements by AstaZero and Texas A&M. Qualcomm supplies mobile devices with Sidelink technology for evaluation in AstaZero´s and Texas A&M´s test environments. In parallel with this, Chalmers is developing a test application that uses the new technology. Finally, MSB is responsible for the evaluation of the technology in the field.