Airbus TETRA Systems

Who uses TETRA radio communications?

TETRA is the world’s most used digital PMR standard, deployed in approximately 130 countries. User groups vary from nationwide public safety agencies and utility companies to industry plant installations with just one or two base stations.

TETRA technology is extremely practical for organizations in public safety, transportation, healthcare and medical teams, enterprises, and various industries. They all need to communicate within teams and between them, and they need these solutions to be mission-critical: available, reliable, and secure.

These are just a few examples of Airbus TETRA System customers:

• Nationwide BOS digital radio network for German authorities
• VIRVE, nationwide public safety network in Finland. In operation since 2002
• Oslo Metro, public transportation in the capital of Norway
• KEPCO, Korean power company

Airbus is committed to maintaining these systems for years to come. This guarantees that the TETRA system develops for a long time. Take a look at more customer stories:

How good is TETRA coverage?

Coverage depends mostly on the frequency used and the transmission power. Receiver sensitivity is also important. As TETRA is an open standard, competing vendors have continuously brought innovation to TETRA’s development so that today, using the same frequency band with similar output power, TETRA coverage is outstanding.

Did you know?

• The TB3-series base stations are the most popular in the world. For example, the coverage for the world's largest TETRA network (BOS network in Germany) is built with TB3 TETRA base stations.
• The hybrid base station TB4 is ready for broadband. It can handle both 4G/5G and TETRA technology.

What does TETRA over broadband mean?

Is 'TETRA over broadband' even a thing?

There is an ever-growing trend with professional organizations using smartphones in their work. They want to take advantage of broadband and multimedia communications.

TETRA over broadband makes it possible for the radio user to have a group call also with team members who carry a smartphone. Learn more in this blog post: “What does ‘TETRA over LTE’ mean?” 

What about TETRA and smartphones?

The smartphone trend also means that one person may have to use a TETRA radio AND a smartphone for work. Two different devices means different procedures and different functions. Carrying two devices is not ideal.

So, could TETRA features be brought into a smartphone?

There are apps that put a PTT button on the smartphone screen. Some smartphone models may also have a physical button that could be dedicated to the PTT function. This is great for many users, especially when the push-to-talk application is designed for professional use.

Take a look: This blog post explains how to recognize a professional push-to-talk application.

Let’s say your organization has decided to adopt broadband and apps for professional use. How do traditional radios and radio communication fit in? How does TETRA fit with smartphones? Learn more in this blog post: “How to use TETRA and smartphones in a hybrid way”.

Would you like to get more information on hybrid solutions? And learn how to complement your system with broadband?

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