Safety First: Reinvesting the Digital Dividend in Safeguarding Citizens

Abstract

Public Safety and Security (PSS) service responders provide us with indispensable police, fire and other emergency services. Each individual in our society has the growing expectation of, if not the right to, emergency services. In turn, society expects that its government will expend the necessary resources to aid those in emergency need. The provision of emergency services extends beyond the social contract and invokes a moral obligation to protect life, welfare, and property. In order to fulfil this obligation to save lives and property, PSS organisations and their personnel require wireless access not only to voice and simple data services (narrowband) but also increasingly to broadband data services. The ability to utilise broadband services requires more spectrum than the two 5 MHz-wide blocks currently harmonised across Europe. Already some countries have had to provide access to further spectrum to support voice services. Calculations show that approximately two additional 15 MHz-wide blocks are required but the question is where this spectrum can be found that can economically support the longer ranges needed to provide geographic coverage in rural areas. One possible solution is to allocate spectrum from the transition to digital terrestrial television, the so called Digital Dividend. In this White Paper, we examine the social welfare gained through the reallocation of Digital Dividend spectrum to PSS mission critical networks. We marshal the arguments for further dedicated spectrum for mission critical PSS communications, as well as provide a detailed view of the technical and operational characteristics of next generation PSS radio systems. The Digital Dividend can fulfil this necessary communications role, within the timescales needed by PSS users and provide a clear evolution path for essential day to day wireless mission critical communications.