Technology & IT | Monday 26 January, 2015 8:44 am |

du’s successful testing of LTE broadband trunking on 4G network is set to provide futuristic connectivity solutions not only to large enterprises (mining, oil and gas, logistics, ports), government departments, emergency services, public utilities, traffic monitoring, but also to meet the needs of a smart city.

The test, a first by any telecom operator in the Middle East, established the superiority of LTE Broadband Trunking over legacy trunking systems such as TETRA and P25. With high capacity efficiency and large coverage, LTE Broadband trunking offers high definition voice/video communications and most importantly data transfer at speeds of 100Mbps not possible earlier with legacy trunking systems, making real-time transfer of data a possibility. With abilities like HD voice/video trunking, group call, flexible networking and support for multi-services, the LTE Broadband Trunking system caters to the needs of today’s critical communications needs.

Saleem AlBlooshi, Executive Vice President - Network Development & Operations, du, said: “The successful testing of the new LTE broadband trunking services and the evolution of current trunking solutions provides tremendous opportunities in a digitised world, where real-time transfer of information is at the heart of communication. The solution complements our expanding broadband portfolio for the enterprise segment. Most importantly, it provides the infrastructure that will foster and incubate innovation and enables development of more innovative products and solutions to strengthen the ecosystem.”

du’s state-of-the-art commercial LTE network supports peak throughput of 150Mbps. The 4G LTE network will now empower businesses deploying LTE Broadband Trunking technology to maintain communication with field staff of offshore companies through high-definition video and audio calls (or closed user group calls), PTT (Push to Talk), video dispatch, and video surveillance.

Creation of better synergies through communication with various entities and integrated video/audio monitoring services will also enable seamless connectivity within smart cities.


Rich applications require more data support, especially for dynamic video transfer and location based services, in a “smart” city where information has to be passed in real time basis, for example for emergency services or for critical communications services. Broadband as a platform is necessary to support these rich applications. Moreover, easier network construction and maintenance and the emergence of trunking smartphones have set new standards for enterprise communication.

The biggest benefit of the LTE Broadband trunking system is that it caters to the needs of different sectors and myriad verticals within the same sector. The LTE Broadband trunking system can be deployed across various sectors such as enterprise (mining, oil and gas, logistics, ports), government departments, emergency services, public utilities, traffic monitoring to name a few; providing seamless connectivity in the smart city being envisioned in the near future. The system also benefits various verticals within each sector. For example, airports can use the system for work-order based data dispatch, fixed video surveillance or mobile video surveillance, QAR data uploading, generating airline crew reports or providing EFB updates, load sheets, fuelling reports and monitoring vehicle positioning.

AlBlooshi added: “As a pioneer, we will continue to innovate and use our experience, and latest available technologies, to provide the best possible services to new domains and cater to needs for critical communications.”