31 May 2016

CCW 2016: Airbus DS introduces new LTE application and cell system

Airbus Defence and Space has introduced two new LTE products at Critical Communications World with the launch of its Tactilon Agnet, a group communication application over LTE, and the unveiling of a new Tactilon Cell that can provide LTE services where there is no fixed infrastructure available.

Tactilon Agnet’s release (previously known as Tactilon TSA) offers “more possibilities than the classical Push-to-Talk [PTT] functions for voice calls”, claims Airbus DS, as the Agnet version allows group members to send photos and videos at the push of a button. The previous system was limited to users with smartphones being able to initiate group calls.

This capability allows public safety groups such as first responders to send photos of people in need of rescue to the control rooms to allow emergency personnel to work more efficiently to locate and rescue people. Tactilon Agnet has also LTE Quality of Service (QoS) and multimedia capabilities, such as photos and videos. It is fully aligned with the standard Release 13 for Mission Critical Push to Talk (MCPPT) of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a global organisation that sets international telecommunications standards.

The multimedia functions of Tactilon Agnet are already based on the principles of future Release 14, focusing on Mission Critical enhancements like Mission Critical Data and Video over LTE.