In the heat of an emergency whether it’s a rapidly spreading fire or a large-scale civil protection response – fast and effective communication can mean the difference between tragedy and relief. For public safety agencies and first responders, technology can be a game-changer, delivering critical information or live video in real time to enable informed decision making in an instant. However, all these factors rely on uninterrupted, secure connectivity with sufficient capacity, even in the most remote locations.
The evolution of mission-critical connectivity
Mission-critical networks are evolving to embrace the rich data capabilities that modern public safety services need to save lives efficiently when every second counts. This progress in enabling robust mission-critical communications is driven by four key factors:
- Coverage: The necessary broad coverage must be secured across entire countries, including in geographical areas that are not typically covered by mobile operators.
- Reliability: Network connectivity must remain reliable even under the most stressful and demanding conditions. Availability is non-negotiable for uninterrupted emergency service, meaning mission-critical networks must be unwaveringly resilient against disruptions.
- Security: Particularly when it comes to government agency operations or national defense responses, the protection of critical communications and sensitive data from vulnerabilities or potential interference is of utmost importance.
Unique tailored antennas for future-proof mission-critical networks
At Ericsson Antenna System, we’ve been actively addressing this pressing need, focusing on the development of new technologies and approaches that target mission-critical needs for public safety. This involves both the introduction of new products and the comprehensive modernization of existing infrastructure to support 4G and 5G standards.
At the center of these efforts are two new high-performance antennas tailored for Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) 5G applications. Both are Low Band two-port antennas specifically designed for the PPDR spectrum in bands B28 and B68 covering the 698-803 MHz frequency range. They are also engineered to directly address the key challenges faced by mission-critical networks, offering unique advantages and benefits.
Optimized spectrum performance
The new mission-critical antennas are optimized for the 700 MHz spectrum, including the specific European bands (698 to 791 MHz). This optimization is crucial for achieving better coverage and performance, particularly across the broad areas needed for nationwide public safety networks and provides the best low-band coverage for deployments. The antennas offer high electrical efficiency of up to 86% (electrical efficiency can be understood as the ratio between the totally radiated power and the input power) enabling better coverage and quality for the radio, especially in the PPDR spectrum – all of which means less sites are required for the necessary coverage.
Advanced security for complex modern threats
Advanced security features, which are vital for protecting sensitive mission-critical traffic from vulnerabilities and potential interference, are a key component in the new antennas. For example, the Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) firmware is safeguarded with signing and encryption by Ericsson, ensuring it remains valid and secure throughout its lifecycle and protecting against vulnerabilities like malware or unwanted intrusions.
Programmability, visibility and control
Modern networks mean programmability and automation to intelligently adapt to service needs during any given time or scenario. The Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) utilize signed and encrypted software to enable secure remote automation, it provides long-lasting reliability with over 10,000 cycles across the full tilt range, and enables constant real-time antenna pattern adjustments from remote with exceptional precision enhancing network coverage and capacity in response to dynamic traffic conditions. Meanwhile, the Antenna Monitoring Unit (AMU) provides crucial real-time visibility into site configuration with integrated sensors. This enables proactive maintenance, site change awareness and optimization based on accurate and secure data points, potentially allowing for preemptive actions in case of issues and generating alarms in case of changes in the physical configuration.
Resilient, durable and simple to deploy
The new antennas are lightweight, weighing between 15 - 20kg, easy to install, and optimized for wind load, offering a 40 percent improvement in wind load performance. Paired with smart and safe brackets, this ensures quick and secure installation and lowers costs. The antennas are also designed to be network agnostic, although specific security and monitoring features are optimized for and enabled by an end-to-end Ericsson implementation.
The journey from voice-centric to data-centric mission-critical networks
We understand that the complexities around modernizing mission-critical networks are significant, and we understand the risks involved. Ericsson's approach to this complex journey is built to facilitate a safe and successful migration from legacy voice-centric systems to future-proof 4G/5G networks with enriched data services. We have extensive experience in ensuring your new network systems can coexist with legacy systems during the transition period and prioritize interoperability.
De-risking your transition is a major focus, with the goal being a progressive transfer of services and users, building towards a unified, data-centric operational model where the broadband service is set as primary, and legacy systems serve as backup until migration phases are complete. You can learn more about the key technical and operational steps to consider for this journey in our white paper on the migration to mission-critical 4G and 5G.
A brighter, data-driven future for public safety and disaster response
In those critical moments when every second counts, having connectivity that is consistently available and resilient is the fundamental difference. Experience with large-scale, highly available networks demonstrates the importance of robust infrastructure and proactive measures to maintain superior levels of performance and security. With Ericsson's mission-critical antennas and proven mission-critical network solutions, public safety agencies and first responders can feel confident they’ll always be ready to respond rapidly, efficiently and safely, even in the most demanding situations.
Finally, if you are in Brussels, Belgium on 17-19 June 2025 and would like to learn more about our mission-critical antenna and network solutions, safeguarding mission-critical networks or modernizing your network, be sure to join us at Critical Communications World (CCW)! Find out more and plan your visit here – we hope to see you there!
Learn more
Find out more about what Ericsson Antenna System has to offer.
Learn more about how we’re transforming the public safety industry.
Read the case study and learn how Pro-M and Ericsson delivered a dedicated
PPDR network to secure the future of public safety in Hungary.
Learn more about the benefits of advanced antenna technology and engineering
in our blog on how antenna evolution is helping shape the future of networks.
