Announcing the formation of the North America TETRA Forum
The Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) community who support this international open Land Mobile Radio standard have taken another step forward in their presence and commitment to the important growth market which US and Canada represent.
The formation of the North America TETRA Forum (NATF) was announced at the International Wireless Communications Expo in Las Vegas in February and will open up considerable potential for the growing adoption of TETRA as a multi-vendor digital trunking technology in these regions.
TETRA forums are already bringing interested parties together in Australasia, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, South Africa and Poland; where hardware manufacturers, solutions providers and users are involved in joint initiatives designed to promote growing acceptance of the TETRA standard. Representing North American interests in the evolution of the TETRA standard, the NATF will provide education on the technology and also focus on engaging with all stakeholders including legislators and regulators on radio frequency spectrum for TETRA networks. The forum will facilitate development of voice and data applications and other value-add services in the region.
Kevin Graham and Gary Lorenz the founding Directors of the NATF explained:“ The inaugural members include many renown international TETRA suppliers. North American based suppliers and distributors, value add solution providers and consulting organisations, which can assist professional land mobile users in North America migrate their present analogue systems to the feature rich capability of TETRA that is already deployed in 126 countries worldwide. The TETRA technology also meets the requirements for frequency efficiency and complies with the FCC UHF narrow banding mandate”.
The international TETRA and Critical Communications Association (TCCA), formerly known as the TETRA Association, has been actively supporting the formation of the NATF. Phil Kidner, CEO for TCCA says: “TETRA is gaining a much deserved foothold in North America, given its versatility, comprehensive range of voice and data and security features and value as a platform for critical communications. The creation of the NATF is a major advance in enabling existing and potential users to explore the technology in greater depth also through the several TETRA pilot systems which are currently being deployed in the region. It will be a constructive forum for sharing experiences of the many situations in which TETRA has already provided voice and data capabilities in a wide range of demanding business, industry, transportation and government environments.”
TETRA North American Tour Dates
The TCCA has also released the dates for the TETRA North American 2012 tour, offering a series of TETRA workshops where users can see the technology in action and learn more about its uses and benefits in critical communications environments.
In partnership with the newly created NATF, the tour will cover the following cities:
- 12th June -Toronto, Canada
- 13th June -New York City
- 14th June -Washington DC
- 19th June -Sacramento, California
- 21st June -Houston, Texas
To find out more visit ‘Events’ on the TCCA website www.tcca.info. Specific venues will be posted on the site as they are confirmed.
In addition Radio Resources International, Mission Critical Magazine in conjunction with the TCCA & NATF is hosting a free Webinar, on “Licensing TETRA in the U.S.: Guidelines for the Application Process” on May 10. The link details for this webinar and registration are:
http://www.radioresourcemag.com/promos/promo.cfm?eid=1934621&cid=3465
Several of the NATF members along with the TCCA will also be presenting and exhibiting TETRA technology at the forthcoming UTC Telecom 2012 Conference, May 20-23 Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, FL.
Further information and membership details can be found on the North America TETRA Forum website www.tetra-na.org
All email enquiries can be directed to admin@tetra-na.org