Overview#
A patrol sergeant activates the emergency button on their TETRA handset during a pursuit. Within seconds, the command centre receives a high-priority alert, the officer's GPS position appears on the operational map, and the nearest available units receive an automated Short Data Service message with the incident grid reference, all without a dispatcher manually relaying a single word. This is the kind of coordinated, low-latency response the TETRA Radio Communications module is designed to enable.
The module integrates Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) networks directly into the platform, bridging traditional mission-critical Land Mobile Radio (LMR) infrastructure and modern digital command operations. It unifies voice, data, and location tracking across both narrowband radio and broadband channels, giving command personnel a single operational picture regardless of which communications technology field personnel are carrying.
Key Features#
- Voice Recording and Transcription: Captures TETRA voice traffic from configured talkgroups, stores recordings with end-to-end encryption, and produces searchable transcripts using automated speech recognition.
- AI Keyword and Sentiment Monitoring: Applies keyword spotting and tone analysis to live and recorded audio, surfacing alerts when operationally significant terms or elevated stress indicators are detected.
- GPS Location Tracking via LIP: Ingests TETRA Location Information Protocol position reports to display the real-time whereabouts of every active handset on the operational map, with configurable update intervals and breadcrumb history.
- Short Data Service Messaging: Provides two-way SDS text messaging between dispatchers and field radios, including pre-defined status codes and free-text messages, with full delivery receipts and audit logging.
- Emergency Button Integration: Instantly escalates a handset emergency button activation into a high-priority platform alert, auto-populates the incident with the officer's last known position, and triggers configurable downstream actions such as camera geofencing and unit notification.
- Talkgroup Bridging: Bridges TETRA talkgroups with Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) channels, enabling smartphone users operating broadband applications to communicate directly with radio users on the same logical talkgroup.
- Talkgroup Recording and Selective Monitoring: Records individual talkgroups independently, allowing compliance teams and supervisors to monitor specific channels without capturing the entire radio estate.
- Automated Status Workflow Triggers: Maps incoming SDS status codes to configurable platform workflows, enabling field radios to initiate security routines, camera activations, or dispatch actions without dispatcher intervention.
Use Cases#
- First Responder Dispatch: Control-room dispatchers track police, fire, and ambulance personnel via their TETRA handsets and communicate across radio and mobile app channels from a single interface, reducing call handling time and dispatcher workload.
- Critical Infrastructure Protection: Facility security teams using TETRA radios send SDS status codes that trigger automated workflows such as access-control lockdowns, CCTV tracking, and supervisor notifications without voice communication.
- Covert Operations Support: Encrypted TETRA talkgroups for surveillance teams are monitored and logged without exposing channel membership to other platform users, maintaining operational security compartmentalisation.
- Event and Crowd Management: Large-scale public events use talkgroup bridging to coordinate TETRA-equipped stewards and police officers with supervisors carrying smartphones, maintaining a unified communications net across the entire venue.
- Border and Port Operations: TETRA handsets carried by patrol officers feed continuous LIP position data into the operational map, giving border management teams a live picture of personnel deployment across extended perimeter zones.
- After-Action Review and Evidence Management: Recorded voice traffic and SDS logs are linked to incident records, providing investigators and legal teams with a tamper-evident, timestamped communications audit trail.
Integration#
The TETRA Radio Communications module connects to the platform's operational map to display handset positions alongside other tracked assets, and to the alert management system to route emergency button presses and critical SDS events into prioritised incident queues. Voice recordings and transcripts are indexed for search alongside other intelligence sources. The module also exposes a northbound interface so that TETRA events can be forwarded to partner agencies and third-party command-and-control systems using standard data formats, supporting multi-agency interoperability without requiring all parties to share the same platform instance.
Open Standards#
- ETSI EN 300 392 (TETRA): The module implements the European Telecommunications Standards Institute TETRA standard series for trunked radio access, direct mode, and inter-system interface, ensuring interoperability with any compliant TETRA infrastructure vendor.
- ETSI TS 100 392-18 (TETRA LIP): Location Information Protocol position reports are parsed and forwarded according to the ETSI TETRA LIP specification, preserving the precision and timestamping defined by the standard.
- ETSI TS 100 392-2 (Short Data Service): SDS message encoding and status code handling follow the ETSI TETRA SDS specification, guaranteeing interoperability with all compliant TETRA terminals and infrastructure.
- ETSI TS 102 580 (TETRA Security): End-to-end encryption of voice and data is implemented in accordance with ETSI TETRA security specifications, including air-interface encryption class support.
- 3GPP TS 23.282 (Mission Critical Push-to-Talk, MCPTT): Talkgroup bridging to broadband channels uses the 3GPP MCPTT architecture, enabling standards-based interworking between TETRA and LTE or 5G mission-critical networks.
- OMA POC (Push-to-Talk over Cellular): Where legacy PoC clients are in use alongside TETRA, the module supports OMA PoC bridging to maintain backwards compatibility with existing broadband handsets.
- NIST SP 800-111 (Storage Encryption): Recorded voice traffic at rest is protected following NIST guidance on storage encryption, using AES-256 with key management practices aligned to the publication's recommendations.
- ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management): Operational data handling, access control, and audit logging within the module are aligned to ISO/IEC 27001 controls, supporting customers seeking or maintaining certification.
Availability#
- Enterprise Plan: Included
- Professional Plan: Available as an add-on for organisations that require TETRA integration alongside the core platform.
Last Reviewed: 2026-05-26