On 5 and 6 November, Ghent hosted the meeting of the Public Safety Radiocommunications Group (PSRG). This international group of experts, including members of the police, fire and emergency medical services, is dedicated to the development, management and improvement of radiocommunication systems specifically designed to ensure public safety. With a focus on critical communication networks such as TETRA and future developments towards 4G and 5G solutions, the PSRG plays a key role in the modernisation of emergency communications.

During these two days, around forty participants from various European countries gathered. The programme included informative presentations on national projects, including comparisons with ASTRID's "Next Generation Communication" initiative. In addition to the technical exchanges, the participants had the opportunity to discover Ghent's rich historical heritage through a guided tour.

A shared vision and common challenges

The presentations revealed that many countries share similar challenges and ambitions to ASTRID. The transition to technologies such as Mission Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT), complemented by applications such as video communication and the Internet of Things (IoT), is being prepared for many radio network managers.

Innovative network architectures, such as MCRAN and MOCN, were also presented. In addition, discussions focused on the impact of new generations of equipment on ergonomics and security. These discussions highlighted the crucial importance of international cooperation for the development of communication systems.

ASTRID, a committed player on the European scene

For ASTRID, hosting this event was a real honour. This collaboration with our European partners illustrates our commitment to making communications between emergency and security services ever more efficient and modern. These partnerships are essential to ensure constant technological progress in our sector and to offer optimal support to the responders on the ground, who, every day, make a difference.