Priority for Blue Lights with Deutsche Telekom and Motorola Solutions

Deutsche Telekom announced the introduction of a new communication solution for emergency responders in Germany, based on its LTE and 5G networks. Mission-critical information is given priority within Deutsche Telekom’s network. This is made possible through mission-critical MCX broadband services based on Motorola Solutions technology, and Network Slicing. The solution provides prioritized access for first responders across Deutsche Telekom’s network and enables the transmission of voice and data during operations. Deutsche Telekom is expanding its portfolio of solutions for German public safety organizations through collaborations with multiple strategic partners. The company signed an agreement with Motorola Solutions Germany today.

Deutsche Telekom Public Sector Director Gottfried Ludewig said: “Deutsche Telekom has proven itself as a market leader in crisis situations, making it the ideal partner for the modernization of public safety (BOS) communication. We are prioritizing mission-critical data using MCX technology. MCX puts a ‘blue light’ on data that forces non-prioritized data to step aside so that, just like emergency vehicles, prioritized data moves efficiently through our network. At the same time, we reserve capacity in the mobile network for emergency responders using network slicing. Together with our customers, we are continuously developing technology to better support emergency responders.”

Helmut Gaschler, country manager Germany and sales director for Central Europe, Motorola Solutions, said: "In an emergency, understanding a situation and effective coordination are everything. Our advanced MCX solution will help bring data, images and video to Germany's first responders, securely and reliably. As a global leader in mission-critical communications, Motorola Solutions delivers trusted MCX solutions to over two million users worldwide and has pioneered standards-based MCX technology for over 15 years. We're proud to collaborate with Deutsche Telekom to bring these capabilities to first responders in Germany.”

MCX, an abbreviation for standards-based mission-critical services, facilitates the exchange of voice (Push-to-Talk), data, and video (Push-to-Video) in real time. MCX supports high-availability, secure, and prioritized communication within the network. The new solution will enable police, fire departments, and rescue services to work seamlessly together across 5G/LTE devices and smartphones as well as radios. 

Network slicing technology reserves bandwidth in the mobile network for police and fire departments – similar to a dedicated emergency lane on a highway. Even during emergencies, where many people might be using their phones simultaneously, responders can rely on secure communications. Deutsche Telekom successfully tested this technology with the Federal Police and showcased it at the 2024 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The solution is already in use by customers and passed its first major test during last year’s European Football Championship.

Deutsche Telekom has been a long-standing digitalization partner for police and fire departments both nationally and internationally. The company is already a service provider for federal, state, and local governments with the current TETRA radio system. Approximately 150,000 police officers rely on Deutsche Telekom solutions, including command and control systems. For example, the state of Thuringia will soon receive an operations control system from T-Systems. Additionally, the company supports the police in the area of drone detection.

The results of numerous independent network tests confirm Deutsche Telekom’s commitment to expanding its network – both in 5G and LTE. Publications such as Chip, Imtest, Smartphone Magazin, and Computer Bild once again named Deutsche Telekom and its mobile network as the test winner in 2024. With over 36,000 mobile sites, the network operator provides more than 99% of Germany’s population with LTE coverage, and over 98% with 5G. On the particularly fast 3.6 GHz frequency, more than 15,000 5G antennas in over 1,000 cities and municipalities nationwide enable download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

Source: Deutsche Telekom media announcement