Development status of private network communication: broadband and narrowband integration becomes a consensus, and equipment vendors are "shuffling"

A year ago, a netizen posted a series of articles titled "My View of Dedicated Wireless" on the Communication People Forum, which described the development history of professional wireless communications in a simple and easy-to-understand way, analyzed the current status of China's dedicated wireless communications development from multiple perspectives, and reflected on it. This post received more than 350,000 hits, and many netizens replied that they benefited a lot from it.

In fact, the history of private network communication is longer than that of public network, but due to its small scale, extreme dispersion and relatively backward technology, it has always been outside the mainstream vision of the communication industry. As private network communication moves from narrowband to broadband applications, the market size is about to explode, and large public network equipment vendors have also turned their attention to private networks. In order to avoid the danger of "dimensionality reduction attacks", some traditional private network equipment vendors are also seeking to master broadband technology supply. The collision between the two has sparked sparks.

Recently, I was invited to attend the 2017 World Emergency Communications Exhibition (CCW 2017) held in Hong Kong, where I witnessed the latest technologies, products, solutions and development ideas of the private network communications industry displayed by manufacturers in the industry, and exchanged ideas with many manufacturers. In my opinion, each industry has its own logic for the application of communication technology. Broadband cannot sweep away the "backward" analog network, but broadband technology is gradually indispensable, and it will also bring a round of "reshuffle" opportunities to the private network communications industry.

Motorola booth

Broadband and narrowband convergence becomes the best evolution solution

At present, the public 4G LTE network has been basically built, and the current focus of discussion is 5G. What level is the private network communication at? "Analog to digital", that is, analog to digital, upgrading from 1G analog network to 2G digital network. And because the progress of analog to digital is not as expected, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also issued a document to extend the use period of analog walkie-talkie frequencies for two years, which shows how slow the development of its network technology is.

Among many industry-specific networks, the public security network is probably the fastest growing one, with one of the largest and most representative scales. China's public security industry has developed a digital trunking standard PDT with independent intellectual property rights, which has been promoted on a large scale in recent years. It is expected that a network covering major cities and regions across the country will be built in 2018. At the same time, as the social security situation becomes more and more complicated, the public security industry can no longer meet management needs by relying solely on voice dispatch, and broadband multimedia services such as high-definition images and videos are becoming more and more widely used.

Previously, public network equipment vendors had launched LTE broadband trunking solutions for the public security and other private network industries to enter the market, but the results were not satisfactory. The reason is that the public security and other professional users have rigid requirements for critical voice, and the public network does not have ultra-low latency voice calls, network priority, security and other features and is difficult to replace. Broadbandization is the general trend; but in the current and next few years, the core position of narrowband networks is difficult to shake.

Therefore, the narrowband + broadband networking has become a common consensus in the private network industry. C114 remembers that ZTE Gundam proposed the "2+4" network solution in 2014, which is the PDT+LTE technology integration networking. At this booth, companies including ZTE Gundam, Hytera, and Motorola Solutions exhibited related broadband and narrowband integration solutions. Given the 2- to 2.5-generation technology gap between private and public networks, narrowband network + LTE networking has become a common choice for broadband and narrowband integration.

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ZTE Gundam exhibits terminal products

Previously, the Chinese government has allocated spectrum in the 1.4GHz and 1.8GHz bands for broadband private networks, and the B-TrunC broadband trunking standard has also become an international standard. However, little progress has been made in the past two years, and the complexity of the private network industry has also caused headaches for equipment vendors. Take the public security industry as an example. Due to its importance and particularity to public safety, the industry hopes to build a separate broadband private network, but it is currently stranded due to lack of spectrum; the high-quality 700MHz band used for emergency rescue is occupied by radio and television for historical reasons.

Therefore, broadband and narrowband integration is also a combination of public and private networks, which strengthens private network coverage and provides broadband multimedia applications by leasing public networks. For example, ZTE Gundam exhibited the GH880, a dual-mode public and private broadband intelligent trunking intercom, and the eChat wide-area trunking solution based on the public network, which can be interconnected with the PDT/DMR/LTE private network system to achieve unified scheduling of public and private networks. Hytera also launched its commercially available multi-mode intelligent terminals, including the DMR+broadband PDC7 series and the Tetra+broadband PTC7 series.

Public network equipment vendors VS private network equipment vendors

Equipment vendors are the most important link in the private network communication chain, providing basic network equipment and basic types of terminals for the entire industry. The broadbandization of private networks will tap the huge potential of the industry market, attracting public network equipment vendors to invest and participate. ZTE may be the most important among them. As early as 2012, it established an independent subsidiary, ZTE Gundam, to serve six major industry cluster markets such as public security. Some public network equipment vendors, such as Ericsson, have also become players in the private network communication field through OEM and other forms.

If we only look at the technological advancement, public network equipment vendors undoubtedly have an overwhelming advantage. Is the winter of narrowband equipment vendors coming? Not necessarily. As mentioned earlier, the broadbandization of private networks is by no means achieved overnight. The integration of broadband and narrowband will continue for a long time, as can be seen from the fact that GSM networks are still in service in the public network. Moreover, the importance of narrowband networks is no less than that of broadband networks, and narrowband equipment vendors still occupy a key position in the industry.

In addition, compared with the public network, private network applications are very distinctive and highly customized. Public network equipment vendors excel at large platforms and large customer groups. They use the "pressure principle" to do marketing, and may not be able to adapt well to the scattered private network niche market. How to understand the different and real needs of customers and customize the design according to the needs is full of challenges for public network equipment vendors.

For traditional narrowband equipment vendors of private networks, obtaining broadband technology support has become a top priority. Without broadband technology, there is no future. Alliances with public network equipment vendors are a shortcut, and independent research and development is even more courageous. According to C114, China's LTE technology is already very mature and has a wealth of talent. If it continues to invest heavily in research and development, it is not insurmountable to go from 2G to 4G. For example, Hytera's independently developed multi-mode intelligent terminal successfully demonstrated its functions at the CCW site.

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CCW Hytera 2017 Summit

The author believes that it is easier for strong public network equipment vendors to make breakthroughs in broadband and narrowband convergence technology. The problem is that the focus of public network equipment vendors is on the telecommunications market. In addition, they also face dozens of market segments of considerable size, and they must consider the input-output ratio. Private network equipment vendors have no way out and can only firmly grasp their traditional advantages and seek the relative advantages of broadband technology. It is believed that the private network communication industry will be "reshuffled" due to changes, and some narrowband equipment vendors will "fall behind" because they cannot adapt to and embrace changes; the tests of technology, strategy, market, and opportunities will help equipment vendors win a brighter future in a relatively balanced competitive situation.