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Though the main event occupied just two days – November 11–12, 2010 – tight security procedures were in force for days and even weeks beforehand. Using the expanded network, officers successfully policed a series of demonstrations which took place close to the main event location on November 7. The network worked perfectly and has continued to provide faultless performance ever since. Further challenges now lie ahead for Incheon Police and their TETRA network. Next year, representatives of 50 countries will meet in South Korea for discussions about nuclear proliferation and disarmament. And in 2014 the Asian Games are due to be held in South Korea. To cope with the increased radio traffic arising from these special events, it is likely that further TETRA sites will be built and more carriers added. Rich applications Capitalizing on TETRA’s strengths as a technology to enhance police operations, IMPA collaborated with Teltronic’s local partner, Withus, to develop new voice and data applications during the preparations for the G-20 summit. Using a special applications interface (called N2A in Teltronic Nebula networks), database access via SDS is now possible, enabling officers to query the criminal database as well as gain access to driver ID and vehicle licence-plate records. IMPA also developed line dispatch and recorder solutions customized to its own needs. These developments are in sharp contrast to the limited services previously available over the EDACS system, which was limited to voice alone. IMPA has also upgraded its network with a command and control centre reached via a single emergency telephone number, 112, using Teltronic’s ethernet/IP-based CeCoCo technology. This technology has also allowed IMPA to develop an interconnection solution with the neighbouring TETRA network operated by Seoul Metropolitan Police Authority (SMPA) and supplied by Motorola. The connection proved particularly useful during the G-20 summit and is seen as an example of how regional police networks could be interconnected in the future to make up a nationwide solution. Also implemented by IMPA is an in-vehicle map navigation service based on 3G mobile. Queries to it are transmitted over the TETRA network. Pushing data “At IMPA we are very pleased with the TETRA system and plan to use it to develop further third-party applications”, commented Mr Hang Sun Kwang, IMPA’s director of communications. “We hope to implement WAP soon so that we can see images on the terminal. “We will also increase network capacity when we implement secondary control channels and be able to push more data from the server. At the moment, photos can be sent to the vehicle via a 3G network, but of course this costs money as the service is provided by a commercial operator. It would be nice in future to be able to run these applications over TETRA, so the development of secure broadband solutions which are compatible with TETRA and able to be run over the police network would be well received in the future.” Incheon City continues to expand at a startlingly rapid rate. A public transport ride from the airport leads out into the bay towards the mainland across the futuristic 12-kilometre long Incheon Bridge to the New City area of Songdo. There, a sprawling array of cranes, trucks and bulldozers clear wide stretches of reclaimed land, paving the way for a new business centre with shiny, brand-new hotels, convention centres and offices. Recent additions include the 68-storey North East Asia Trade Tower, 312 metres high. At the time when IMPA decided to commission a new public safety communications network, only one manufacturer, Motorola, had ever delivered TETRA networks for public safety customers in South Korea. A competitive tender led to several alternatives being proposed. And in a break from convention, IMPA chose the Spanish manufacturer Teltronic to supply its TETRA infrastructure. This introduction of a competing manufacturer within the Korean police market created a particular challenge for the winning bidder because the new Teltronic network was required to interconnect with existing Motorola TETRA systems in neighbouring jurisdictions. However, an in-depth study carried out by the supplier and the system integrator enabled an interface solution to be developed. This has been very successful in allowing TETRA to demonstrate its multi-vendor support and to become the sole secure communications standard in Korea. The G-20 group of nations has emerged from the original G-7 and G-8 concept of the post Cold War era to include a number of rapidly emerging nations such as China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico. Last year, Korea became the first Asian country and the first non-G8 nation to host a G-20 Leaders’ Summit.
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