14 July 2022

 

 

GL Communications has introduced automated testing of voice quality and coverage for emergency services in wide-area mobile networks. Validation and regression tests can run continuously to generate thousands of measurements per day in various spaces.

Emergency services mobile networks include land mobile radio systems and often interface with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). These networks are used by police officers, firefighters, and other first responders and must reliably transmit audio between endpoint devices.

In responding to emergencies, clear communication between personnel is mandatory. Poor voice quality and long latency can lead to miscommunication resulting in catastrophic consequences such as loss of life and damage to critical infrastructure. Clear voice quality is needed not just outdoors but in vehicles, aircraft, buildings, and underground as well.

“Objectively measuring end-to-end voice quality in a wide range of scenarios spanning different locations can be challenging but is essential,” said Robert Bichefsky, director of engineering, GL Communications. “GL recently released a whitepaper proposing a systematic way to test voice quality over emergency services mobile networks. The resulting testing will identify gaps in coverage, potential sources of interference, and other obstructions. This will allow the users to identify and eliminate vulnerabilities in their emergency services mobile networks and better protect their citizens.” gl.com