UK Ministry of Defence and US Department of Defense Trial Private Mobile Network Technology
14 February 2007
Stand 1E61, hall one, 3GSM, Barcelona – Private Mobile Networks Ltd, the UK provider of private GSM network technology, has announced it has reached the final stages of two concurrent trials of its private GSM mobile network system with undisclosed parts of both the US and UK armed forces. The system allows those organisations to control GSM traffic within localised areas such as offices or military bases, as well as providing the ability to quickly create localised calling cells in remote locations, which are normally outside of GSM coverage.
"PMN was created, primarily, as a solution for business customers to help reduce mobile telephony costs and improve the limited functionality of traditional mobile network operators," commented Dean Parsons, Operations Director of Private Mobile Networks. "However, we have received a huge volume of interest from military and civil organisations that understand the value of GSM technology but do not want to run mission critical and sensitive communications over a publicly accessible network."
PRIVATE MOBILE EXCHANGE (PMX)
The Private Mobile eXchange (PMX) enables the deployment of secure GSM networks into areas where operational requirements make call access a high priority and where macro network mobile access may not be appropriate or available, thus enabling a standard mobile phone to be used in environments where there is limited or no coverage. Its advantages include:
- A secure private network
- No access without PMN SIM card plus mobile phone manual registration into the PMX system
- Encryption on backhaul links
- Stand-alone or dual SIM access to enable macro network coverage for authorised personnel
- Robust and ruggedised versions
- A large coverage range
- Use of industry standard 2G mobile phones
As Parsons explains, "Public GSM and PCN networks have massive coverage over populated areas, and the relative low cost of GSM devices and services make them attractive to large organisations with operations in multiple countries with staff needing to communicate quickly.
"However, public GSM has often been dismissed as a viable option for the armed services due to the inability to control the voice path, low-grade encryption and lack of strong authentication for users. PMX negates these issues by placing the equipment and service provision in the hands of the client, in this case the MOD or DOD."
Additionally, the system can connect to a VSAT (Very Small Aperture Transmitter) satellite system to provide linkage into secure global communications networks. The standards-based nature of the PMN solution also allows the use of GSM phone encryption devices such as GSMK CryptoPhone, TopSec and Sectéra.
There are other more practical considerations, as Parsons explains: "Providing communications infrastructure for troops on deployment who want to call home is a logistical nightmare. With PMN, the equipment can be quickly deployed anywhere in the world and be made accessible to normal GSM phones, while all calls can be monitored and recorded in accordance with operational security considerations."
The PMX supports the full range of applications associated with a corporate PBX, for instance voicemail, fax2email, personal numbering, team numbering, call recording and interactive voice response.
"So far, both trials have been very successful and the UK trial is further along the road to real world deployment, which we expect within the next 12 months," Parsons concluded.
