POLICIES :: eCommunications :: Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR)

In case of emergency

When disaster strikes, even the most resilient communication networks are often affected. Infrastructures can be damaged or simply unable to cope with the sudden needs to communicate. This is why emergency services today rely more and more on wireless communication capabilities, and spectrum for Public Protection and Disaster Relief (PPDR) applications is a priority topic in the European Union.

In 2009, the RSPG Opinion on ”Best practices regarding the use of spectrum by some public sectors” (Document RSPG09-258) described Public Protection and Disaster Relief as a category of radio communications services that are used by public bodies in emergency situations for maintaining law and order, protecting life and property. But PPDR services are also important for dealing with serious disruptions of the functioning of society that pose a significant and widespread threat to human life, property or the environment - whether caused by accidents, nature or human acts, occurring suddenly or as a result of complex, long-term process.

The bodies that use PPDR services throughout the European Union, including police forces, fire brigades, ambulance services, maritime and coastguard services, are the primary protectors of life and property in cities, towns and beyond. This also means that the user community for PPDR services tends to be highly fragmented, as many small organisations operate at local level.

However, for all of them, effective communication is an essential requirement for PPDR operations. Wireless PPDR communications services therefore are widely perceived as a high-value use of spectrum. The value of this use cannot be expressed solely in economic terms, as PPDR applications are used for safety of life and regarded as essential public services. PPDR services do not use large volumes of spectrum, but need to access spectrum immediately and with priority in case of an emergency. The frequency bands 380-385 MHz and 390-395 MHz (2x5 MHz) have been harmonised throughout Europe for public safety and emergency services applications.

Increasingly, national public safety networks depend on interoperability between different emergency services organisations, but the economics of sharing are also realised with other safety organisations. For example, transportation companies, utilities and the military are also involved in emergencies.

In addition, emergency situations are often cross-border or involve multinational teams; therefore interoperability across Member States is required. Although reliable voice communications are very important in the early stage of emergency response, there is an increasing need for broadband capabilities of PPDR applications at the scene of an emergency.

In March 2008 the European Commission in its Communication on “Reinforcing the Union’s Disaster Response Capacity” has stated that the enhancement of broadband and mobile communications for PPDR services and opportunities to enable EU-wide interoperability should be examined. Public safety and emergency communications were also subject to the study “Optimising the Public Sector's Use of the Radio Spectrum in the European Union”.

In order to indentify public safety and security related mobile broadband needs and potential service synergies as well as to facilitate contacts between different user communities, the European Commission organised a high-level workshop on “The future of PPDR services in Europe”.

The workshop was open for PPDR stakeholders and took place in Brussels on 30 March 2011. Please find here the programme and the presentations from the invited speakers.

The summary report of the workshop is available for download here.