Summary:
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has invited public and stakeholder feedback on a proposed nationwide Broadband Public Protection and Disaster Relief (BB-PPDR) network to provide mission-critical voice, video and data services to around 3 million police, paramilitary and emergency response personnel. The project will be tested at 10 locations, with the ministry seeking recommendations on suitable technologies, network design, costs and equipment compatible with the allocated spectrum bands. The planned deployment includes approximately 2.1 million rugged field handsets, 600,000 devices for senior officers and 300,000 fixed or vehicle-mounted units, while the number of body-worn cameras remains undecided.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought public feedback and suggestions from stakeholders on developing a dedicated nationwide broadband network to deliver push-to-talk, video and data communication services to approximately 3 million police, paramilitary and disaster response personnel.
The ministry plans to establish an all-India Broadband Public Protection and Disaster Relief (BB-PPDR) network that will support mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), data and video services for state and Union Territory police forces, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), fire and medical services, and other public safety agencies.
The MHA is inviting recommendations on possible network designs, suitable technologies, their respective advantages and disadvantages, cost-effectiveness and compatibility with Indian conditions. Ten pilot sites have been selected for the initiative: the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Amritsar, Bastar, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Mumbai, Rudraprayag and Visakhapatnam.
The ministry has received in-principle spectrum allocation in the 814–824 MHz and 859–869 MHz bands, which lie outside the conventional mobile broadband spectrum range. It has requested information on the availability of radio equipment and commercially available devices compatible with these frequencies. The proposed deployment includes approximately 3 million handsets, comprising around 2.1 million rugged devices for field personnel, 600,000 smartphone-grade handsets for senior officers and 300,000 fixed or vehicle-mounted units. The required number of body-worn cameras has not yet been finalised.
