The European Commission has opened a public consultation on fixed and mobile termination rates and is inviting all interested stakeholders to send in their responses to a questionnaire by 7^th June 2016. The consultation is particularly targeted at national regulators, telecommunications operators, consultancies, civil society organisations and public authorities.

The consultation concerns the Evaluation of the Termination Rates Recommendation (TRR) of 2009, which forms part of the European Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy. Termination rates are the rates that telecoms operators charge each other to deliver calls between networks. The TRR aims to increase consistency across EU countries regarding the way in which national regulatory authorities set termination rates and to decrease discrepancies between fixed and mobile termination charges. As a result, the TRR contributes to promoting efficiency and sustainable competition and maximises benefits for consumers.

The questionnaire that forms the basis of the consultation is structured in two parts, each of which has a specific objective. The first part aims to evaluate the impact of the TRR on the termination markets and on the EU internal market, whereas the second part aims to gather views on whether the regulatory approach towards termination rates should be maintained or amended.

More information is available here.

PSCE is pleased to release its White Paper 4 dealing with the security architecture, end-to-end security, privacy mechanisms and intrusion detection approach. The document is based on the findings of the SALUS project. It describes the components and interfaces for the interim SALUS Security and Privacy Architecture considering possible roadmaps for the evolution of PPDR networks.

PSCE White Papers aim to present complex public safety communication issues in a concise way. The White Papers take the form of short reports, usually not longer than one page, and can be useful in understanding a common issue, solving a problem, as well as making a decision. The PSCE White Papers can be found in the Library section of the PSCE website.

All PSCE White Papers are available here.

Throughout the past months, PSCE has been busily working on a new website, which would be more modern, up-to-date and user-friendly. As you will see when exploring the new website, the differences between the old PSCE website and the new are quite great. Not only is the new version sleeker and easier to orientate, it also introduces several new features, which we hope our visitors will enjoy.

First and foremost, PSCE has developed an electronic library, which includes PSCE White Papers, Newsletter Headlines, and Policy papers. Several other types of information, including conference materials, full-length newsletters, PSCE General Assembly documents, and PSCE reference documents, will be available under the website restricted area, accessible only to PSCE members. A large amount of documents are already available in the Library, and it will continue to be populated. The powerful search function of the Library will help visitors find the needed information quickly.

The PSCE website has now also been synced with the PSCE Twitter and Facebook profiles, to enable higher interaction. If you do not already follow us on social media, we urge you to do so. We can be found on Twitter @psc_e and our Facebook profile is accessible here.

Work on the new PSCE website has not stopped yet. We will continue to look out for inconsistencies and would highly appreciate any comments you have. Please send your thoughts to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PSCE is pleased to announce that the SALUS (Security and interoperability in next generation PPDR communication infrastructures) project has received the prestigious International Critical Communications Award (ICCA) in the category “Best Evolution to Future Broadband”. In its category, SALUS was up against Huawei, Finmeccanica, Hytera Mobilfunk GmbH, and Panorama Antennas. The awards were presented in an official ceremony held at the end of February 2016.

The ICCA awards are only given to entries that demonstrate excellence in critical communications. In order to win in the category “Best Evolution to Future Broadband”, a product, application or solution must demonstrate industry-leading innovation as well as engineering ingenuity in the integration of future broadband capabilities. They must also reliably meet the broadband data needs of critical communications users.

The ICCA is awarded by a panel of judges, all experts in the field of critical communications. In making their decision, the judges in particular praised SALUS for the significant impact it will have on the evolution of future technology specifications and the work it has done to quantify user demands and priorities.

PSCE is a key partner in the SALUS project. The goal of SALUS is to design, implement and evaluate a next-generation communication network concept for PPDR agencies.

More information about the SALUS project is available here.