Terrestrial Trunked Radio systems for security forces

The system has many features including radio, and mobile telephone features like the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). Others include free telephone calls from mobile to the offices internal extensions (intercom), private and group calls from and to any radio in the system, security features that eliminate eavesdropping.

They also have Global Positioning System (GPS) for location services of patrol vehicles, short messages system (SMS) for all users.

TETRA is a trunked mobile communication solution built on the GSM standard and provides a resilient communication platform.

"Its main advantage is the saving on frequency spectrum usage by enabling multiple users to be carried simultaneously on the same carrier securely," said the information communication technology minister Dr. Ham Mulira.

He said in addition to voice and dispatch services, the system supports several other types of communication.

The Status messages and short data services are provided over the systems main control channel while Packet Data or Circuit switched data communication uses specifically assigned traffic channels.

"This state of the art provides both the air encryption and end-to-end user encryption to the security and integrity of the messages sent or received using the system," he said.

He said Uganda is rapidly moving and becoming a part of the new information age.

"One of the measures of development of a nation is the state of its ability to communicate through voice, data and video, for a nation to develop it must not only have informed people but also must also have access to basic communication infrastructure," he said.

"Communication tools are no longer considered as a luxury item today but rather an enabling resource used by an increasing number of Ugandans as indicated by the raising use of mobile subscription, computer ownership and Internet subscription," he said.

He said Uganda is successfully shifting to technology based industries thus paving its way into the new world economic order.

Meanwhile, the security minister, Amama Mbabazi who presided over the function said that it has been the desire of the government to acquire a secure, effective and modern communication system to handle emergencies and in the event of an information warfare attack.

He said the information and communication revolution shows no signs of slowing.

"The more the armed forces get more technologically sophisticated, we need to use that technological sophistication to avail ourselves all the opportunities that information and communication as a target presents," he said.

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