Verification was led by IoTAS on UK’s Emergency Services Network (ESN) and Frequentis’ Private Network
The Global Certification Forum (GCF) has taken one step further in advancing its Mission Critical Services (MCS) Certification Programme to successfully verify MCPTT Field Trials test cases.
Lead by IoTAS, a UK based MCS accredited GCF Field Trial Recognised Test Organisation (RTO), this multi-stage project involved execution of the MCPTT test cases defined in the GSMA TS.11 Device Field and Lab Test Guidelines Annex N[1], over the UK’s Emergency Services Network (ESN), as well as the Frequentis private network.
Utilising GCF certified smartphones, test SIMs and MCS Servers and Clients managed by ESN and Frequentis, the project demonstrated how multi-stakeholder cooperation can successfully advance new technology testing and certification prior to these solutions being commercialised in the market. Output of this project is being used to further refine the MCS test cases and ensure all the elements needed for activation of Field Trials in the MCS Certification Programme is in place.
MCS Field Trials is a key project being developed jointly by GCF and TCCA in the Mission Critical Services Workstream (MCSWS)[2], that checks functional interoperability of MCS Clients and Devices against various commercially deployed 4G and 5G public safety and critical communications networks.
While MCS Conformance Testing ensures compliance to the 3GPP industry standards, Field Trials testing ensures real world implementations that are conforming to the standards, can additionally demonstrate seamless connectivity, functionality and communication across multiple systems. This allows GCF’s Mission Critical Communications Operator members (MCCOs) to have the confidence in the GCF certified products they are planning to procure for both internal user trials, and ultimately for commercial use as the global migration to 3GPP MCX Broadband continues.
It is expected that MCS Field Trials will be activated in the MCS certification programme by the end of 2026, following an update on GSMA TS.11 Test Specifications and once access to commercial Mission Critical Communications Networks for testing becomes available.
Future phases of MCS Field Trials testing will include additional functionalities such as newer releases of 3GPP MCPTT, MCData, MCVideo, Location Services testing, eMBMS/5G-MBS, NTN, and connectivity to commercial MCS Control Rooms and Interworking Functions (IWF).
All product manufacturers looking to certify their MCS implementation are required to successfully pass both Conformance tests and either Field Trials Interoperability or Lab Interoperability Testing to get GCF MCS Certified.