IP&P25 Standards Promote Interoperability

• NCJ Number: 224535
• Date Published: October 2008
• Length: 3 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2005-MU-CX-K077
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Technical)
• Award: Operation of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)

Annotation

This paper discusses two important sets of standards promoting interoperability: Internet Protocol (IP) and Project 25 (P25).

Abstract

IP has become a universal technological base. IP has many applications, such as data exchange, data and network interoperability and wireless data which play important roles in the overall context of public safety communications. In an attempt to resolve types of fundamental issues surrounding voice interoperability (VoIP), a government/industry working group created an interim multivendor standard specification to be used to establish a minimum basis for interoperability between VoIP bridging/interconnect devices. P25 defines a suite of standards for public safety digital wireless radio communications systems to allow multiple vendors to supply products and services that will interoperate with each other. P25 was launched in 1989 to develop standards that define how digital land mobile radio systems should operate and how key system interface standards would allow radios and other components to interoperate regardless of the manufacturer. The ultimate goal of P25 is to specify formal standards for 8 interfaces between the various components of a land mobile radio system. In addition to P25, the P25 Compliance Assessment Program was developed in 2005 to help first responder officials make informed purchasing decisions. A standards document serves as a reference tool to describe how technology should function or how an interface should work.