MTA Bus Radio System: 700/800 MHz TETRA at work in New York - Sponsored by PowerTrunk

Back in 2013, MTA / New York City Transit issued a Request for Information (RFI) in preparation for the replacement of its aging analog bus radio system.  In February 2016, MTA awarded Parsons Transportation the contract with PowerTrunk TETRA technology, certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for operation in 700/800 MHz, which includes a portion of the spectrum allocated for public-safety use.     

In compliance with FCC and P25 advisory panel requirements, PowerTrunk’s multimode TETRA-P25 terminals are capable of operating on nationwide P25 interoperability channels in the narrowband portion of the 700 MHz band, thus making them eligible for any 700 MHz public-safety deployments in the United States.   

The MTA Bus Radio System includes an advanced CAD/AVL application supported by TETRA data communications, a pioneering effort in North America.  The network has already been partially deployed and is being tested at Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City.