When New Delhi hosts the Commonwealth Games this year, Terrestrial Trunked Radio, or TETRA, will be at work silently to bridge any communication gap among authorities and prevent any emergencies.
 
TETRA is the digital avatar of the radio-- communications technology for a closed user group. The network will enable real-time, secure verbal communications between Delhi Police, fire department, hospitals, Delhi Transport Corporation and the Public Works Department. These services will be coordinating information over TETRA to prevent any emergencies from escalating.

“The idea is to have a fail-safe communication channel for all services to help manage the city during the Games and beyond. We are the first Indian city to have introduced TETRA for these services,” Delhi IT secretary Savitur Prasad said.

TETRA operates on a wireless frequency that is much lower than GSM networks and thus has a longer range. The network – Government Radio Network (GRN) – will have 46 base stations and will cover the entire metropolitan area of the city – including Delhi Metro tunnels and the airport's Terminal II.

A call on the network is made in the group-calling mode in which a a single-button connects the user to other users in a particular calling group. All calls on this network will be encrypted to ensure full security.

Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL) and Motorola jointly won the Rs.100 crores contract for TETRA in December last year.

“The deployment of a TETRA-based communication system will enable authorities to timely prevent or minimise the chances of potential adverse impact in an emergency situation. I am confident that, in times to come, systems such as the Government Radio Network will strengthen communication infrastructure across the country,” HCL chairman Ajai Chowdhry said.

Chowdhry earlier commended Delhi Police on their efforts to provide maximum security to the city saying, “We are proud to be a part of the Delhi government’s movement to build a secure information network and congratulate backbone institutions like Delhi Police for their relentless efforts in providing the capital city with a state-of-the–art security cover.”

The Games, to be held in October this year, are already driving an infrastructure rev-up in the city. Thousands of fans are expected to land in the city for the event. The foreseeable increase in infrastructural demands will be become easier to manage for civic authorities with TETRA.

“We are a world-class city and are looking at providing our guests and citizens with amenities that will live up to the city's image,” Prasad said.

China used TETRA during the Beijing Olympics and has now scaled the network to provide emergency readiness to its capital.