As the TETRA industry heads to Hong Kong this week for Critical Communications World (CCW), suppliers continue to innovate and release new products and services to help mission-critical communications users do their jobs safely and reliably.

The TETRA market has always been dynamic, but equipment suppliers in particular have seen much change in recent months.

The most dramatic changes began when Sepura purchased Teltronic in 2015. PowerTrunk, Teltronic’s North American subsidiary, was instrumental in pushing U.S. and Canadian telecom regulators to allow TETRA into the North American market for the first time, opening a large untapped geographic region for TETRA vendors. Teltronic was a large player in the worldwide transit sector as well. A year earlier, Sepura purchased Fylde Micro, a U.K.-based radio trunking solutions company, and Portalify, a Finnish application developer, in 2013.

Suddenly in 2016, the buyer became the target. Hytera Communications announced plans to purchase Sepura for US$92 million. After several delays because of potential government reviews, Hytera announced May 16 that it expects the acquisition to close on May 24. As long as no last minute obstacles arise and the transaction is completed, three strong TETRA suppliers — Teltronic, Sepura and Hytera — will be consolidated into one company.

On a separate front, Motorola Solutions filed complaints in U.S. and German courts against Hytera, alleging the Chinese company is infringing its patents and using stolen trade secrets. The latest developments are here.

Regardless of the corporate maneuvers, the TETRA market continues to be highly competitive. Many other companies supply products and services in the market. In a world with too many man-made and natural disasters, our industry and TETRA networks in particular are essential to help keep the public safe. But the corporate changes are substantial, and time will tell how they will play out and affect the overall industry.

As the TETRA industry heads to Hong Kong this week for Critical Communications World (CCW), suppliers continue to innovate and release new products and services to help mission-critical communications users do their jobs safely and reliably. I’m excited to see the new solutions and applications firsthand in Hong Kong and learn how they are benefiting readers worldwide.