Emergency Group Calls over Interoperable Networks

Stable voice communication is a major requirement in crisis situations. In this paper we will present an application which enables group calls among first responders. The objective is to provide a powerful communication tool that can be used over different network technologies. A prototype has been implemented and tested during a demonstration held in July 2007 in Luxembourg. In this paper we will provide technical details on how the application was realized and evaluate the outcome of the demonstration. We also propose future improvements based on the outcome to enhance the system.