The Ministry of Interior (MoI) of the State of Qatar and EADS Defence & Security (DS) have opened a common TETRA competence centre in Doha, established under the leadership of the Minister of State for Interior Affairs, H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani. The first of its kind in the Middle East, this competence centre will be used by the MoI to train engineers in its telecommunication department, with the aim of acquiring the capacity to fully operate the Qatar Secure TETRA Radio System (QSTRS).

A joint working group defined the scope, the expected trainee's profiles and the details of the training modules, in line with MoI ramp-up plans. EADS DS delivered the TETRA equipment needed for the centre to establish a training academy and trainers from the company will pass on their technical know-how to the MoI teams. Also, EADS Defence & Security will be able to use this competence centre to train other customers from the region.

Dirk Borchardt, Head of Security and Communication Solutions at EADS DS, stated, “This first TETRA competence centre in the Middle East is a great reference for us. It is an essential step in building both theoretical and practical know how locally for operating the Qatar TETRA network.”

In addition, the MoI intends to utilize the centre’s test bed capabilities to certify third-parties' platforms and applications that may be considered for usage in the context of the TETRA radio system.