Cate is Chief Engineer for the UK Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP). ESMCP is working to replace the current TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) network with a mission critical (MCX)-based solution running over a commercial network. The programme also has ongoing responsibility for continuation of the Airwave TETRA network.
The Emergency Services Network (ESN) solution is highly technically complex, involving multiple suppliers, with the scope ranging from large scale telecoms infrastructure and mobile coverage to smartphones, accessories, and on-aircraft systems. Her team is responsible for the end-to-end performance of the network and ensuring that it meets the exacting needs of the UK’s emergency services.
Cate has worked in the radio and secure mobile communications sector since joining Marconi as a graduate engineer, working for NB3, Dolphin Telecoms and Airwave in the private sector and then moving into the public sector in 2004.
Cate was involved in the development and implementation of the TETRA standard and TETRA networks in the UK. She played an active part of the early conceptual development in 3GPP of mission critical services running over long-term evolution (LTE). Her team is now active in 3GPP standards and Critical Communications Broadband Groups (CCBGs) helping to develop and refine the MCX standards so that they provide a firm foundation for mission critical communications.
Cate is a Critical Communications Association (TCCA) board member and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
