Taylor says they are, however, complementary and not competitive. GSM, developed out of analogue cellular systems, has a hierarchical switching architecture designed for large capacity systems. But GSM may not, for instance, be the best technological solution for bringing sparsely populated rural areas into contact with urban markets. Taylor says two markets that have a high demand for PMR systems are public safety and the emergency services. With recent developments in PMR, communication requirements have become more sophisticated.
Sophisticated technology has wider applications.
In South Africa, existing systems and community repeaters serve large parts of commercial business, offering fairly sophisticated tracking, security and fleet management packages. In such a capital-intensive industry, it is essential to make the most efficient use of investment in the plant. They can be added as sub-systems in a network, either in new areas or alongside existing analogue or digital systems.