Narrowband  |   Broadband  |  2024-03-14

Motorola Solutions Smart Radios to Modernize Front-Line Communications for Victoria's Country Fire Authority

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

Broadband-enabled smart radios improve safety, collaboration and emergency response.

In a major advancement in firefighting critical communications technology, Motorola Solutions today announced that it will supply 16,000 new APX series P25 radios to Victoria's Country Fire Authority (CFA). About 9,000 Motorola Solutions APX NEXT all-band smart radios, which offer mission-critical voice communications and productivity-boosting data apps to improve safety and incident awareness for firefighters, will be included in the package.

According to Con Balaskas, managing director of Motorola Solutions for Australia and New Zealand,

APX radios enable the reliable communication that's critical for fire and emergency agencies to collaborate, particularly in the face of more frequent and severe natural disasters and other complex events." "Moreover, our APX NEXT radios offer new features that optimize data utilization in the field, providing deep insights to reinforce workflow effectiveness and security even more.

APX NEXT data applications include SmartMapping, which allows first responders to locate firemen and vehicles in the field, SmartConnect, which automatically switches voice communications from land mobile radio (LMR) to broadband networks when users travel outside of radio coverage areas, and ViQi voice control, which enables first responders to quickly manage radio controls through straightforward voice commands.

As part of a 10-year services agreement, Motorola Solutions will maintain and improve CFA's radio equipment, which is essential for front-line firefighting communication and will strengthen brigade emergency response. The radios used by CFA in the field, on fire trucks, in command vehicles, and inside fire stations will be replaced as part of the modernization initiative.

The new gadgets will be utilized on the Metropolitan Mobile Radio (MMR) and Regional Mobile Radio (RMR) networks run by the Victorian Government, which offer secure radio communications throughout metropolitan, rural, and regional Victoria.