Swissphone Releases RES.Q Alerting Terminal with LTE IoT Mobile Technology

Swissphone will use the PMRExpo to premiere the launch of the next generation RES.Q digital radio terminal. This pager, which is widely used in the emergency and rescue services sector, is now equipped with an IoT mobile module based on the LTE standard, which among other things enables dynamic hybrid alerting. Thanks to LTE Cat NB1 and LTE Cat M1 technologies, emergency services will now be able to take advantage of a robust, reliable and secure redundancy and feedback channel with significantly better battery life and better network coverage.

Since its market launch in 2009, many emergency services have opted for the RES.Q terminal. It employs POCSAG for the primary alert channel and uses a cellular module for hybrid alerting – i.e. for forward alerting and feedback.

In developing this third-generation RES.Q, Swissphone has comprehensively reviewed and benchmarked all the latest IoT wireless technologies available (LoRa, Sigfox, LTE Cat M1, LTE Cat NB1 ...).

During these investigations, two mobile technologies consistently offered the best performance. As Product Manager Simon Ulrich reports: "Only LTE Cat M1 and LTE Cat NB1 offer the high level of transmission security which is absolutely essential for an alerting network. Compared to LoRa and Sigfox, more participants can be reached, more reliably and in less time – both important hybrid alerting requirements. Energy consumption is significantly lower for all IoT applications than is possible with conventional GSM solutions, resulting in longer battery life. LTE Cat NB1 also offers a much better network coverage than GSM. "

In view of these advantages, we reached the logical conclusion that future RES.Q terminals would be equipped with a cellular module which, depending on availability, will use LTE Cat NB1 or LTE Cat M1 technologies for the feedback channel and for hybrid alerting. Should these networks not be available, the existing GSM/ GPRS network would be automatically used as a backup facility.

As a result, the blue-light services now have a tried-and-tested, future-proof alerting system whose signalling devices allow rapid and reliable hybrid alerting. And the disadvantage of relatively high running costs, which some rescue services see as the downside of such mobile-communication-based solutions, should no longer apply in future.

Simon Ulrich comments: "Every now and then, some reservations are expressed about the running costs of SIM cards. Meanwhile, however, there are cards available with a ten-year contract at a moderate price, and the benefits far outweigh this small outlay. "