Handsfree Group Ready to Entertain the North American Public Safety Community with R5 at APCO 2023

Offering strong and unified communication, the R5 all-in-one solution streamlines vehicle space utilization, thereby significantly reducing installation costs.

Handsfree Group is preparing for a busy second half of the year, starting with APCO International's Annual Conference & Expo, APCO 2023, held in Nashville, Tennessee. For numerous years, APCO International has served as the go-to gathering for public safety communication officials throughout North America, attracting professionals who eagerly seek the latest updates and cutting-edge products in their field. This event provides the perfect venue for Handsfree Group to showcase their innovative R5 Fixed Vehicle Device (FVD) and integrated communications platform.

Check out the R5 device at Booth 1925 from August 6th to 9th at the Music City Center, where Handsfree Group’s CEO Scott Cassell will be offering a complete demonstration of its impressive features. The R5 is a versatile in-vehicle solution for efficient and secure mission critical communications, providing a range of core features such as PTT, voice, data, and video services across LTE. The system works seamlessly with essential vehicle functions and peripherals (such as lights, sirens, ANPR, PA systems, mapping, and cameras). Having successfully integrated with numerous MCPTT providers worldwide, Handsfree Group will be enthusiastically displaying the Tait Communications ‘Tait TeamPPT’ application at this show, alongside the HANDSFREE D2D application. The collaboration of these two applications offers a seamless communication experience between the R5 accessories and the narrowband Tait P25 Radio. 

Offering strong and unified communication, the R5 all-in-one solution streamlines vehicle space utilization, thereby significantly reducing installation costs. 

Handsfree Group has been promoting their R5 FVD device at North American events for a few years now. In this short time, they have built strong relationships with FirstNet®, Built with AT&T, and Google Mobile Services in the US market, which is the largest market for the sector worldwide. Furthermore, the company have integrated AIRBUS Agnet and Motorola WAVE PTX solutions onto the R5 and take great pride in being an esteemed certified supplier for AIRBUS.

The HANDSFREE R5 now also supports the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) application, a collaborative geospatial solution designed to facilitate seamless coordination among deployed units, ensuring a quick and efficient response to emergencies. The rapid expansion of ATAK as a common operating picture (COP) platform in the North American public safety community makes this integration a significant step forward in the company’s offering for incident management and situational awareness.

Another major goal at APCO 2023 is for Handsfree Group to increase the number of user organizations testing and integrating the HANDSFREE R5 with their existing and evolving systems, so that they can see for themselves the cumulative benefits of such a powerful solution. Handsfree Group is working with as many proactive public safety organizations as possible to launch trials and deployments.

Peter Clemons said: "I strongly urge industry partners and law enforcement organizations attending the exhibition to drop by Booth 1925 to find out more about the R5 FVD"

As a first-of-kind and unique product, the HANDSFREE R5 has passed through all the approval procedures at the UK Home Office’s Emergency Services Network (ESN) program. Having been extensively tested and proven in several UK emergency services, the company looks forward to building upon this foundation to extend its reach into new markets and market segments.

2023 is turning out to be a truly important milestone year for the HANDSFREE R5, so look out for the team – and the device – coming to a critical communications event near you very soon. The company intends to hit all the right notes at APCO 2023, conducting a veritable critical communications orchestra of converging performances, and teaming up with some of the most important virtuosos in the industry. Don’t miss the opportunity to watch Handsfree Group and their industry partners playing in perfect harmony for the public safety and critical communications community!