Airbus leads Belgium to a First-Rate National Tetra Radio Network

Airbus has started to upgrade the entire Belgian national radio communications network for public safety to keep it fit for the future. Together with its consortium partner Proximus, Airbus expects to conclude this mission-critical network renewal in less than two years.

The project includes a network migration to Tetra IP (Internet Protocol), the replacement of base stations and the reinforcement of network capacity. As a result, network capacity will increase by 30 percent and more subscribers will have the possibility to enrol. The network serves more than 700 public safety organisations in the entire country, for instance police forces, fire brigades and rescue services.

“It is the largest project in the past ten years which ensures Astrid’s Tetra network will continue providing available, secure and reliable communications for the future. The technical support provided by the consortium Airbus-Proximus to achieve this aim is much appreciated”, says Marc De Buyser, Chief Executive Officer of Astrid, the public company which operates the network.

In the course of the upgrade, Airbus and Proximus will substitute 455 base stations with Airbus Tetra TB3 technology and provide complementary tactical network management tools (Tactilon Suite Management). In addition, the network control tool Viewcor as well as the latest radio dispatching technology RCS9500 will be provided.

“With the modernisation, the consortium Airbus-Proximus and Astrid will facilitate the operation of the national radio network in Belgium. Policemen, firefighters and rescue services will soon be able to communicate more efficiently with our technology”, says Olivier Koczan, Head of Secure Land Communications at Airbus.

He also emphasises that the overall network capacity will be increased. Currently, more than 70,000 people working for the public safety services in Belgium use the radio network on a daily basis and for crisis situations.

Since 1998, the public company Astrid has been developing, managing and maintaining a national radio communications network, a paging network and a series of control rooms in Belgium. Astrid is an initiative of the Belgian federal authorities.