In the latest testing phase for the Emergency Services Network (ESN) project with the Home Office, Frequentis has successfully demonstrated the additional voice and data feature set.
The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is delivering the new Emergency Services Network (ESN) critical communication system, which will replace the current TETRA-based Airwave system with a new LTE-Mission Critical Services (LTE-MCx) 3GPP based radio communication system in Great Britain.
Life-saving data
ESN will transmit fast, safe and secure voice, video and data across the 4G network and give first responders immediate access to life-saving data, images and information in live situations and emergencies on the frontline.
Frequentis is working directly with the Home Office on the development of a gateway, which will connect Frequentis multimedia communications platform 3020 LifeX to the new ESN. The gateway will provide an Airwave-comparable feature set, and, once ready, will be installed and tested within the Ambulance Radio Program (ARP), a reference customer of Frequentis' and which is working closely with the Home Office.
The two recent successful test demonstrations against ESN have allowed Frequentis to show the Home Office the intermediate progress of the project. Participation took place remotely, allowing the momentum of the project to continue despite the challenges of COVID-19.
Frequentis 3020 LifeX
We are pleased to be able to adapt LifeX to fit the needs of ESN in order to further support emergency services operators"
"Testing this time included group call, private call (in/out), ambient listening, status message, emergency calls, text messages and broadcast, all of which were successful thanks to the hard work and dedication of the teams. In addition, we will be delivering functionality to support interworking between existing Airwave and ESN to provide a smooth transition for our customers as they move to the ESN network, allowing both networks to be used in parallel. We are pleased to be able to adapt LifeX to fit the needs of ESN in order to further support emergency services operators in their challenging role," says Andy Madge, Managing Director Frequentis UK.
The Frequentis 3020 LifeX is already being implemented for a number of police and emergency services organisations across Great Britain on Airwave, and worldwide, and will be compatible with ESN in due course. The gateway development, supported by subcontractor, Nemergent, will ensure that control room operators using the Frequentis LifeX platform have access to a fully approved and easy-to-use interface into ESN for all mission-critical communications.
LifeX has been designed to allow emergency services operators to maximise the benefits of multimedia communications, and when next-generation 999 (NG999) becomes a standard it will also allow members of the public to share images and videos of incidents that can be analysed in real-time.