Motorola Solutions says a hybrid future will meet the mission-critical communications needs of organisations in Asia Pacific

Day in and day out, technologies are working hard in the background to keep us safe. Most of the time, these technologies are invisible to the public. But the public safety, security and commercial organisations who use them every day understand the important role they play in helping operations to run smoothly, and most importantly, how they can keep employees and the public out of harm’s way. This can happen in small but very significant ways.

Take for example, when Malaysia celebrated her independence (Hari Merdeka) on 31st August last year and an estimated 100,000 people converged at Dataran Putrajaya, or Putrajaya Square, in Kuala Lumpur. This vast precinct is located within the administrative and judicial capital of Malaysia, where the federal government is located.

Hari Merdeka is one of the few days each year when massive crowds gather in public areas. To support the safe movement of people on the day, public rail operator for KL and the Klang Valley, Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd, activated its crowd management plan. MRT trains started running from 4.00am, two hours earlier than normal and at an increased frequency of every 6 minutes to serve two of Malaysia’s largest population centres.

For last mile connectivity to Dataran Putrajaya, as many as 50 buses were dispatched to the Putrajaya Sentral MRT station. About 50 support staff and 10 members from the volunteer public safety agency, RELA managed the ebb and flow of visitors, helping to prevent congestion bottlenecks while keeping crowds moving and safe.

Careful and detailed planning for this massive event started several weeks in advance. Critically, one of the most important technologies used to guide and support several thousands of moving people moving through the city was not a major AI-powered surveillance system, but traditional two- way radio networks and devices which enabled all teams managing the event to communicate with each other. That’s because one of the most effective ways for teams to coordinate their work in times of peak activity is to quickly relay messages using the human voice. Having reliable and secure communication that supports different agencies and teams proved vital in preparing for Hari Merdeka and right throughout the celebration period.

Safe communications in a global pandemic

Malaysia’s experience of keeping crowds safe and people and services running smoothly is reminiscent of another significant sports event that happened in the Asia Pacific region.

The eyes of the world were on Japan when it hosted a major international sports event in 2021, so the country needed to ensure that athletes, officials and workers were kept safe, secure and most importantly, healthy.

Delivered against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, these games created real challenges for event organisers. Despite a short, four-month runway to plan for the games and the looming prospect that it might even be cancelled or postponed, safety and security technology provider Motorola Solutions played a pivotal role in delivering communications services to support the event.

In countries like Japan for example, high exposure to natural disasters has been a major driver for the investment in around 28 TETRA and DMR (digital mobile radio) systems to provide robust communication across the country.

It deployed a nationwide, broadband push-to-talk (PTT) communications service coupled with specialised radio devices for event organisers. This service supported the use of a combination two-way radios and mobile devices that were each equipped with a broadband PTT software client. Delivered under a BYOD service model, event staff were able to use the mobile communications devices they already owned. This proved vital in reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission from sharing handsets among different team members. Being a software-based technology deployment the solution was delivered rapidly and remotely, without the need to expose field service technicians to the risk of contracting COVID.

Beyond the physical health and safety benefits, the solution provided reliable, nationwide coverage, helping to keep workers connected to instant communication while supporting the smooth flow of an estimated 11,000 athletes and workers between different stadiums, transportation hubs and hotels.

Robust interoperability for critical communications

Located along the Ring of Fire where four tectonic plates converge, disasters occur frequently in Japan. Its disaster prevention budget hit an all-time high of 1,108,49 billion yen in 2021.

To maintain safety while minimising disruption when disasters occur, five of Japan’s major airports have linked up to a single, TETRA-based two-way radio communications system.

TETRA is an international standard for public safety radio systems and the most widely used digital radio standard in the world. It’s known for its reliability and resilience to natural disasters and enables the five airports to connect critical functions including security, operations and baggage handling. When typhoons or other major events strike, the airports use the communication system to keep each other informed, coordinate their responses and minimise disruption to passenger services.

Now, through the implementation of a broadband push-to-talk service called WAVE PTX, the airports can connect directly with external partners including emergency services, security contractors and suppliers whenever urgent help is needed.

Speaking recently with EITN about the needs for government agencies and commercial organisations in the APAC region, Rajat Gupta, the Motorola Solutions’ vice president for Asia, Middle East and Africa, observed that mission critical technologies – in other words, technologies that perform in the most extreme events will remain in strong demand in the coming years. In countries like Japan for example, high exposure to natural disasters has been a major driver for the investment in around 28 TETRA and DMR (digital mobile radio) systems to provide robust communication across the country.

Motorola Solutions’ broadband-based push-to-talk service helps Japan’s critical security and safety organisations to interoperate across these 28 different systems, regardless of the type of handheld communications devices that frontline workers use, according to Rajat. “And all of this is made possible by extending a bridge from cellular networks to the backbone of reliable, resilient technology that LMR (land mobile radio) provides.”

Ushering a new era of hybrid communications

To address the needs of today while planning for the future, Motorola Solutions’ designs and develops hybrid devices and software that provide interoperable communication. These technologies can connect different networks and rapidly formed response teams – for example, supporting interagency missions to deliver humanitarian aid in conflict areas.

“We already have about 50 countries, 4,000 customers, and over 2 million users around the world, using our broadband PTT (push-to-talk) solutions today. This essentially gives them a hybrid environment, with a way to access critical voice and data communication that work reliably on different devices and in a range of different circumstances,” Rajat concluded.

(This article first appeared in Enteprise IT News)