Broadband  |  2023-09-15

Handsfree Demonstrates Revolutionary R5 Fixed Vehicle Device at the Emergency Services Show Together with Airbus

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

Handsfree Group’s revolutionary R5 fixed vehicle device on show once again at this month’s Emergency Services Show 2023 together with global MCX partner Airbus Secure Land Communications.

During September, Handsfree Group announced that the company will continue their busy schedule of industry events for the rest of 2023 by attending and exhibiting at the Emergency Services Show 2023, which returns to the NEC, Birmingham (United Kingdom) on September 19th – 20th.

Managing Director, Matthew Johnson will be on hand on Stand B21 in Hall 4, within the Emergency Tech Show section of the exhibition to welcome first responder visitors in search of a solution for their most pressing in-vehicle communications needs.

The centrepiece of Handsfree’s offering is the revolutionary R5 fixed vehicle device (FVD) and integrated communications platform which will once again be on display in Birmingham. The R5 remains the only fully accredited mission critical communications solution in the UK fully supporting integrated voice, PTT, data and video over LTE, with added benefits arising from the possible integration of a wide range of high-quality vehicle accessories and peripherals from recognised partners in one single powerful, cost-effective solution. Little wonder the R5 remains the leading device in its field in the UK.

Handsfree Group has also invited one of its key strategic global partners – and leading public safety broadband critical communications solution provider - Airbus DS SLC, who will showcase their industry leading Agnet MCX solution, built for secure group communications with rich features like files, video and location sharing information, running seamlessly on the R5 device. Dedicated Airbus staff will accompany Handsfree staff during both days of the show to demonstrate Agnet’s full capabilities for the most demanding public safety customers, fully integrated into the R5 environment. 

Having established themselves as the market leaders in the UK over the past 3 years, Handsfree Group’s major goal at the Emergency Services Show will be to increase the number of user organisations testing and integrating the R5 with their existing and evolving systems. Handsfree will therefore be looking to engage with as many end-user organisations as possible to discuss possibilities of trials and deployments during and after the show.

It is important to reiterate that Handsfree’s R5 has met all requirements from the UK Home Office’s ambitious Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (EMCP), as well as having been extensively tested in the field by a wide variety of UK agencies. The company is looking forward to building on the wealth of knowledge gained from this close interaction by further engagement throughout the show.

As UK, European and global public safety agencies continue to grapple with the challenges of modernising their mission critical communications by moving towards fully standardised 3GPP-based services, Handsfree Group and Airbus DS SLC provide the perfect combination of specialised, best-in-class hardware and software working seamlessly together.

Visitors of the event in Birmingham will be able to see why the Handsfree R5 is much more than just a single device, offering a unique, upgradable, future-proof platform upon which agencies can build the next generation of powerful, resilient solutions.