DMR  |  2014-11-13

Federation Square Selects Simoco Xd DMR

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

Simoco has announced that its industry-leading DMR technology has been chosen by Fed Square Pty Ltd to deliver critical communications support to the cultural and entertainment precinct in the heart of Melbourne in Australia.

The project involves the supply of Simoco Xd technologies to help improve operations and efficiency across the entire site and consequently improve the overall visitor experience. Federation Square is home to major cultural attractions, world-class events, tourism experiences and has an array of restaurants, bars and specialty stores. Listed as one of the best public squares in the world, it is therefore vital a robust, easily expandable communications network is in place to coordinate operations on a daily basis and during busy festival periods.

The organisation’s event, security and cleaning staff have benefited from the rugged SDP660 portable radios, running on the IP enhanced SDB670 infrastructure. The system is set up with four talk groups, offering reliable and robust DMR communications for each department working across the site. Users are also supplied with accessories such as surveillance earpieces and remote speaker microphones, depending on their specific job requirements.

Simoco Xd DMR technologies replaced the ageing MPT1327 Motorola system. Since deployment back in August 2014, the new network has not only improved operational efficiency, with departments now having their own private talk channel, but has also helped to rationalise frequencies and the associated licensing overhead.

“Federation Square is a busy hotspot attracting visitors from across Melbourne and around the world,” said Peter Middenway Security & Cleaning Manager at Fed Square Pty Ltd. “As host to more than 2,000 events each year, we need a reliable communications network that will keep the large numbers of visitors and staff safe and informed. After evaluating other radio products, we chose Simoco because the company demonstrated its ability to match our communications requirements and offered exceptional customer service backed by local technical support.”

“Public spaces are complex and Federation Square is no exception,” said Bruno Bettoni, Business Development Manager at Simoco Australasia. “With about 10 million visitors to the precinct annually, it is vital that the varied groups of workers have robust and reliable communications across the entire site. We are thrilled to have our locally developed DMR technology in use at one of Melbourne’s most iconic tourist and civic attractions and look forward to supporting Federation Square’s communication requirements immediately and into the future.”