TETRA  |  2016-10-19

6th ASTRID User Days a Huge Success

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

The ASTRID User Days that took place on 5 and 6 October turned out to be a great success. More than 1,500 participants admired the latest innovations in communications for rescue and security.

Minister of Security and Internal Affairs Jan Jambon opened the event and Belgium minister of Justice, Koen Geens also take a look.

This years edition of the ASTRID User Days took place in the football stadium Stayen in the city of Sint-Truiden. On the football field, there were several demonstrations held with different types of drones. Inside the stadium, the visitors could visit the exhibition and participate in over more than 40 seminars per day: an absolute record.

Innovation
Innovation was the thread running through the exhibition: new radio's and dispatching models were shown as well as drones, the strengthening of the ASTRID TETRA system and different ways to use social media and big data for public safety officials

BLM2 now also to be used for voice 
The innovation theme was  in sync with the announcement by Minister Jambon. During his opening speech, he confirmed that next year Bluelight Mobile 2 will be rolled out. BLM (Bluelight Mobile) is ASTRID's mobile broadband data network that offers ASTRID emergency and security end users specific data services. With BLM, a single Sim card provides access to the three Belgian operators and offers priority and a secure environment for the end user.

In the first half of 2017 Bluelight Mobile 2 will be become available. Users of version 2 will not only have access to secure data connections, but also a secure telephone (voice communication) of high quality. In addition, they receive expanded priority access to the network.