Airshow contract extended for Simoco

The contract for providing communications infrastructure to the Avalon Airshow has been extended with Simoco Wireless Solutions.

The event, which is the largest civil and military air show in the Australian calendar, is attended by up to 200,000 people, with three full days of industry and military attendance only, followed by three days of public attendance.

Having provided and managed a digital mobile radio (DMR) communications network for previous events, organiser Aerospace Australia has now extended the contract with Simoco for a further four shows.

Simoco Wireless Solutions uses its Simoco Xd network — a DMR Tier III trunked system — to provide resilience, scalability and secure communications across the site of the show.

The network simultaneously runs 25 independent and disparate radio talkgroups, with volunteers and staff members using the network from 5 am until 2 am the following day. During this time the network will facilitate between 500 and 600 conversations every hour; over the nine main days of the 2017 event, in excess of 37,000 calls were made.

The network consists of 425 portable DMR radios, five desktop bases and 12 repeaters. In addition, the Simoco team also provided 30 airband radio devices to complement the private DMR network and a managed service for the network, monitoring radio devices for faults or misuse.

“Simoco’s DMR communications infrastructure has helped us run a number of highly successful events and we are pleased to be continuing this relationship. Public safety is paramount at large events like the Avalon Airshow, and a strong communications system is key to being able to provide a safe environment. The Simoco Xd network has also helped to improve operational efficiency during the show, ensuring all relevant teams remain contactable and can coordinate activities,” said Greg Campbell of Aerospace Australia.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/MISHELA

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