Ghent fire brigade explores broadband communication

Airbus has provided its Tactilon Agnet communication and collaboration platform to the fire brigade of Ghent, in Belgium, for use on existing public broadband networks. Through the new contract, Ghent’s fire brigade will be the first of 12 involved fire brigades that will benefit from empowered communication and smart action support on and off the field, as well as augmented situational awareness.

Airbus’s Tactilon Agnet is designed to help users embrace the future of broadband communication by providing voice and multimedia solutions at the touch of a button, connecting them with other team members and improving teamwork and collaboration. The platform enables secure group communication, one-to-one calls, video calls and streaming as well as secure picture and text messaging. The solution also harnesses emergency features such as emergency calls as well as location services with real-time user location tracking, for faster response times during emergencies.

“The main focus of this innovative multi-year initiative is to put a state-of-the-art broadband communication and collaboration solution to real-world use in the Belgian firefighting scene,” said Pavle Toljaga, Broadband Program Manager and Business Analyst at Airbus Secure Land Communications. “This can be done by using the existing public broadband network connectivity combined with an open smart device ecosystem.”

Sam Gydé, Director ICT and Dispatching for the Ghent fire brigade, said, “We imagine a future with an endless ecosystem of communication services and network solutions. We want to seize this momentum of transition and rethink how communication in a broad sense can act as an enabler of our operations. The drivers of this approach are our operational workflows and use cases.

“This user-centric approach should result in a clear and organisation-backed roadmap towards the future use of broadband communication within fire services. Airbus is our preferred partner in this trajectory given their established track record of service delivery in all areas relevant to this project.”