Handsfree Group to demo its R5 device at Comms Connect

Handsfree Group is taking to the road once more for Comms Connect 2023, Australia’s premier critical communications gathering, to demonstrate its R5 device, supported by valued partner Advanced Mobile IT.

The steady flow of key critical communications events is set to continue moving into the final quarter of 2023, as the global industry accelerates its migration away from legacy solutions towards more advanced ones based on global standards such as 3GPP.

Australia’s flagship comms event, Comms Connect Melbourne 2023, is high on the list of must-attend critical communications shows for this final quarter of the year. Comms Connect reopened its doors last year after a three-year hiatus as Australia started welcoming back global businesses — including Handsfree Group — to its shores in the wake of severe disruptions to global trade due to COVID.

Now in its 15th edition and being held on 18–19 October at its regular venue, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Comms Connect 2023 is taking place at a time when the discussion surrounding critical communications has never been so high on government and public safety agendas, with natural and manmade disasters continuing to pummel modern societies. Australia itself is no exception to these trends — the threat of extreme weather events from bushfires to floods is never far away — so public safety agencies are always searching for the very best communications solutions to mitigate the effects of such devastating incidents.

In light of this background to Comms Connect 2023, Handsfree Group Managing Director Matthew Johnson is returning to Melbourne to demonstrate his company’s in-vehicle device, R5, together with channel partner and value-added reseller Advanced Mobile IT, a leading Australian provider of field- and vehicle-based mobile computing solutions, represented by Steven Mummery and Nicholas Cizauskas. The team will be available on Stand 67 throughout both days of the exhibition to offer expert advice, answer any queries that attendees may have and offer those more proactive users the opportunity to test and integrate the R5 within their own communications systems to discover its benefits for mission-critical services.

As the centrepiece of Handsfree Group’s offering, the R5 fixed vehicle device (FVD) is understood to be the only fully accredited solution of its kind fully supporting integrated voice, data and video over LTE, plus a full integration with existing P25 radios from Tait. This integration allows users to have a single human and audio interface in the vehicle capable of utilising both broadband LTE and narrowband P25 comms. The R5 also allows customers to incorporate a wide range of high-quality essential vehicle equipment and peripherals such as lights, sirens and ANPR from recognised partners, bringing everything together in one single powerful, cost-effective solution.

R5 has established itself as a market leader in the United Kingdom over the past three years, with full approval and contract orders from the UK Home Office’s Emergency Services Network (ESN) program, with extensive testing in the field by real end-user public safety agencies. The device has more recently found its way into a wide range of global markets including the European mainland, North America, the Middle East and now Oceania, demonstrating its useful features and value for mission-critical use cases.

As public safety agencies in Australia continue to move forward with the modernisation of their mission-critical communications, requiring the full range of devices, accessories and services, Handsfree Group and Advanced Mobile IT have combined their respective strengths to offer what they describe as the best in-vehicle device and fully integrated communications platform currently available on the global market. Visitors to Comms Connect 2023 will have yet another opportunity to test out the R5 and see why it is more than just another communications device, allowing agencies to have access to a new generation of tried-and-tested, fully integrated, resilient, futureproof solutions.