Melbourne's Federation Square selects Simoco's Xd DMR

Melbourne’s Fed Square Pty Ltd has chosen Simoco’s Xd DMR technology to deliver critical communications support to the cultural and entertainment precinct in the heart of Melbourne.

The project will help improve operations and efficiency across the entire site and consequently improve the overall visitor experience at Federation Square.

The new network replaces an MPT1327 system. Since deployment in August 2014, the network has improved operational efficiency, with departments now having their own private talk channel, and also helped to rationalise frequencies and the associated licensing overhead.

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

Federation Square is home to major cultural attractions, world-class events and tourism experiences, and it has an array of restaurants, bars and specialty stores.

“Federation Square is a busy hotspot attracting visitors from across Melbourne and around the world,” said Peter Middenway, security and cleaning manager at Fed Square Pty Ltd. “As host to more than 2000 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.”