World Focus
Who, what, where
EUROPE
Airbus-Proximus
group retains Astrid
Astrid, the Belgian national mission-critical
network operator, has renewed its support and
maintenance contract agreements with the
established Airbus-Proximus consortium.
Astrid operates TETRA two-way radio, paging
and dispatch networks on behalf of the Belgian
public safety and security services, and several
utility and transport companies in Belgium.
e renewed contract includes continuity
of support for major components in the
Astrid environment including the end-to-end
TETRA radio communication network, the
integrated ICT platforms, and the Computer
Aided Dispatch (CAD) applications. e
contract’s scope also includes operational
support as well as preventive, corrective and
evolving maintenance services. e agreement
took e ect in July 2019. e two parties have
also agreed a focus on optimised operational
processes and an organisational review.
Everbridge CEM used
at Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport has deployed Everbridge’s
Critical Event Management (CEM) platform
to boost the e ciency of its emergency
communications, through replacing and
simplifying multiple manual processes.
e deployment has two phases. e
rst automated the management of critical
incidents and replaced the processes being used
to deliver information to the many di erent
organisations that deal with emergencies at the
airport with a single platform.
ese organisations include: the emergency
services, the airlines that are serving the airport,
on-site retail outlets, and support agencies
including Transport Scotland and Edinburgh
City Council.
e second phase – Airport Control
Futures – will explore how technology such
as perimeter security and re alarms can be
integrated with the Everbridge platform.
Motorola supplies
P25s to Guardia Civil
In Spain, a special forces unit of the national
Guardia Civil is deploying covert Project 25
(P25) radios from Motorola Solutions. e
company is supplying the unit with several
hundred APX encrypted handheld and
mobile P25 terminals, along with specialised
portable repeaters. All the devices will be
supported by Motorola’s Service From e
Start programme, which includes priority
support and fast turnaround repair times.
“Secure communications is a core
component of the unit’s operations,”
Guardia Civil commented. “We searched
for a solution that was discreet enough for
covert operations, but powerful enough for
long-range direct mode communications,
and Motorola Solutions had the exact t
for us – not to mention the maximum level
of encryption and top-grade ruggedness of
military standards.”
6 www.criticalcomms.com September 2019
/www.criticalcomms.com