PROAMATEC - Brazilian police network

Reliable communications

At 8.5 million square kilometers, Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest in the world. Its population — more than 192 million — is also the fifth largest on earth. Reliable communications are needed.

Responsible for securing this huge, dispersed population is Brazil's federal police department, Departamento de Polícia Federal, or DFP. To keep its officers connected, the police rely on PROAMATEC, the National Integrated Radio Communication Network from Airbus.

A big job takes a big network

PROAMATEC comprises:

• Five regional networks based on Tetrapol IP
• 27 tactical management sites
• More than 100 radio base stations
• 220 independent digital repeaters
• Around 9,000 radio terminals are in use.

The Federal Police in Brazil have seen a big return on their investment. Since the PROAMATEC network was launched in 2005, the department has used it to:

• Coordinate communications for several major events, such as the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro
• Support the search for survivors and wreckage of Air France Flight 447
• Provide security for visiting dignitaries, such as Pope Benedict XVI and U.S. president Barack Obama
• Support the security measures implemented during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

PROAMATEC also helped provide security for one of the most high-profile events in Brazil's recent history: the Summer Games in Rio in 2016.

Tetrapol network for national police

PROAMATEC allows the Brazilian police to:

• Communicate securely with a sophisticated encryption mechanism for voice and data communication
• Integrate DPF units with other state public security forces, thanks to PROAMATEC's high level of secure access.

Because of Brazil's massive size, PROAMATEC uses both fixed and mobile units. That ensures reliable coverage from the country's Atlantic coast to Brazilian borders with Peru, Venezuela, Argentina and seven other countries.

Coverage issues solved

Covering the immense land mass had historically been a problem, but the Tetrapol network and secure radios have effectively eliminated the trouble. Since the network was installed, officers have reported no coverage issues in Brazil's large urban centres.

No wonder PROAMATEC is becoming the model for an integrated communication system for national public security.

Tetrapol networks for training and simulations

The Federal Police uses Tetrapol radios in training programs and at the Police's simulation training centre in Brasilia. Resembling a major city, the centre comprises 35 buildings and reproduces situations officers may face in high-risk urban areas.

As agents practice their skills in simulations ranging from containment tunnels to exposed terrain, they stay connected via Tetrapol radios.

Of course, it's one thing to keep officers connected in a simulation and another thing entirely to keep them connected in real life.