Copyright: Icon Water
Icon Water, the Australian Capital Territory’s supplier of essential water and sewerage services, operates in a 24/7 environment supporting over $2.7 Billion of assets comprising of ACT’s network of dams, water treatment plants, sewage treatment plants, reservoirs, water and sewage pumping stations, mains and other related infrastructure. Icon Water was operating an old analogue MPT system that provided unsecured voice only communications that was well past the end of life. 4G and a replacement digital radio system was an alternative, but it did not provide coverage in all of the areas that Icon Water operates in.
Icon Water sought submissions in 2022 to deliver a replacement communications network that included:
- A Mission Critical Push to Talk (MCPTT) system
- Push to talk handsets and accessories
- A 4G/Satellite vehicle connectivity solution
- Vehicle installations
- 4G coverage extensions in a number of their buildings
- Enterprise Mobility Management and application compatibility
- Support
- Training
- Documentation
Following a successful proof-of-concept deployment in 2023, Vertel, an Australian based critical network solutions provider to enterprise and Government and Airbus’ partner, was chosen to design, deliver and manage the network upgrade for Icon Water.
At the core of the new network is Airbus Agnet MCx, a 3GPP Standard based solution that is hosted in Australia in a highly secure, multi zoned, fully redundant Data Centre environment. It is a secure, flexible and future-proof SaaS-based platform providing 99.99% availability for meeting all critical communication needs by leveraging the benefits of cloud technology, mobile broadband and satellite communication.
The Airbus Agnet MCx can transmit and receive secure data, video and voice to all relevant stakeholders at once in a secure and reliable way. It allows two-way radios, smartphone, tablet and laptop users to communicate individually, or in a group. The mobile application is compatible with both Android and iOS. It features a web-based dispatcher, end-to-end encryption, emergency calling, remote and lone worker safety functionalities, along with advanced location tracking, among other capabilities.
As a result of this network upgrade, Icon Water’s fleet of around 100 vehicles were fitted with Vertel’s Enhanced Mobility Solution ensuring ubiquitous network connection anywhere within and beyond Icon Waters operating geography. High gain antennas fitted to each of the vehicles also enables connection to corporate apps using laptops, tables or smartphones within an extensive WiFi zone that is created outside of the vehicle.
To provide 4G connectivity in critical Icon Water’s buildings, Vertel engineers initially validated the existing coverage then designed and implemented Vertel’s Connectivity Enhancement solution at the required locations. This solution was designed to meet the bandwidth, latency, and simultaneous user needs.
Airbus is proud to have successfully contributed with Vertel to Icon Water’s network upgrade to its broadband platform Agnet MCx. Our expertise in critical communications solutions globally with Mission Critical Push to Talk Over Broadband (MCx) ensures Icon Water can deliver group communications and safety anywhere they operate with LTE and Satellite backhauls.
Contact:
Rhys Clare
Key Account Manager
Airbus Group Australia Pacific
+61 438 889 319
