Green Light for Midlife Upgrade of Nationwide Tetrapol Network in Switzerland

Elancourt, 28 March – To continue the operation of their mission-critical radio network, the parliament in Switzerland approved the budget for the modernisation of Polycom. This nationwide radio communications network has been deployed by Airbus via its Swiss partner Atos. The Council of States (Ständerat) in Switzerland, the upper house of the Swiss parliament, took the final political decision and gave the green light for financing the pending Polycom renewal.

Switzerland’s project ‘Werterhalt Polycom 2030’ (maintaining Polycom values 2030) intends to ensure a sustainable radio network based on Tetrapol technology. Step by step, the system will be modernised from the existing time-division multiplexing (TDM) technology to the modern Internet Protocol (IP). IP technology will bring important benefits, such as capacity increases, lifetime extensions, additional users and a higher number of subscribers.

Airbus and Atos, as the general contractor for Switzerland, have worked together since Polycom’s roll-out in 2000. The current network operates with 40 main switches, 110 secondary switches and over 750 base stations. Polycom currently serves 55,000 users, including cantonal and federal police forces, firefighters, rescue workers, public protection personnel, border guards and the army.

In addition to Switzerland, the Czech Republic, France, Mexico, Slovakia and Spain have also established nationwide public safety networks based on Tetrapol technology from Airbus.

Copyright photo: Confédération Suisse

Airbus

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016, it generated revenues of €67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe’s number one space enterprise and the world’s second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

Secure Land Communications

Secure Land Communications (SLC), a business unit of Airbus, develops, installs and maintains professional and land mobile radio (PMR/LMR) networks based on Tetra, Tetrapol and P25 technologies and offers a wide range of radio solutions and devices for customers worldwide. The portfolio also encompasses mission-critical broadband solutions based on 3GPP standards and emergency response centres (911/112). SLC is a leader in PMR, with more than 280 radio networks in over 74 countries, and the US leader for 911 response centres with the VESTA 911 call handling solution serving more than 60% of the market. SLC employs nearly 1,700 people in 20 countries.

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