The NSW Telco Authority will spend another $60 million on upgrading the state’s public safety network.
The authority has signed a five-year contract extension with Motorola Solutions, with the spend covering estimates for future costs for the statewide first responders’ secure voice and data communications network.
The authority said the PSN is “the most important critical communications network in NSW” apart from Triple Zero, and with its 324,000 square kilometer coverage, it’s also one of the largest in the world.
Its importance was emphasised in this year’s NSW North Coast floods, when the PSN was able to function while major telecommunications carrier networks failed.
Motorola Solutions’ contract covers network lifecycle upgrades, cyber security, and services to ensure the network remains up-to-date and reliable.
The company said software upgrades planned under the contract will enhance the network’s location, vehicle, and personnel protection capabilities.
Future enhancements to the PMR 25-standard network could include implementing software that extends the reach of land mobile radio communications using cellular networks, as well as rolling out converged communication devices.
The PSN upgrade has been in train since 2016, when the state government committed an initial $63 million on design work.
That was followed by a $9.2 million pilot, and a further $178 million committed in 2017.
In 2020, BAI Communications won an $80 million renewal of its contract to operate the network; this year, $146 million was committed to paging services, and Optus won a contract to provide cell-on-wheels antennas.
In 2018, Motorola Solutions signed a contract extension worth $261 million with the Victorian state government, while in 2020, Tasmania signed Motorola Solutions and Telstra for a public safety network refresh worth $567 million.
