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Motorola takes pole position during TT Race Week
Motorola took pole position and showcased WAP enabled data transfer and new broadband video capabilities during TT Race Week last month...
At this year’s famous TT Motorcycle Races, Motorola demonstrated the use of seamlessly mobile communications during the Island’s busiest week of the year.
The Isle of Man Government’s Motorola TETRA (TErrestrial Trunked RAdio) network is used by Police officers and other public safety officials, including Fire and Ambulance, to manage the influx of more than 30,000 visitors and 12,000 motorbikes. While the TETRA network was used in part for the first time at last year’s races, having been fully operational for the Emergency Services since April 2004, this year marked the first time that the whole event was covered by TETRA in its entirety. This year’s races were covered by expanded user groups to include TT rescue helicopters, race control and course communications.
A specialised Police user group dedicated to traffic control was responsible for communications around the 37 miles of the TT course.
Also for the first time at the races, in conjunction with the existing TETRA infrastructure, Motorola showcased other technologies such as its flexible wireless broadband solution, Canopy. CCTV cameras were installed at and around the races so live video images could be streamed back to the state-of-the-art command and control room.
Robert Williamson Technical Director, Department of Home Affairs Communications Division of the Isle of Man Government commented: "Having invested in the region of 12 million pounds in our communications infrastructure we are pleased to see it offering more and more benefits to our public safety officers. A reliable, resilient network helps enormously in hosting the large number of visitors that descend on us for the TT. In addition having the ability to relay live CCTV images and even video means we can offer enhanced facilities for major events. In fact, we recently hosted the British Irish Council Conference for the first time in our history thanks, in part, to our confidence in the communications network. For the first time we were able to relay live images back to our strategic command at the joint control room and the event was seen as a major success for the Isle of Man and a strong endorsement of our investment to date."
In addition to offering secure voice communications, Motorola is working on integrating data over the TETRA network on to its handportable terminals. By having access to quality data in the field, for example suspects’ photographs and the ability to fill out incident reports and forms, officers can spend more time policing at the event and less time filling out paperwork at the station. It is widely acknowledged that having officers constantly in the field dramatically improves response times and accurate information leads to more accurate policing.
Motorola is working closely with the Isle of Man Government to look at future developments and technology and the TT week is a first class and demanding event in which to showcase innovative technologies for future major events. The next phase of the communications network on the Island could see the deployment of next level services from Motorola; WAP-enabled messaging and data transfer, picture messaging and the integration of MESH broadband technology. MESH can be used on an ad-hoc basis to provide fill-in coverage for mobile policing operations, for example, sending live video from a discrete camera fitted on a plain clothes officer back to a receiver in a nearby vehicle or building.
Gary Maughan, Business Director, Motorola concluded: "We are keen to show our customers how much more our communications networks can offer than just voice calls. We aren’t just about two-way radio. Here, we have worked in conjunction with the Isle of Man Government to suggest the best solutions for their officers for a specific event. We have a portfolio of complimentary technologies that have one common aim – to aid decision making in mission critical environments."
