For any kind of emergency service, whether it be paramedics or private security company employees, the ability to communicate quickly and clearly and to have immediate access to relevant information about the situation at hand, is immeasurable. Particularly when you consider that these people are required to operate across a wide geographical area and sometimes far off the beaten track.
Roland van der Walt, Marketing Director of Instacom, says: "Traditionally, people in the safety and security industries relied on two-way radio communication, but this meant that they were often out of range and unable to communicate clearly, or at all. Another downside of this form of communication is that other people can overhear the conversation."
Technology has revolutionised the way the emergency response industry communicates - with each other as well as the control room. Today's emergency services are able to use an app on their mobile phones that enables them to use their phone as a two-way radio, and access and share additional information about the emergency.
Van der Walt explains: "Telecommunications services are available pretty much everywhere in South Africa, so there's no limit in terms of range, and obviously using this app means that the users aren't incurring expensive mobile phone call costs."
The ability for the control room to be able to communicate with the workforce (ie, response personnel) and for them to be able to communicate with each other and their supervisors, in a quick, clear and effective manner, is immeasurable. Push-to-talk over cellular (PTTCC) enables instant half-duplex voice communication with any group or individual who appears on a contact list, without having to dial or wait for the recipient to answer their phone. Half-duplex is a type of communication in which data can flow back and forth between two devices, but not simultaneously, like a two-way radio. It's enabled by an app that connects to any type of data to enable the users to communicate instantly.
Van der Walt says: "Communication is instant, at the push of a button, and while it's possible to broadcast to an entire group, it's also possible to talk privately on a one-to-one basis."
He cites an example that highlights the advantages of PTTOC: "Imagine if there's an incident at a private security company's customer's site and armed reaction staff need to be deployed. They arrive at the site and the intruder races off. The response team follows the intruder, but is soon out of the two-way radio reception area, and unable to communicate with the control room. The team's risk has just increased dramatically, as they cannot ask for assistance should they need it. In addition, having to communicate via two-way radio means that the conversation can potentially be overheard by the criminals, who can then take evasive action."
Business benefits of PTTOC:
* Improves team co-ordination and efficiency;
* Reduces communication costs;
* Drives device consolidation;
* Global coverage;
* Reduces response times; and
* Delivers a consistent message to all staff.
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