Leonardo commits to mission-critical comms with ARCIA membership

Leonardo Australia has officially joined ARCIA – Australia’s Radio & Critical Communications Association, marking an important step in the company’s continued investment in Australia’s public safety communications landscape and its support for government and industry as they move toward next-generation, broadband-enabled capabilities.

ARCIA, the national peak body representing professionals, suppliers and innovators across Australia’s radio and critical communications ecosystem, welcomes Leonardo as part of its growing community of technology leaders. Leonardo brings decades of global expertise in secure communications, cyber-resilience, emergency services support and mission-critical technologies used daily by first responders and government agencies across Europe, the UK and the Middle East.

Leonardo’s expanded engagement in Australia comes at a pivotal time for the sector. Public safety agencies across the country are preparing for a major step-change in capability through the Australian Government’s Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) program, an initiative designed to provide secure, data-rich, real-time communications for emergency services nationwide. Leonardo responded to the Commonwealth’s PSMB RFI in 2024 and is continuing to invest in Australia as the program moves toward procurement.

At the heart of Leonardo’s offering is CSP-MCX, the company’s 3GPP-compliant Mission Critical Services (MCX) platform that integrates push-to-talk, video, data, mapping, presence, emergency alerting and full dispatcher functionality over 4G and 5G networks. The solution can be deployed on both private and commercial networks and provides seamless interoperability with existing LMR systems, a key requirement for agencies transitioning from traditional narrowband platforms to broadband operations.

Leonardo’s MCX technology has already been selected for high-profile programs overseas. Most recently, the UK Home Office chose Leonardo’s MCxLinx dispatcher solution to support the UK’s blue-light services as they modernise their mission-critical communications environment. This international experience, combined with Leonardo Australia’s local capability and expertise, should position the company strongly to support Australia’s move toward resilient, future-ready public safety communications.

By joining ARCIA, Leonardo aims to share global lessons, support Australian capability development, and collaborate closely with industry partners, government agencies and technical working groups. Leonardo will participate in ARCIA’s events, training forums and policy discussions to help advance best practice in mission-critical communications, while supporting the sector’s evolution from narrowband voice to integrated voice-video-data operations.

“This is an important time for Australia’s public safety sector,” said Leonardo Australia’s Managing Director, Ennio Raschella. “The shift to mission-critical broadband will be transformative, and we are committed to supporting ARCIA and the broader community as the nation works toward a secure, interoperable, next-generation capability.”

Image shows Leonardo’s Mission Critical Services (MCX) platform.