Tait radios for NSW network

NSW emergency services can now choose a land mobile radio solution designed and manufactured by Tait Radio Communications after the Christchurch company became the first additional P25 solutions provider to be officially approved to operate on the Government Radio Network (GRN).

About 24,000 users in over 40 government agencies currently operate on the NSW P25 statewide network and connected agencies, including the State Emergency Service, ambulance service, Rural Fire Service, Energy Australia, Roads and Traffic Authority and Department of Corrective Services, and they can now select genuine open-standards P25 equipment from Tait.

P25 is an international open standard for interoperable digital two-way wireless communications. The standard, which is also used by New Zealand Police, allows for improved communications within and between agencies - especially emergency services.

The milestone marks the first approval by the NSW Government of an alternative P25 solutions provider for the state-wide network. The GRN was recently upgraded to support the P25 standard.

Brett Smythe, Tait regional general manager, Asia Pacific, says, “For the first time, public safety agencies operating on the NSW GRN are free to select from an alternative vendor to achieve interoperability and secure communications.

“Agencies are no longer locked in to a single vendor’s portfolio, but can now benefit from a wider choice of P25 equipment - with the assurance of communications interoperability provided by the international P25 standard.”