Digital radio switches on for Vic emergency services
Digital radio will be available for police and emergency services in regional Victoria from 2018.
This will eliminate key blackspots, as well as increasing security and audio clarity.
Victoria Police, Victoria State Emergency Service, Life Saving Victoria, Corrections Victoria and Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigades operating in outer metropolitan areas will transition across from outdated analog systems.
Telstra has been awarded an amendment to the 2013 regional digital radio network agreement, which will enable the four additional agencies to access the system.
“The safety of our emergency services personnel is paramount and this new system will eliminate key blackspots, provide a secure network and make it easier for them to do their vital work across regional Victoria,” said Minister for Emergency Services James Merlino.
CFA regional brigades have used the network since 2014 and the amendment ensures that arrangement can continue, while expanding its reach to CFA brigades in outer metropolitan districts including Dandenong, Melton, Geelong and Lilydale.
New digital radios for Victoria Police are being acquired and progressively rolled out across the state. Once the rollout of devices is completed, the network will be encrypted and police radios in rural areas will be as secure as those in metropolitan areas.
This investment in new technology, and an encrypted network, will mean that communication between police can no longer be heard by criminals or members of the public.
The regional digital radio network offers increased security for voice communications, greater network coverage and capacity, and improved voice clarity. The move to the digital system also ensures Victoria State Emergency Service, Life Saving Victoria and Corrections Victoria comply with Commonwealth spectrum regulatory changes.
The Victorian government invested $11.5 million in the Victorian Budget 2015–16 for police to upgrade to the new digital system.
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