Hytera Communications, one of the leading global provider of professional communications technologies and solutions, announced that it received the award of “Best use of critical communications in utilities” with its entry “LECO Electricity MCPTT” at the International Critical Communications Awards (ICCAs) 2023 ceremony held in Helsinki, Finland on May 23.
The International Critical Communications Awards, presented by the Critical Communications Association (TCCA), is a highly-anticipated program recognizing the success of products, organizations, and individuals that have pushed boundaries and capabilities within the field of critical communications. Earlier in April, Hytera’s seven entries were shortlisted by ICCAs.
Why was Hytera recognized at the ICCAs?
This Mission-critical Push-to-talk (MCPTT) deployment highlights a clear path for the migration of the private communications network in the utility sector. Hytera has deployed a customized MCPTT system for LECO, Lanka Electricity Company (Private) Limited.
As the rapid-response arm of the Ceylon Electricity Board, Lanka Electricity Company provides electrical services to underserved areas and now works with a state-of-the-art radio communications system based on MCPTT over 4G-LTE technology to cover service grids in Galle, Moratuwa, Kalutara, Negombo, Kelaniya, Kotte, and Nugegoda.
In the extreme scenario where cellular network coverage is not available, Hytera’s dual-mode rugged radios support device-to-device (D2D) communication empowered by innovative Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) technology. While it proves the versatility of the Mission-critical Push-to-talk (MCPTT) to serve utility companies, the project also demonstrates how product innovations, such as dual-mode radios, can win the users’ buy-ins in technology adoption.
How integral has the MCPTT solution been for LECO?
“This Mission-critical Push-to-talk solution operates at a higher priority than Internet services, and also having a device-to-device communication mode are huge pluses for Lanka Electricity Company. Because when connectivity is interrupted due to unforeseeable circumstances–like a sudden violent storm, for instance–we are the professionals whose job it is to bring the network back up,” commented Athula P. De Silva, Chairman of Lanka Electricity Company.
“With this, our dispatchers and field engineers are in constant touch since we are in complete control of our own internal communication channel,” Athula P. De Silva further commented.
“So, in the event of an outage, power can be restored much faster. If we had chosen the generic mobile voice service or Push-to-talk over Cellular (PoC) instead, our rapid response team’s communications would have been vulnerable to the same disruptive factors and service interruptions as the general public–and that was totally unacceptable. We are the first line of defense against power outages. MCPTT solution is a perfect fit for our requirements.”
What does the recognition mean for Hytera?
“The award is a great recognition to all the stakeholders of this project, including LECO and Dialog. This case epitomizes how technological advancements are introduced and adopted to empower professionals from the utility sector,” said Ming Kam Wong, Deputy General Manager of Hytera overseas business, who was present at the ICCAs ceremony.
“Hytera is humbled to see itself becoming a frequent participant and winner of ICCAs. Thank you to the panel and congratulations to all the winners of ICCAs 2023,” Wong further said.
Hytera HyTalk MC Mission Critical Services (MCS) system is a multimedia mission-critical communication solution designed for sectors like public safety, utilities, and transportation. It is fully compliant with the 3GPP MC standards including MCPTT, MCData, and MCVideo.
It delivers reliable voice and video communication, high-speed data transfer, and multimedia dispatch services for daily operations. It helps enhance connectivity for better alliance and improved situational awareness. Priority Quality of Service (QoS) of HyTalk MC is guaranteed on the servers of the MCPTT platform provider and on the mobile operator’s network.
This end-to-end QoS ensures that critical communications users are given the highest priority available over any other commercial users. HyTalk MC also enables Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) to LTE interoperability, so that it allows connections among different task forces.
