RSSAustralia’s New South Wales (NSW) Telco Authority became the latest member of TCCA, the global representative body for the critical communications ecosystem. NSW Telco Authority is the connectivity leader for the NSW government and delivers critical radio communications to first responders and essential services to keep people and places in NSW safe.
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“As the connectivity leader of NSW Government, we are keen to share knowledge and develop partnerships with other TCCA members,” said NSW Telco Authority Director Kylie De Courteney said.
The authority manages the Public Safety Network (PSN) on behalf of the NSW Government. Next to Australia’s triple zero emergency hotline, the PSN is the most important critical communications network in NSW and one of the largest of its type in the world. With 65 customers including the state’s emergency services, the PSN supports more than 53,000 registered radio handsets averaging 1.33 million calls per month across 350,000 square kilometers of terrain.
The PSN’s land coverage is now 44.1% of NSW and reaches 96.9% of the population. It provided reliable radio communications for first responders during Australia’s 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires and again in March when the worst floods in recent history hit the state.
The authority is also delivering one of the state’s largest investments in radio communications through the $1.4 billion Critical Communications Enhancement Program (CCEP). When complete, the CCEP will deliver a 675-site, fully interoperable network and provide coverage across 680 square kilometers and reach 99.7% of the state’s population.
As of April, the CCEP has delivered 249 new and enhanced sites, providing critical communications for emergency services at 99.95 per cent target availability. In addition, the authority’s Telecommunications Emergency Management Unit (TEMU) coordinates support between telecommunications carriers and emergency service organizations during emergencies to protect critical infrastructure, deploy network augmentation and ensure safe access to telecommunications infrastructure.
“It is with much pleasure as a fellow Australian to welcome the first Australian government member to TCCA,” said TCCA Chief Executive Kevin Graham. “NSW Telco Authority has significant experience deploying and operating critical communications narrowband networks for government agencies within their state jurisdiction. On behalf of all Australian states and territories, the agency is also leading a public-safety mobile broadband technical proof of concept trial. We look forward to the insights they can share with our community and between their many global peers who are TCCA members, and also back into the agencies they serve in Australia.”
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