ASTRID has completed the changeover from an old paging system used by emergency services to call and send alert notices to volunteers after the public procurement was awarded over a year ago to Thales in 2015.
Radio communication was not interrupted during the switchover as it did not involve the ASTRID TETRA radio network. It involved all 226 antennas in various locations all over the country on 4 June. ASTRID constantly kept users informed over the four hours of changeover between eight in the morning and noon, with only the paging service interrupted during this time.
The paging service is used for calling volunteer firefighters to fire stations
After the switchover the pagers of the volunteer firefighters, emergency responders and alarm terminals at the fire stations automatically connected to the new system. On the Saturday afternoon the teams carried out on-site technical maintenance on 30 antennas. More than 2.3 million messages pass through the paging network every year and the upgrade means a reduction in operational costs.
Features and benefits of the new paging system:
- Messages are transmitted faster as a result of more rapid processing in the centralised system
- Better redundancy: The centralised systems are redundant and constantly exchange their data between them
- Advanced system monitoring from the ASTRID Service Centre
- No need to replace the 21,000 pagers already in use in the field
- Guaranteed technological support from the supplier of the infrastructure (Thales) for the next 15 years
- New key features in the longer term:
- Encryption of messages
- Transmission of acknowledgment of receipt
- Automatic re-transmission effort in case of failed deliver
Preparations to upgrade the infrastructure started a year ago to ensure continuity when changing to the new system and ASTRID has worked closely with user organisations throughout the entire process. Certain components of the old paging system had become outdated as these had existed since 2001 or had reached end-of-life status and the supplier was no longer able to offer maintenance or a replacement.
After consultation with the users it was decided to once again opt for POCSAG, a proven and widely used technology standard that continues to meet the operational needs of the emergency services. The renewal of the paging system involved the replacement of the network core and its auxiliary system, which is consolidated in three data centres, and the gradual replacement of the emitters on the antennas.
The main users of the alerting system are the voluntary fire brigade, the civil protection service, several medical emergency services, doctors, hospitals and the Red Cross. Volunteers who have pagers at work or home can receive an alarm message simultaneously. Approximately 6,400 alarm messages pass through the ASTRID paging network every day and paging subscriptions are free of charge in emergency zones for fire brigades and public emergency services.
“This technological upgrade offers a direct operational benefit to the users in the field, such as the 12,000 volunteer firefighters who are active throughout Belgium,” said Christophe Grégoire, COO at ASTRID. “In addition, it ensures continuity of the paging service for another 15 years. I would like to thank all of the users and everyone who has participated in the works for their contribution to this complex migration effort.”
Image credit: ASTRID - Cedric Meunier
