Company insight
Vital communications for every emergency
5G promises to be the communication technology of the future – if users ensure their devices can exploit it, anyway. We talk to Oliver Ledgard at Zebra Technologies about the company’s range of rugged 5G-equipped devices, and how they could be useful across a range of crises.
obust communications are essential across a bewildering range of emergencies. From police calling for backup during a riot, to paramedics warning a hospital to prepare an operating theatre, first responders have long searched for ways to speak clearly and effectively, transmitting orders and receiving calls for help. With the rise of sophisticated digital technologies, moreover, emergency workers can now do more than their analogue forebears ever dreamed of doing. Between remote-controlled drones and dynamic digital maps, it makes sense that the global telecoms industry was valued at a bewildering $1.6bn in 2020. And if new, rugged devices now prove their worth across the gamut – from soldiers in the field to firefighters beating a blaze – connectivity is now easier than ever before: thanks to the awesome power of 5G.
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Zebra’s 5G enabled ET80 and ET85 tablets.
understand the colossal potential of 5G than Oliver Ledgard. An industry veteran of two decades, he has spent years at Panasonic and Telefónica UK. At Zebra
“The main advantages of 5G are greater speed on transmissions and lower latency. That, therefore, gives you greater capacity for remote execution – which is imperative for field workers.”
Far more powerful than its predecessors, the fifth-generation mobile network promises to revolutionise communications across a range of fields, dovetailing lightning-low latency with striking stability. That will be the case provided industry insiders are careful to ensure their devices are compatible with 5G – and take advantage of everything the best machines can offer.
Higher speed, lower latency Few people are better placed to
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Technologies since 2017, Ledgard works as the EMEA public sector lead. And, as Ledgard stresses, 5G offers a number of benefits over its 3G or 4G predecessors. “The main advantages of 5G are greater speed on transmissions and lower latency,” he explains. “That, therefore, gives you greater capacity for remote execution – which is imperative for field workers.” That makes sense: boasting ten times less latency than 4G, the latest technology means users can send and receive messages remarkably fast.
Naturally, all this would mean little if 5G wasn’t available in practice. But here, too, change is arriving at a gallop. As of May 2022, nearly 2,000 cities across 72 countries enjoy 5G connectivity – a global reach that spans from Kazakhstan to Malta. Just as important, Ledgard adds, is how quickly that figure is rising. By 2030, indeed, 5G networks will cover 25% of the world’s population, making it vital for users to purchase devices that’ll handle 5G even if it hasn’t yet arrived in their town. At the same time, this new digital reality is clearly widespread in terms of prospective users. Take, for instance, the question of law enforcement. Among other things, 5G connectivity will improve automated vehicle location (AVL) capabilities, allowing officers to seamlessly track other patrols. In a similar vein, data-rich telematics, facilitated by 5G, will allow support teams to monitor police car performance in real time, carrying out proactive maintenance before serious problems occur – maximising the time vehicles are on the
Defence & Security Systems International /
www.defence-and-security.com
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