Nashua Mobile and the City of Cape Town are piloting the use of Vodacom`s push-to-talk system as a communications tool for law enforcement officials patrolling the crime-ridden N2 and R300 highways.
The one-month project is a joint attempt to use the least-cost technology to enable better communications between the local law enforcement agencies, such as the Metro Police and the South African Police Service.
Initially, 25 City of Cape Town Metro Police officers will test the push-to-talk system, which effectively gives an ordinary cellphone "walkie-talkie" functionality.
Combating crime along the N2 and R300 routes has been hampered by a lack of communication between the various departments, individuals on patrol and other resources. For security reasons, a number of different frequencies are used for radio communication, but this means infrastructure costs are high and inter-department communication must be facilitated through a control centre.
How it works
With the push-to-talk system, officials on duty will be able to communicate in real-time with other officials simultaneously. This technology splits voice calls into packets that are distributed across the network at a fraction of the cost of regular voice calls.
As the existing Vodacom network is used, there is no infrastructure cost to the City of Cape Town. Cellphone battery life is considerably longer than that of traditional radio handhelds and the device costs less than handheld radios.
The testing programme was first proposed by Nashua Mobile`s Cape Town divisional manager Bronwyn Johnson and its sales manager Elton Moodley to the city as a cost-effective, secure alternative means of communication, and they later met with law enforcement officials.
"The city`s response to our suggestions has been very positive," says Johnson. "We received instant buy-in from senior officials in all the departments. They are eager to try new technologies to combat crime and make the roads safer for travellers."
Further phases of the project will investigate the monitoring of the exact location of officials. This will increase the accuracy and response times. At a later stage, push-to-talk services may be extended to the public using these roads so that they can call for help when necessary.
Councillor Dumisani Ximbi, mayoral committee member for safety and security, says: "Safety is important for all of us in government, business and as individuals. This is a welcome initiative to use new technology to improve safety, crime prevention and emergency response and I thank the companies involved."
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