Why is the PSMB important?
The PSMB will be the most significant uplift in communications capability for Australian PSAs in decades.
The current communication capabilities of Australian Public Safety Agencies (PSAs) including fire, ambulance, police, emergency services and other government agencies, largely depend on existing Land Mobile Radio (LMR) networks with limited data services. The current LMR networks provide mission-critical voice services, but do not provide the mission-critical data and video features required by PSAs. With the continuing rise in number and intensity of disasters and other national emergencies, this requirement is increasingly critical. PSAs require a broader range and diversity of technologies that will be prioritised to support the critical work they do.
The PSMB capability will strengthen Australia's emergency preparedness. It will help to ensure PSAs are equipped with modern technology and digital connectivity to improve operational outcomes, effectiveness and coordination during emergencies and disasters. It will provide PSA personnel with prioritised, fast, and secure data, images, video and voice communications, enabling situational awareness, detailed analytics and cross-border interoperability in disasters, emergencies and critical incidents. The PSMB capability will significantly enhance the safety of our first responders and assist them in keeping the communities of Australia safe and resilient.
Public Safety Operations examples
The use cases included here are representative of a number of Public Safety Agencies (PSAs) across Australia. These use cases are generic. Their initial purpose was to provide context for the PSMB Approach to Market Request for Information (RFI) phase to illustrate the critical nature of the work undertaken by PSAs. Each of these has been endorsed by jurisdictional representatives of the PSAs, for release as part of the RFI artefacts. This set of use cases for PSMB is not exhaustive. The Taskforce will continue to add other use cases to highlight the benefits of the National PSMB capability. They are for contextual and illustrative purposes only.
