Ensuring critical communications coverage is provided when new roads are built is vital for our emergency responders and the public.

Next Generation Critical Communications is delivering the new $1.4 billion Public Safety Network (PSN) for New Zealand Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Hato Hone St John and Wellington Free Ambulance.

The PSN consists of three complementary elements: a digital land mobile radio network (LMR), cellular services and personal alerting.

One critical challenge in building the PSN LMR network, being built by Tait Systems New Zealand, is extending radio coverage across new infrastructure for all emergency services, particularly major roads like Wellington’s Transmission Gully which carries more than 23,500 vehicles a day.

“Because Transmission Gully is a vital and fast route for first responders travelling to or from Wellington, and where emergencies can occur, secure and reliable radio coverage is essential,” says Senior Sergeant Kate Saxton of NZ Police.

The PSN LMR network will operate through approximately 500 transmission sites across the country, including one dedicated site strategically placed along Transmission Gully.

Frontline responders can also use the Spark and One NZ mobile coverage available along Transmission Gully and the Kapiti Expressway thanks to PSN Cellular Roaming, further increasing their communications resilience.

Where mobile networks require four sites to cover the 27km motorway, the PSN LMR network needs only one, thanks to its use of lower-frequency signals that travel further than the higher frequencies used by mobile providers.

Reliable communications empower emergency services to respond swiftly and communicate clearly, especially along new roads that are heavily used by the public and first responders.

As Senior Sergeant Saxton says, “When our responders can act efficiently and communicate seamlessly, it shows communities that they’re working tirelessly to keep them safe. That builds trust, unity, and cooperation between emergency services and the public.”