Victorian Government awards Motorola $500 million comms contract

The Victorian government has awarded Motorola Solutions a fresh 10 year, $500 million contract to maintain and enhance the Metropolitan Mobile Radio network used by the state’s emergency services agencies.

The contract with the state’s Department of Justice and Community Safety will extend operation of the land mobile radio network through to 2035. Motorola Solutions originally designed and deployed the network for the state government in 2005.

As part of the contract, the Marine Search & Rescue department will be brought on board the network for the first time. Existing users include Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, Fire Rescue Victoria, Victoria State Emergency Service and Life Saving Victoria. The agreement also involves the delivery of 24/7 support and service, to help keep the network and its fleet of more than 32,000 radios optimised and performing well.

Meanwhile Motorola will deploy its cloud-based SmartConnect service to expand coverage of the network by allowing radios to switch to broadband, Wi-Fi and satellite networks when outside of radio coverage areas.

Ambulance Victoria’s regional fleet will also be provided with state-wide coverage through the deployment of 1600 cutting-edge APX NEXT all-band smart radios and an additional 750 APX services multi-band mobile radios.

Motorola Solutions MD for Australia and New Zealand Con Balaskas said first responders need to be provided with safe and resilient communications that are available in even the harshest conditions.

“The ability to connect and collaborate with other emergency services [is a requirement] for multi-agency responses. We’re extremely proud that Motorola Solutions’ MMR network has supported Victoria’s emergency services for 20 years, providing essential communications while they’ve faced some of the most extreme events and disasters in the state’s history,” he said. “Now, through new software and broadband innovations, MMR’s interoperable communication will extend to the farthest reaches of our state, from Mildura to Mallacoota, while enabling more agencies to connect to the network.”

The network has been used to support public agencies’ response to major crises including the 2023 flood crisis and 2009 Black Sunday bushfires. In the past 12 months alone, more than 50.5 million push-to-talk radio calls were made using the network.