Presenting the industry with public safety solutions

Conference highlights
The BAPCO 2020 conference will offer visitors a host of best-practice-orientated presentations, delivered by some of the key thought leaders in the industry. Among this year’s many highlights will be a keynote address on the progress of the Emergency Services Network, presented by Bryan Clark, programme director for the network at the UK Home Office.

Bryan will provide an overview of the work which has taken place on the UK’s new nationwide emergency services broadband network, in the time since his presentation to conference last year. He will describe technical developments, collaboration and partnering with suppliers, as well as collaborative work with emergency services users themselves.

Following his presentation, Bryan will be available for questions from the floor. Visitors will also have the opportunity to meet the ESN team at their stand in the BAPCO 2020 exhibition. The team will also be running themed seminars targeted at emergency services users.

Another standout session will see Pippa Malmgren, co-founder of H-Robotics, provide a presentation on the best use of drones and autonomous vehicles in policing. Pippa’s presentation will consist of a deep-dive into the practical uses of cutting edge autonomous technology by the emergency services. This includes mapping, as well as communications for increasingly effective search and rescue operations.

Speaking of this, she said: “The utility of a drone is not the flying – it is in the acquisition, assimilation and analysis of data. Policing must adapt to a world that is already converting atoms of reality into bits of data. The policing of the future won’t be in pieces of paper but in point clouds and persistent digital assets. Drones are no longer to be thought of as the toys that a few officers have the skill to handle, and which the British weather regularly defeats. They are tools that run themselves in ways that allow the police to keep doing their job without needing to be distracted by operating additional equipment.”

Giving the special lecture and discussion, Huw Saunders, director of Network Infrastructure at Ofcom, will analyse the benefits and challenges of changes to the UK telecoms network. Huw will speak about the migration of the UK’s telephone network from public switched telephone network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. This industry-led change will see PSTN permanently switched-off in 2025, but with the migration of customer lines beginning well in advance. He will discuss the implications for all PSTN users, including the potential impact on critical national infrastructure, life-dependent devices and other services that are key to the UK economy.

Discussing his presentation and the implications of the switch-off for all users, Huw said: “Some communications providers are offering testing facilities for downstream service providers to see if their equipment will continue to work effectively over VoIP. End users and service providers should contact their service or equipment suppliers to consider whether equipment needs to be upgraded, re-configured or replaced and plan appropriate action.”

Transport for London’s surface radio network digital transformation: Enabling individual and group-based communications, will be presented by Thomas Brewster, service delivery manager for Surface Technology and Data, Transport for London, and Jamie Bishop, general manager for the Transportation Sector at Tait Communications. Jamie and Thomas will present on the roll-out of Transport for London’s futureproof digital platform for surface transport comms, as provided by Tait Communications. This involved the replacement of the legacy analogue system for buses, as well as ensuring connectivity to smart devices, enabling group and individual communications using Push to Talk over cellular.

According to a spokesperson: “At the core of the project wasn’t just the technology but also stakeholder engagement, effective service development and piloting of the proposed solutions to enable user adoption. In addition, [there needed to be] engagement with recent regulatory changes such as GDPR, alongside awareness of the implications that arise when working with ‘bring your own devices’ versus corporate personal issue smart devices/traditional pooled radios.”

The BAPCO Annual Dinner
The BAPCO Annual Dinner is a must-attend event for all those working within UK public safety critical communications, providing a unique opportunity for the sector to come together in a laid-back yet elegant environment.

As ever, attendees will be able to enjoy fantastic food and drink as well as top-class entertainment as they relax after the finish of the conference and exhibition’s first day. There will also be the chance to network with some of the most important and influential people within the sector, first via the drinks reception and then in the bar once the festivities have ended. The Annual Dinner is a key part of the BAPCO 2020 experience and should not be missed.

BAPCO 2020 will take place at the Ricoh Arena, a venue unlike any other in the UK, being a pioneer in the world of business, entertainment and sport. Home to Premiership Rugby team Wasps, and Coventry City Football Club, this world-class destination in Coventry has provided a catalyst for urban regeneration and economic development since it opened in 2005. The award-winning venue has a mix of state-of-the-art conference, training, banqueting, exhibition, hotel, music and sports facilities.

There is more than 20,000 sqm of space along with 2,000 onsite car parking bays, two restaurants, a hotel and one of the UK’s largest casinos, which is perfect for post-event entertainment.