Technology Focus – Where does BBPTT technology fit and how can it support business resilience?

BBPTT (broadband push to talk) is coming of age and can now certainly claim to be business critical.

Guest Post by Richard Webb, Airsys Cloud.

Published: 19th April 2021
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Technology has played a critical role during the pandemic. With a new set of limitations never experienced before, organisations of all shapes and sizes faced and continue to face unique challenges. One the most significant was how to connect widely dispersed teams with varying job roles whilst tackling key considerations to reduce risk such as compliance with security protocols.

Today, cloud-based solutions such as Broadband Push-to-Talk (BBPTT) are being designed to meet the specific operational requirements of an organisation in order to create the right balance between functionality requirements, performance and affordability. When combined with other data sources such as the command-and-control centre monitoring tool, the analytics produced can help support measurable, clearer, and better decision making.

In this article Richard Webb deliberately steers clear of mentioning all the usual features of instant communications systems and instead focuses on the key differences between conventional radio (LMR) systems and (BBPTT) systems. After all, you can pretty much do the same things on both.  The traditional arguments in favour of LMR systems have been well rehearsed for many years and usually emphasise the private and mission critical nature of LMR deployments.

BBPTT infrastructure solutions

In the telephony world, given the obsolescence of infrastructure over time and the ongoing withdrawal of ISDN, the Enterprise PABX is giving way at an ever-increasing rate to a VOIP solution provided on an Opex basis. In the LMR world, if your LMR system is aging and its reliability is now questionable or you cannot get the frequencies you need, you at least have the option of considering a BBPTT system.

Mission critical BBPTT (MCBBPTT) ecosystems are also now evolving around standards which are becoming more effective. These standards are SIP based and could pave the way to integration with telephony application servers, making ever more powerful communications systems possible.

BBPTT infrastructure solutions are available from a number of sources. The model for buying your own bespoke infrastructure is the same Capex/Opex model as for LMR systems. However, in addition to this, cloud’s software as a service (SaaS) approach offers you BBPTT infrastructure that is available, reliable and affordable on an Opex only basis – connectivity providers and the team at Radiocoms and Airsys.Cloud do the rest.

For both LMR and BBPTT systems, users still need to buy devices that suit their requirements. BBPTT devices are generally not proprietary to a given system and are made in quantities that make them economically efficient.

In addition, by definition, BBPTT as a service will coexist on e.g. an Android device along with other apps, making it possible for the first time for a single device e.g. in the cab of a commercial vehicle to provide:

• Communication
• Messaging
• Task management
• Tracking
• Location-based alerts
• Lone Worker Protection
• Navigation; plus
  …Whatever else you need.

So, what are the key features and benefits of BBPTT.Cloud solution?

To conclude,

Over the course of the last twelve months there has been a significant lift in the adoption of new digital BBPTT cloud-based platforms, devices, applications and services by organisations in both the private and public sector. In some cases, the pandemic brought them to a crossroads and may have forced them to invest when they had no plans to do so in the immediate future.

A strategy for moving ahead and optimising the flow of information between departments is now imperative. Through varying forms of BBPTT Radiocoms has supported organisations as they addressed structural changes and business continuity plans whilst tailoring solutions to integrate with BOYD policies giving clients the flexibility to adapt and scale device management.

However, it is critical to understand that while many things are based on technology, it’s much more about the end user using it in the right way. So, remember that engaging with the end users early on in the research process can be fundamental to its success. Given the adaptability and various models available for buying a BBPTT solution, it would seem that this is a solution now worth looking into, and Radiocoms has the expertise to help you do that.

Our Business Team are here and ready to support you.

We are here to help you explore and learn more about the BBPTT devices and solutions.

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