translated from Spanish: ‘We adapt to deliver to governments the solutions that are needed’

Mexico is highly vulnerable to all types of disasters, for example, between 2013 and 2018 there were, on average, three natural disasters per month with 433 emergency declarations and 177 disasters affecting about 9 million inhabitants. However, the COVID-19 pandemic gave a new dimension to this vulnerability, which requires the coordination of various government entities at all levels.
As if that were not enough, the problem of public insecurity requires the use of the best technology available at the most efficient costs. Against this background, Fred Gallart, CEO for Mexico and Latin America of Secure Land Communications, Airbus’ business unit, says the company has been adapting to the country’s needs for years of experience to offer the best solutions for communications from security corporations and other strategic sectors.

“What comes in terms of security for Mexico after the pandemic?
“Specifically, in public safety we are facing changes and an ecosystem that has never been seen before. Who was going to say, five months ago, that today we would have COVID-19 and, at the same time, an area where countless situations arise in which we need to have the right technology to fight crime and prefease the safety of the population? Among the most important challenges are the communication and coordination of all elements of each 911 call, whether by tremor, earthquake, assault, attack or incident, where coordination with elements not only of the police, but of firefighters and other specialists is needed to secure the citizen and coordinate the reaction strategies.
The technology we have today offers all these essential life-saving capabilities while making available to users the latest generation in communications and applications that are likely necessary to answer every call. 
Today interoperability is needed in all ecosystems and we have the solution for 5G evolution, which is broadband, and at the same time consider the cost of that transition. We are the only company that has all these elements to deliver to the citizen or government bodies.

“What adaptations are being made to address this change?
“Since the implementation of the National Radiocommunication Network 20 years ago, technology has come a long way and we have been pioneers. We advise the Mexican government to transit to IP (internet protocol), which allows you to monitor all the elements of a network to have the full interoperability of the different technologies. Today, 85 percent of states have done so, only five of them are missing from making the investment to have this bridge and save all the investment the government has made. The associated cost of this is 2.5 million euros to maintain the technology that was originally implemented and operate hybridly without any problem.
Airbus SLC has taken into consideration the implementation of the shared network to make the transition of Tetrapol technology. Putting the shared network into operation involved an APP (public-private partnership scheme) that Altán Redes won and that the Mexican government coordinated with Altán to provide citizens with broadband. Airbus has focused on broadband technology, which is implemented by Altán so that, two years from now, 95 percent of the population has connectivity and solutions can be offered that lead the country to operate in public security as is done in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and France, with 5G to transmit video , multimedia and other public safety applications. But before you reach 5G you have to put the bridge to migrate the technologies at an attractive cost to the Mexican government and that you can interoperate with several technologies simultaneously.
With regard to radiocommunications, RNR Tetrapol technology, SLC has invested in new technologies; last year we introduced to the government an MBSc, a Master Based Station Compact, which was designed specifically for the National Guard to cover roads at an economic cost.
Another demonstration that Sedena and the National Guard have made us goes in the sense that, when the Sedena has wanted to mount itself on the Tetrapol network of states does not know what the status of the network is, so a module called NOC, Network Operations Center, has been developed that gives federal entities the ability to monitor network status at all levels , that’s a significant tool when there’s a situation of emergence. 
At the same time, we have brought a solution Software that only Airbus offers; it’s called Airbus 3S (Secure, Software, Solution), because today you don’t just need to communicate, but know exactly what different resources you have to handle an emergency. For example, to generate a systematized coordination mechanism between state and municipalities for public security tasks, systematize the inherent tasks of police deployment and control, and link the emergency control center to police performance in the field. It also has an approved police report to document the event.

“Has Airbus adapted to the country’s conditions over its several years in Mexico?
“Fortunately for us, we have been working with all three governing bodies to understand each situation. We have adapted to deliver to the federal, state or municipal government the solutions that are needed. We are not just talking about the Tetrapol network, but about solutions that offer a whole ecosystem totally safe for government. We have been privileged in the sense that we have worked with each governing body and learned what their needs are in order to be able to deliver coverage, mobility and, at the same time, the most important thing that interoperability is.

—What are the risks of states that have not modernized their communication network?
“Not investing in maintenance and updating in something that the Mexican government has already invested could leave them, to some extent, isolated by the time a National Guard arrives, which operates on the national radio network.

“Have you also adapted to the conditions of Mexican politics?
“We have to adapt to the Mexican situation, but we are not here to criticize, but to offer meaningful solutions that solve the public safety problem with acceptable costs. If you take all these elements, we have met 100 percent to meet Mexican needs.
For example, the investment we have made for MXLINK is important, we are the first secure virtual operator in Mexico and Latin America. The seven elements that MXLINK owns are:

Together with Altán, we fought so that the network could have QPP (Quality of Service, Priority and Preemption), which guarantees the priority of access even in emergency situations.  
Totally unmatched coverage. We know that the shared network is not fully implemented, so we have the Telcel network with 3G, 4G and LTE coverage and it is ready for intercom or interoperability directly with Mexsat.
Autonomous management and control for any entity; if each state wants to have its management and control within MXLINK, it can have it.
100 percent security per design. Today MXLINK gives encryption to protect any transmission that passes through that ecosystem; our system is not an internet cloud, it is a private cloud.
Total interoperability with state networks.
Support with our 24/7 service center and warranty that operates all year round.
Different service models, because on a global scale we have seen that public security instances need the tool, not to own it.

“How is the modernization of the communications network for security corporations in Mexico going?
“My goal is not to criticize, but I do think we have a security situation in the country where in reality we have to make a decision based on the best technology, but a quick decision to implement within a budget that is most attractive to Mexico.
We have seen that cellular networks can be intercepted, or overwhelmed by emergencies; the only networks that worked in the last 2017 and 2019 sismos are ours, the CDMX radiocommunication network that uses our technology and, in 2019, MXLINK for the Mexico City Water System.  

Original source in Spanish