Public Safety Mobile Broadband
A national Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) capability will provide emergency services with access to high-speed mobile voice and data services to communicate more easily and improve responses to critical incidents.
PSMB is a joint Commonwealth, state and territory initiative to provide the reliable communications needed for our public safety agencies to continue to keep Australians safe.
Access to mission-critical mobile voice and data services will allow emergency services to use technologies such as:
- location tracking
- camera live streams
- monitoring drones.
PSMB ensures reliable communications
Emergency Services Organisations use ultra-high frequency radio to communicate. This is robust and reliable but cannot support heavy data traffic and web-based applications.
Some emergency services also use consumer-grade commercial mobile broadband networks to transmit data and supplement existing systems. These networks may not meet mission-critical standards.
NSW Telco Authority's role in the PSMB project
NSW Telco Authority led a PSMB proof-of-concept trial in partnership with Nokia, Optus and TPG on behalf of the Australian Government and all states and territories to inform and shape the design of a national PSMB.
The trial was successfully completed in November 2022 and the findings were included in the 2022 PSMB Review report which helped inform government decisions including budget allocation.
The Australian Government announced in the 2023/24 Budget that it is investing $10.1 million in a central taskforce for a national PSMB service.
- This funding provides a renewed opportunity to continue our work to progress this vital investment in mission-critical, mobile broadband services.
- NSW Telco Authority will continue working with Emergency Services Organisations in NSW, the central taskforce, the Commonwealth and all states and territories to progress a PSMB and support frontline responders across the country.