Hytera has a long track record of supporting UK emergency services, and this year the company is preparing to launch HALO PTX in the UK, a broadband-enabled solution bringing together communications and evidence management in one platform.
Ahead of The Emergency Tech Show, we caught up with the team to hear how innovations like HALO PTX, fast-deployment networks and intrinsically safe radios are helping responders stay connected and protected on the frontline.
1. Hytera has a strong global presence, but what does your work with UK emergency services look like today?
Supporting emergency services is at the core of Hytera’s mission. Mission critical communications are key to frontline staff in health care, security and policing, rapid response units, fire and rescue services both throughout Europe and the UK.
As a long term supplier of PMR equipment to His Majesties Prison services and as a provider of specialised fire and evacuation equipment used by fire ground crews through the UK, Hytera remains a solid candidate in continuing to support the future of UK emergency services.
Hytera’s dedication to innovation and product development such as the PNC660 means we’re constantly at the front of product design, using the experiences gained from throughout the world to help lead the UK emergency services in the uses of emergency services technology.
2. You describe your mission as ‘innovate for a safer world’ – what does that look like in the context of emergency services?
Safety is a broad term. To some, safety of their employees is their priority so having features such as Man Down, Location and Emergency button linked to a dispatching system provides this. Body worn cameras which can provide a visual record are also a part of this and being able to stream real-time video in the event of an emergency allows a response which is appropriate.
Features such as AI Noise Cancellation and Starlight capability ensure important information is not missed when working in challenging environments. Safety of data is also a key consideration, ensuring that data cannot be deleted or tampered with and that it is stored in a way that protects it from outside interference, especially if the data contains personal details of employees.
3. You manufacture a wide range of communication products, how do you make sure they meet the specific needs of emergency responders?
Communicating with the end users is vital to ensure that Hytera understands the requirements and incorporates them into our products. Some users have unique requirements so being able to customise software to provide these unique features and functions allows us to gain access to niche markets that other manufacturers can’t penetrate. It’s also important to manage the end users’ expectations and work with our partners to provide the best possible solution.
4. Your fast-deployment and intrinsically safe product ranges stand out. Can you talk us through how they’re being used and where they make the biggest difference?
Fast deployment solutions (such as E-Pack 200) are being used to provide communication in situations where other communication methods have failed due to earthquakes, floods or other natural disasters. They are also ideal for search and rescue operations in remote areas, in tunnels or in buildings where LTE or TETRA coverage is poor. Portable with a weight of around 3Kg, a 9-hour battery life, IP67 rating and supporting GPS and cellular capability allowing telephone calls to be made makes the E-Pack 200 an ideal choice for use in challenging scenarios.
Our new range of ATEX terminals now offer a higher TX power and improved RX sensitivity providing better coverage and incorporating safety features to ensure workers are protected in hazardous areas or when working alone. An ergonomic design which allows use when wearing protective equipment and Bluetooth capability to connect to audio accessories without requiring cables prevents communication failures due to possible damage caused in the working environment. ATEX radios are widely used in Petrochemical plants but are now being more widely used in other manufacturing sectors, especially where control equipment is susceptible to RF interference.
5. You’re launching Halo PTX in the UK, what impact do you think this could have for emergency services and how does it reflect Hytera’s broader direction?
HALO PTX is a nationwide real-time communications with data and video management service, which provides a customisable one stop managed service including voice, video, dispatching and evidence management. This ‘out of the box’ solution is simple and easy to set up without needing to set up and manage infrastructure. It provides a 24/7/365 stable service located in a cyber-secure UK sovereign data centre. E2E encryption ensures your information security.
Instead of attempting to set up and join a number of separate services and devices together (such as cloud provision for data storage, SIM card data contracts, body worn camera devices, or always-on-voice) HALO PTX managed service will do all of this for you, for one monthly fee. It takes the hassle out of having to think about process design, system setup and operation, and ensures a seamless and quick experience for your team members and frees up your team’s time for more productive work in your core business.
6. How do you work with your partners to get the right technology into the hands of end-users?
Our extensive network of specialised partner are key to our continuing growth across Europe and the UK. As consultative professionals, our partners spend the time necessary to understand the current and most importantly the future needs of each individual end-user. The right technology, the specific infrastructure and of course the correct device are all selected to meet the needs of the customer.
Through regular contact, training services, product selection tools and the support of our dedicated engineering support team we have grown successfully in mission critical and everyday business and mission critical communications.
7. What are some of the biggest challenges you see when it comes to frontline communications today and how is Hytera helping to solve them?
With the development of cities and economies, establishing an intelligent command and dispatch system which integrates multiple information and resources to help public safety agencies make decision and quickly respond to emergency has been driven by social security and industry demands.
Through years of R&D and practical experience, guided by the core philosophy of ‘Integration + Intelligence’, Hytera has achieved data convergence, method convergence, technology-tactic convergence, digital-analog convergence, and software-hardware convergence in its command and dispatch system as well as emergency response products. Hytera has established integrated ‘Information-Command-Operation’ system for command, dispatch, and emergency management, enabling information to empower command, command to guide operations and operations to feed information.
Hytera offers a comprehensive portfolio of integrated command and dispatch as well as emergency management products and solutions, with applications spanning public safety sectors including policing, firefighting, and emergency services.
8. Beyond the hardware, how else do you support emergency services in the field or the partners who serve them?
Hytera has incorporated AI and quantum encryption technologies with PMR to enable in-depth adaption satisfying more and more scenario-driven demands from the field of emergency response. For example, Hytera uses AI noise cancellation technology in its latest two-way radios, ensuring user’s voice can be clearly delivered from the noisy rescue site.
9. Is there a recent product or deployment you think really reflects what Hytera is all about?
Hytera has been delivering fast deployment products and solutions echoing the setup of Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management since 2018, facilitating the process of building up nationwide Public Protection Disaster Relief (PPDR) network in China, optimising the efficiency of emergency response when disaster happens.
Hytera’s emergency response communications solution includes DMR trunking systems, Push-to-Talk over Cellular, Ad-hoc networks, broadband video transmission Ad-hoc networks and satellite communications, it also includes diverse terminal devices and drones.
The solution is designed for scenarios such as emergency drills, team mobilisation, forward reconnaissance, joint rescue operations by multi-department, and seamless communication between field operations and command centres, this solution caters to various emergency scenarios including routine early warning, natural disasters, accident emergencies, public health incidents, social security events and major event security.
10. There are a lot of communications suppliers in this space, what do you think sets Hytera apart?
Good after-sales support is vital in ensuring that partners get the assistance they need when things go wrong. This can be helping with configuration issues, confirming issues with hardware or software or providing training to both the commercial and technical teams when new products or solutions are released.
Being able to be proactive and keep partners updated on new products and firmware updates is also important. For larger projects, having local engineers who can provide on-site support to the partners allows us to resolve issues in a more efficient manner.
11. What’s next for Hytera when it comes to supporting emergency services?
The migration of communications from TETRA to ESN for fire, police and ambulance services gives Hytera an opportunity to engage with the UK government and begin the process of getting our POC, BWC and Multimode devices certified for use on ESN. Having accreditation for a public safety network such as ESN allows us to showcase our products to a wider audience who may be swayed by the current political system.
In the meantime, we continue to work with our partners to supply solutions to non-governmental emergency services providers (such as mountain rescue) that enhance their capabilities and provide communications in the most challenging of environments.
To read similar articles, check out our Technology channel.
Hytera is a Premier Partner at The Emergency Tech Show 2025 at the NEC on 17-18 September, and will be exhibiting in Hall 4, Stand D50. Check out the full exhibitor list here.