AN INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR CROSSCALL AND ITS CORE-Z5
Each year, the Critical Communication World (CCW) brings together end-users of critical communication systems, manufacturers, and suppliers for three days of inspiration, knowledge sharing, and networking. This key industry event is organized by the TCCA (The Critical Communication Association), whose mission is to develop and promote standardized critical communication solutions globally.
At this event, the TCCA hosts the International Critical Communication Awards (ICCA), a ceremony that honors the most innovative initiatives and products worldwide. This year, French manufacturer Crosscall stood out with its CORE-Z5 smartphone, winning the "Best MCX Product of the Year" award.
This recognition underscores Crosscall's expertise in designing MCX products, a new standard defined by 3GPP, operating on LTE 4G and 5G networks, where X represents multiple mission-critical services (MC) such as PTT (push-to-talk, i.e., voice), data, video, and other services. The CORE-Z5 is thus acknowledged at the highest level by industry professionals as a solution that meets their current and future needs.
Discover Kevin Graham's reaction, CEO of the TCCA, on the award received by Crosscall:
CRITICAL COMMUNICATION: A SECTOR IN FULL TRANSFORMATION
The world of critical communication is undergoing significant changes. Until now, several 2G-equivalent technologies were mainly used in the public security sector: TETRA, ACROPOL, TETRAPOL, P25… These technologies enable communication over private mobile networks called PMR (Private Mobile Radio), which are independent and distinct from public mobile networks. These technologies are set to be replaced by new private networks operating on 4G and 5G networks. Thus, old portable communication tools will gradually be replaced by more modern devices. The smartphone will thus become the ideal tool for security forces, allowing them to access new functionalities, gain operational efficiency in the field, and be interoperable. Indeed, in addition to voice communications, they will now be able to share data, photos, videos, or even real-time location simultaneously with multiple people.
However, compatibility with private networks and preemption of access to these networks remain essential to making the smartphone an MCX tool. For this, smartphones must be compatible with specific frequency bands. This expertise, developed by Crosscall over the past years, has enabled the development, in technological partnership with Qualcomm, of the CORE-Z5, the world's first smartphone compatible with band 68, a frequency band dedicated to public safety in most European countries. This innovation allows the French manufacturer to stand out and receive international recognition.
"We are very proud to receive this award. It rewards the work done over the past years by our product development and software teams. It is an achievement for Crosscall and a recognition at the highest level that asserts our expertise in the critical communication sector."
Nicolas Zibell, CEO of Crosscall.
CROSSCALL, EUROPEAN SPECIALIST IN CRITICAL COMMUNICATION
Crosscall has demonstrated its expertise in the critical communication sector by developing innovative products and solutions and providing professionals with solutions tailored to their specific needs. The manufacturer also contributes to evolving this sector by working on large-scale international projects such as Broadway, a project aimed at defining, developing, and testing next-generation critical communication solutions for public safety organizations across Europe.
Crosscall is one of the first manufacturers to work on supporting eMBMS (evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services), which allows "point-to-multipoint" content broadcasting. With this, multiple terminals can receive information broadcast by the antenna to everyone instead of receiving it separately.
Support for this functionality complements that of band 68. Indeed, this band has a bandwidth of 5 MHz, which, in the case of significant events or crises, may be insufficient to support various video streams shared by multiple people.
Thus, in the future, public safety forces will be more connected. They will be equipped with smartphones and dedicated accessories, allowing them to manage all their missions wherever they are, more quickly and with minimized risks in the field. This is crucial for population safety, especially during major events where Crosscall and its products are directly involved. During COP 27, held in Dubai at the end of 2023, Crosscall helped ensure the smooth running and safety of participants at this international event, which brought together 196 countries to address climate change. The critical communication system in place, relying on Crosscall's reliable and durable terminals, facilitated the coordination of involved units and incident management during these important days. This real-world experience will benefit the French Ministry of the Interior during another major event, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where Crosscall terminals will support police and gendarmes to ensure festive and safe games for the public. This replacement solution for conventional radios offers agents better network quality and communication continuity, relying on a smartphone and Crosscall's X-COMM remote microphone, tailored to their operational needs.