Elsag North America, the global market leader in mobile number plate recognition systems, has appointed Milpeak as the distributor of its product range in the Australian law enforcement and traffic management sectors.

The majority of crimes and terrorist activities worldwide involve vehicles. In geographic areas that are experiencing a surge in vehicle-related crime and hostile neighbours with leaky borders, monitoring and tracking a large number of vehicles efficiently becomes prudent for law enforcement. ELSAG works closely with global law enforcement and security agencies to create customized ANPR solutions for effective and rapid policing of:

• Tracking persons and vehicles of interest moving across jurisdictions
• Tracking gang-related crime
• Drugs
• Illegal immigration
• Anti-terrorism
• Border protection
• Collection of appropriate taxes and duties

Single-site communications involves the use of communications within an area covered by one base station site.

Applications: used within mines, construction projects, rail, farms and remote communities, allowing communication as part of a two-way radio system.

Single-site systems can be broken down into two categories: simplex and duplex systems.

Some sites are separated geographically or are so large that a single base station is not adequate for covering all users. In this situation we use multi-site systems that give the look and feel of a single-site system over much greater distances.

Applications: Used in the mining sector; road, rail, pipeline and infrastructure projects; military; and anywhere there is a need to communicate over extended distances.

We have radio solutions allowing a remote site to connect to a local PABX, allowing seamless connectivity between the public-switched telephone network (PSTN) and remote sites via radio. 

Applications: Used in the mining sector; road, rail, pipeline and infrastructure projects; military; and anywhere there is a need to communicate with the telephone nework via a radio.

We design and sell systems allowing a remote site to connect to the internet, in configurations including portable, transportable and fixed-site installations.

Applications: Used in the mining sector; road, rail, pipeline and infrastructure projects; military; and wherever there is a need to communicate via the internet in the absence of communications infrastructure.

Remcom is a sister company of Milpeak, specialising in the manufacture, sale and and leasing of semi-portable communications platforms. 

Applications:  Suited to any remote locality requiring a communications hub or communications platform such as emergency services; construction, rail and infrastructure projects; and mine sites.

Our location systems are perfect for locating personnel and assets.  They operate over existing digital radio systems, public cellular networks and underground analogue radio systems.

Applications:  shopping centres, mines and office buildings.

Often a user of a communications system may need to access the network from off site, or a number of users will require access from fixed locations (like a desk, from a PABX telephone, or even a temporary office). 

Milpeak Pty Ltd has the ability to deliver complete turnkey solutions for any style of communications infrastructure, with in-house skills in the following: 

Radio communications system design

Milpeak utilises in-house and in partnership with John Aitken & Associates, engineering resources capable of the following disciplines;

• Coverage and traffic analysis
• Requirements analysis
• Radio System Design
• Systems Integration:
   - Between radio and PABX systems
   - Utilising IP connectivity through a variety of mediums
   - Integration of data and voice
• Coordination of Civil design, (masts, building foundations, earthing, fencing, buildings etc)
• DC power supply systems, including Mains, Solar and wind powered technologies
• Radio Frequency Licensing
• Documentation for assembly, factory acceptance testing, installation, commissioning and maintenance activities.

Radio communications product supply

Milpeak has agreements in place to provide the following products for our radio communications projects;

• Radio Base Station Infrastructure, (Radios, DC Power Supplies, Antennas, Feeders and filtering), using products from Simoco, DAMM, RF Technologies and RF Industries
• Conventional and trunked terminals from Simoco, HYT, Sepura and EADS
• VSAT Systems through Australian Satellite Services
• Network interconnectivity through our agreement with RAD Data Communications
• Console and Dispatch systems by Telex
• Portable and semi portable platforms from Remcom Pty Ltd

Radio communications integrated to other technologies

Milpeak has additional products and systems that can be delivered under the turnkey project umbrella:

• Asset and personnel location and tagging
• Telemetry solutions
• CCTV
• PA systems
• PABX

Radio communications system assembly

Milpeak and its partner company, TPE Services, can assemble small to very large systems in its factory in Perth, Western Australia

Site installations and supervision

Milpeak through its in-house and in partnership with Chilli Telecommunications installation and site supervision resources can implement and supervise all facets of our projects on site. We have safety systems suited for the mining and rail environment as well as excellent skills in project management from a site perspective allowing Milpeak to fit in seamlessly with larger EPCM contractors and mining companies.

For projects implemented outside Australia, Milpeak’s partner company Specom Sdn Bhd in Kuala Lumpur, coupled with Milpeak provide excellent and cost effective site resources for projects the world over, with our multi-lingual team able to deal with site staff in Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay, Hindi, Tamil, Spanish and even English!

Few, if any Australian communications companies can boast the same blend of small company dedication and flexibility coupled with that intangible ability to function efficiently and safely in the most hostile of foreign environments.

Commissioning and acceptance

Using a blend of our site supervisors and engineering staff, Milpeak can provide commissioning staff for all its projects worldwide. Our staff have all “been there and done that” on all styles of projects in over 10 countries.

Radio communications maintenance

Milpeak is able to provide a blend of remote and local support for its projects through collaborative relationships with local companies built during project delivery. Where practical, we use local personnel to assist in delivering projects. This not only makes the projects more cost effective but also provides local content, adds more cash and intellectual property to the local community and provides a superior after sales support facility.

Notwithstanding this excellent team’s capabilities, Milpeak is equally comfortable supporting other teams in lesser roles to deliver projects. We are able to offer components of this project delivery capability to Prime contractors or clients with in-house capabilities.

Satellite Communications has become the standard for organisations with a low density regional or global reach requirement. Companies involved in mining, exploration and construction in remote areas not serviced with cellular or fixed line networks use satellite communications for voice and data communications at site.

You may also be eligible for a government subsidy for the purchase of a satellite phone. Milpeak is a registered dealer under the scheme and can provide the subsidy to pre-approved applicants.  For more information, read our article on this scheme. 

The technology has three major groups of products, each of which has its own strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the wrong range can be an expensive and frustrating exercise!

Technology Comparison Chart

Case Study: Remote Location Project Office

Requirements

•  2-6 people on site.
•  No 3G services.
•  No or poor fixed line, fax and high speed data.
•  Require phones, fax and high speed data.
•  Has an IT network on site.
•  Company WAN connectivity

Solution

VSAT is the best choice for this application and consists of a fixed-location system (at the project office itself), generally with a 1.2m or 1.8m dish installed and a modem placed inside the office, normally collocated with the server. We use a VoIP service gateway to connect up to eight standard telephones or a PABX to the network.

Milpeak maintains a channel partnership with Australian Satellite Communications (ASC) to provide voice and data connectivity via their iDirect network to the Australasian region and South Pacific. For coverage into South East Asia and beyond, Milpeak can arrange services through other partner companies.

Through our partnership with ASC, we can drop in a data service with a direct connection to the internet with speeds between 256 Kb and 2 Mb anywhere in the Australasian region. We can then provide VoIP services via either our VoIP service provider, or integrated with a company-wide VoIP network. We can also arrange a direct-managed IP service between your company's IT network and our earth station in Adelaide to bring the remote office completely into the company WAN.

The iDirect service is very similar to the level of service from a standard ADSL circuit in Australia. This also brings with it some compromise as it is a shared service, such that bandwidth can be compromised in high traffic situations. It is possible to gain exclusive use of a service but this comes at a cost premium.

Entry-level systems in the Australasian region using VSAT start at around 15K AUD installed, (depending on location), and low bandwidth, non VoIP 24 month plans start at less than $500/month, with high bandwidth, 8 VoIP line services below $4K/month, including 40Gb up/download and most phone calls.

Case Study: Exploration Team office/accommodation

Requirements

•  1-6 people on site
•  Voice and data
•  Internet access
•  Emails up to 1Mb
•  Site is occasionally redeployed
•  Location could be anywhere on the globe

Solution

IMMARSAT BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) is an obvious choice for this application.  The BGAN is a mobile satellite service that offers high-speed data up to 492 kbps and voice telephony. BGAN enables users to access e-mail, corporate networks and the Internet, transfer files and make telephone calls. The Inmarsat® BGAN services are based on geostationary satellites situated above the equator. Each satellite covers a certain area (footprint).

Typical hardware for this technology includes a small directional antenna (often integrated with the transceiver), which is easily deployable by the semi-skilled operator. Higher-tier versions of this hardware allow for a more sophisticated IT solutions (such as inbuilt routers ), with a self-tracking antenna more suited to the permanent installation.

Unlike VSAT, most BGAN terminals are already built with a standard telephone interface so you can plug in your favorite telephone (fixed or wireless), handset or small PABX. Many terminals also include Bluetooth or wired handsets.

Entry-level BGAN systems start at around $AU 4,000 and services typically start at $US 40 per month plus call costs. Call costs start from  $US 0.91 per minute for a call to the PSTN and $US 6.45/Mb for data services.

Case Study: Lone user in a remote location

Requirements

• Single operator
• Doesn’t require data
• Requires high mobility
• Often in an area serviced by GSM

Solution

Iridium is the preferred solution in this instance.  It can be used whilst mobile and it is truly portable, coming in handheld and vehicle mounted form factors.  Iridium is not good for data. It has very low speed data capability (2.4Kbps – which was the normal modem speed for internet in the mid 90s), and the call costs are about 50% higher than BGAN.

Most Iridium phones are also GSM capable such that when in a GSM covered area, they fall back to GSM, dramatically reducing call costs but having the one phone number.  Costs for terminals start at just below $2,000 for a handheld satellite phone, and reach $5,000 for a Pelican-case style transceiver. 

There are also off-the-shelf “SatRadio” systems that integrate a UHF radio with a Sat Phone.

To put this in perspective, to reach the point where VSAT becomes the preferred option, you would need to be downloading in excess of 100Mb and on the phone for 200 minutes per month, consistently over a period of 24 months.