APD has been chosen to help Wiltshire Police save more than half a million pounds on its communications costs over five years through enhancements to the CORTEX Software Integrated Communications Control System (SICCS). The move will give the force even greater flexibility to support the county’s communities.

The force is able to make significant savings from cutting the number of CCI (Communications Control Interface) Ports required for its Airwave radio communications system. By allowing the force to ‘pool’ ports and allocate them as required, APD’s second generation CCI Port Pooling solution has allowed Wiltshire to cut the number of Airwave CCI Ports they require by 22.

The software also supports greater flexibility of staff deployment and operational efficiency: forces can collaborate or even share control rooms as the Airwave ports are not stuck with one desk. Users can sit at any CORTEX workstation, in any control room, select any CCI port and thus use any combination of TETRA talkgroups – known as ‘true free seating’.

“Wiltshire has always been a force at the forefront when it comes to the deployment of new technology. This is a prime example of how we can leverage the latest systems to reduce costs while enhancing our operational capabilities,” stated John Flynn, Programme Manager, Wiltshire Police.

“Our confidence in the APD system meant that we cancelled the excess ports in March, having only completed the deployment in February. The deployment took just a week and caused no disruption to our team.” The APD solution is totally software based, with no reliance on any 3rd party applications providing a low cost and ensuring ease of future upgrades. APD’s unique software VoIP technology means that CCI Ports can be located anywhere – they simply advertise their availability over the network. SICCS supports CCI port ‘Categories’ or ‘Modes’, allowing CCI ports to be selected intelligently and audio routed to the relevant location automatically. Almost uniquely for an ICCS, CORTEX’s 2nd generation CCI pooling solution does not require the CCI ports to connect via a central switch so there are no single points of failure.

Steve Denison, Managing Director of APD Communications said: “This solution is inexpensive and quick to deploy but presents forces with immediate opportunities for significant savings. The fact that it supports more flexibility within the organisation, and collaboration between forces, makes it particularly attractive, which is driving demand. We expect to complete a number of additional deployments in the coming months.”