Vodafone Business and Airbus Public Safety and Security, a business unit of Airbus Defence and Space, have joined forces to provide new secure business critical and collaborative communication services for people who work in mission critical areas across Europe. 

The solution, supporting voice, instant messaging, video streaming and location services, increases worker productivity and safety in various industries, including those managing national infrastructure.  The service unifies large groups of smartphone users with control rooms, bringing them together in a secure and collaborative network. This means field workers can, for example, share a 360-degree video of an incident or quickly transmit vital data to the emergency services. This improves situational awareness for users like security staff to understand their surroundings better. 

Several people can also quickly speak to each other in one feed, and a lifeguard feature is included which automatically sends an alert if a user falls during a dangerous mission or in a hazardous environment.

The partnership, showcased at the Critical Communications World event in Brussels, Belgium, combines the strengths of Vodafone’s geographically scaled public and private 4G/5G mobile and fixed networks with Airbus’s secure cloud-based critical communications solution, Agnet. They will offer converged secure and robust instant collaboration and connectivity solutions for industries that require timely and efficient team communications, including governments, energy, airports, transportation, essential utilities like water and electricity, as well as major events – any organisation that requires time-sensitive group collaboration.

Marika Auramo, CEO of Vodafone Business, said: “Our role is to connect employees maintaining critical infrastructure like power stations and airports, ensuring productivity and public safety. Vodafone’s partnership with Airbus means we can help customers counter increased threats, meet demand and manage costs with mission critical digital connectivity and market-leading software solutions.”  

Olivier Koczan, Head of Public Safety and Security at Airbus Defence and Space, added: “This partnership brings together the best of both worlds: Airbus’s secure critical communications platform, Agnet, and Vodafone’s expansive network capabilities. Our joint offering will empower teams across Europe with reliable, feature-rich tools for enhanced collaboration and security in demanding environments.”

The solution will also be made available via Vodafone’s Mission Critical (MCX) communications service being rolled out across Europe, starting with Germany. MCX automatically prioritises all forms of mobile multimedia traffic generated by an App like the one provided by Airbus, including voice, data and video, used by both blue light organisations and critical industries. Additionally, mobile broadband coverage can be extended to hard-to-reach rural areas and out at sea using new low-earth orbit direct-to-mobile satellites being pioneered by Vodafone. 

Following proof of concept trials including in Ireland and the UK, customers will be able to easily purchase two variants of the Airbus Agnet cloud-based software products from Vodafone via its online digital marketplace starting in 2025. The Vodafone Business Collaborative Worker with Airbus service offers secure push-to-talk and messaging, among other applications, via smartphones. Meanwhile the Vodafone Business Collaborative and Safe Worker with Airbus service includes these and additional features such as video, emergency calls and real-time location tracking. 

By offering the Airbus Agnet service as a cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, Vodafone customers are given greater flexibility to quickly scale the service to multiple users or new sub-groups in response to unfolding incidents.

Available initially in Europe, with plans to extend it globally, Vodafone will also offer advice and dedicated support with its range of connectivity solutions. These include mobile private networks (MPNs) for greater security, and a service to remotely manage and secure mobile devices. The Vodafone Airbus solution is compatible with all standard iOS and selected Android smartphones, as well as a range of specially adapted rugged devices.

Like advanced professional radios, the Agnet service by Airbus lets units dispatched to deal with one or multiple situations keep in constant touch with each other and the command centre simultaneously. In addition, supervisors in the field can see their colleagues and points of interests on an online map, enabling them to remain focussed on their mission while communicating with their team and reporting to the operator in the control room.

Built using the latest global 3GPP industry standards, the service also promotes greater interoperability and better coordination between responders. They can share data, photos and videos, which could include aerial footage from rescue drones, as well as information gathered from people’s smartphones, all in real-time.