Victoria's emergency services will continue to use their dedicated radio network for another decade, following a $500 million deal with Motorola Solutions.
The Metropolitan Mobile Radio (MMR) network provides communications for Victoria Police, ambulance services, firefighters and other emergency responders across the state until 2035.
Emergency services made more than 50.5 million push-to-talk calls on the network in the past year, highlighting its critical role in coordinating responses to major incidents.
The contract includes expanding coverage to regional areas through a new cloud service called SmartConnect, which automatically switches between radio, broadband, Wi-Fi and satellite networks when users travel beyond normal radio range.
"First responders face complex and unpredictable challenges that call for safe and resilient communications that are reliable in the harshest conditions," managing director for Motorola Solutions Australia and New Zealand Con Balaskas said.
Ambulance Victoria's regional units will receive 1600 new smart radios and 750 vehicle-mounted units to enable statewide coverage and access to data applications.
Marine Search and Rescue will join the P25-standard network in 2025, adding to the existing fleet of more than 32,000 radios used by emergency services.
The network played a crucial role during major emergencies including the 2023 flood crisis and 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
Motorola Solutions will provide round-the-clock support through its Melbourne-based operations centre and field engineering teams to maintain the network at P25 radio standards.
The company operates similar emergency services radio networks in Norway, Portugal, Denmark and Austria, serving 13,000 networks globally.
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