Command Vehicles - Starlink

Descriptions

Command Vehicles

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Command Vehicles currently use a cellular connection, this has proved to have mixed coverage limiting bandwidth and productivity.

Accordingly, now with wide availability of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Broadband, the command vehicles will be upgraded with a satellite connection using the Starlink network. This will increase connection choice and availability, future proof command communications, allowing better cross communications with partners, including TVP drone teams, while creating a more seamless 365 application connection.

A project will be run in two phases. First, deploying full mobility Starlink dish and connection to both command vehicles, to compare the Starlink connection with the cellular already on board. This being followed by a decision whether to either remove cellular, as Starlink may be found to be sufficient for the service alone. Otherwise, keep cellular as a failover in event of Starlink connection outage, or to bind the connections together to create a wider bandwidth, with further depth of resiliency, in turn installing a suitable binding router for this.

HQ Static Resilience Installation (TVLRF Deployed Newsham Court)

The HQ Resilience Starlink will be handed over from TVP/TVLRF to RBFRS in March, with a budget transfer from TVLRF that will cover 100% of the first year of operation under RBFRS (Budget Year 25/26). A contract will be raised with Brdy to facilitate this transfer at no cost to RBFRS. Further funding is under discussion with TVLRF for budget years 26/27.

IT & Duty Communications - Backpack pack (Available 24/7 deployment)

IT have a backpack Starlink the is deployed to stations where external fibre network has failed, to allow the station to continue operating at near full availability, until a fix by the supplier is implemented. This backpack is also available 24/7 through the Duty Communications Officers, for creating a Wi-Fi dome for command points as needed in areas of poor cellular network signal, or lack of Wi-Fi resources.