Summary 

Project 25 (P25) develops interoperable land mobile radio (LMR) systems standards. This initiative was created so emergency responders can exchange critical communications across agencies and jurisdictions. Many public safety organizations and federal agencies have adopted P25 as their radio system. Sigma XRI-400 can crossband disparate radio networks, greatly increasing the number of communication avenues. By combining the XRI with P25 radios, these organizations can interoperate with groups that have not adopted P25 radios and utilize alternate networks, such as SATCOM in cases where radio networks are disrupted.  

The Challenge 

P25 is voluntary, so not all organizations will utilize it, this will be most prevalent in natural disaster response. In these situations, law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency services must constantly communicate to operate efficiently. Depending on the disaster, and resources available, the National Guard and private medical transportation services may be necessary. 

The Current Solution 

Example 1: a hurricane struck City A and the National Guard was dispatched. This state’s National Guard has not implemented P25 radios, but emergency services in City A all have P25 radios. Since these two groups do not have compatible radios, they must sacrifice personnel to act as liaisons and relay information. 

Example 2: a hurricane struck City A and the National Guard was dispatched. Both City A’s emergency services and the National Guard use P25 radios. However, the hurricane brought a strong thunderstorm, causing electromagnetic interference (EMI).  

The REDCOM Solution 

Example 1: instead of using liaisons, emergency services and the National Guard can crossband their radio networks with an XRI-400, creating direct lines of communication and freeing up personnel. This crossbanding can also be extended to other SIP endpoints, allowing responders to contact administrators or other personnel using VoIP phones from any location.     

Example 2: the National Guard can use the XRI-400, SATCOM, and P25 radios to try and bypass the storm’s EMI. By crossbanding SATCOM and P25 radios, both the National Guard and City A’s emergency services receive access to communication channels more resistant to EMI, securing the interoperability provided by the P25 radios.  

About the XRI-400 

REDCOM’s Sigma XRI-400 is a compact but powerful Command and Control platform that solves these interoperability and connectivity challenges by leveraging existing assets and endpoints. The XRI-400 instantly connects radio networks, LTE, VoIP, SATCOM, and more, providing reliable communications in any scenario.

About Project 25 

Project 25 is a suite of standards for interoperable digital two-way radio products. P25 is headed by Motorola, L3 Harris, and other communications companies. It is designed to solve interoperability issues with public safety, security, public service, federal, and commercial organizations. As a joint effort of APCO and the National Association of State Technology Directors, Project 25 is a long-standing partnership between the public safety communications community, standard development organizations, and industry manufacturers.