Revolutionising public
 safety and security

As the world slowly returns to normalcy, more and more countries are re-opening, air travel is ramping up and people are flooding airports, seaports, checkpoints, malls, concert venues, and other public places. While this is a good sign for the economy and businesses, it also heightens the need to ensure that these places are safe for everyone involved – staff and members of the public.

Sadly, acts of violence in malls and public places continue to make the news. People who work in or visit public places need to feel safe and secure. There’s no room for lapses which may result in injuries and loss of lives or damage to properties.

“Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment,” said former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Like the Nobel Laurette so rightly pointed out, public safety and security are of paramount importance and cannot be an afterthought. They require careful planning and constant monitoring to keep up with the latest threats. Those responsible need to find new ways of tackling safety and security challenges to better serve their communities and keep people protected.

Leveraging the 5G edge

5G is making connectivity faster and enabling more possibilities. And the technology is a boon for public safety and security. The proliferation of 5G will enable a variety of use cases – from site monitoring and video analytics to augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) and autonomous surveillance robotics to make public places safer for everyone.

High speed, secure connectivity, low-latency data processing, and analytic capabilities – these qualities will let 5G help spot and alert threats and breaches in real time. The convergence of voice and data communication to 5G Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) gives organisations access to real-time data from CCTV footages, IoT devices and autonomous robots on patrol.

These real-time video analytics will allow security professionals to respond in a quick and timely manner to ward off potential threats and danger. Insights gleaned can also be used to enhance safety and security measures.

5G’s network slicing capability lets the network be sliced into separate segments that can provide private mobile access for a specific purpose, such as mission-critical systems, security and emergency communication.

The development of 5G networks will further drive digital innovation and foster the development of new use cases and new devices.

Showcasing StarHub Solutions

At Milipol Asia Pacific 2022, StarHub showcased what 5G and other solutions could do to make the world a safer and more secured place. On show were mission critical solutions for emergency services and public safety, as well as solutions and services for commercial security across industries.

Held from May 18 to 20 at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the security event covered current themes, threats and trends that are shaping and defining the region. In attendance were more than 300 senior executives and decision makers from government and private sectors from around the region.

Lennon Low, Product Manager of StarHub’s Enterprise Business Group, gave a talk titled “How to ensure uncompromised mission critical communications with 5G” during the event. He touched on how effective, reliable and predictable two-way communication is crucial for first responders and other emergency services personnel. 

Ensuring Mission Critical Communications

To ensure constant communication during critical moments, organisations need to have communication devices running on a fail-proof dedicated network. Standard walkie-talkies simply cannot cut it. Neither do smartphones because the mobile network would be congested during emergencies.

Here’s where the StarHub SmartPTT solution comes in. The mission-critical PTT (MCPTT) over cellular operates a dedicated bandwidth. It’s like having a private network for communication. This is distinct from busy mobile network channels and conventional walkie-talkie frequencies to ensure interruption-free communication from other users.

Security and emergency response workers can communicate one to one, one to group, or even across multiple groups. What’s best is that the devices can handle not just voice but text and video as well.

The ruggerised device, which look like a well-protected smartphone, is resilient, durable and designed to function even in the most challenging environments.

The command centre can monitor usage and communication among the various groups of users through a dispatch console, and record voice and video of other users for compliance or analysis.

“Quality of service or prioritisation of VOLTE calls is assured since PTT calls in the network will always be prioritised even if the base station is congested with traffic,” said Low.

Surveillance with drones and robots

In hazardous or inaccessible areas, drones and robots can be deployed for surveillance and patrolling.

An example is the temi robot that uses 3D mapping, sensors and voice commands to interact with people and patrol the premises or open areas. The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robot enables a new level of communication and breaks barriers in ensuring public safety round the clock.

For drone surveillance, there’s the DJI M30T, which features an IP55 rating for all-weather operation and a 16x zoom camera coupled with a 640x512 thermal camera. Drone surveillance allows for the stealthy collection of information about a target from a distance or height. With its compact size and ability to withstand harsh environments, the DJI M30T can survey subjects in areas that might otherwise not be accessible.

Tapping the power of video analytics

CCTVs, drones and robots provide anytime, anywhere live video surveillance for public safety, traffic management, fire detection, crowd management, access control, and intruder detection.

High quality footages with 8MP resolution 5G-enabled cameras are processed and analysed by video analytics on 5G MEC to serve a variety of applications such as line crossing detection, intrusion detection, unattended baggage detection, object removal detection, and deep learning for facial recognition.

5G delivers these high quality video feeds with its low-latency data processing and analytic capabilities. This translates to highly accurate and real-time results, which allow alerts of potential threats and breaches to be triggered instantly.

Assistance with AR/VR

AR/VR solutions can engage, empower and elevate the security and emergency team’s productivity and efficiency. For instance, the RealWear Navigator 500 and Librestream Onsight platform provides a complete assisted reality solution.

The RealWear Navigator 500 Swap headset comes with a camera that facilitates collaboration with remote experts and gives them a real-time look at the current situation without being physically on site. With its modular design, the headset’s camera can be swapped with a thermal or inspection camera for other use cases.

The Librestream Onsight platform combines the power of AR, AI and IoT data visualisation to reduce the cognitive load on frontline workers and drive operational insights. It optimises the collaborative experience in the most challenging locations for the most security-conscious organisations.

Co-creating a security solution

5G is an ultra-reliable, high speed and low latency network that can form the backbone of public safety and security. It provides the conduit for a wide range of solutions such as MCPTT, drones and robots, video analytics, and AR/VR.

As a leading telco, StarHub is well placed to provide 5G connectivity. On top of this, we also have extensive experience in consultancy and implementation to be the one-stop service and solution provider for all public safety and commercial security needs. StarHub works with leading providers of security solutions to help our customers ensure safety and security in their organisations and venues.

We understand that your organisation’s needs are unique and will work with you to co-create 5G safety and security solutions that are best suited for your organisation. Let’s revolutionise your organisation’s safety and security together.