Sierra Wireless XR Series Routers Certified by the UK’s Emergency Services Network Helping to Create Safer Communities

Public safety agencies in the UK can now deploy AirLink® XR Series Routers to connect vehicle fleets on the Emergency Services Network.

Sierra Wireless, a world-leading IoT solutions provider, today announced that its AirLink^® XR Series cellular routers architected for high-performance 4G LTE and 5G connectivity, the XR90, XR80, and XR80 LTE, are certified and approved for use on the UK’s Emergency Services Network (ESN). The company is a trusted provider of public safety solutions and currently serves hundreds of organizations in the United States.

The ESN will be the future platform for communications in the UK for emergency services and is expected to serve 300,000 frontline emergency service users and connect up to 45,000 vehicles. The network will transmit fast, safe and secure voice, video, and data across commercially available 4G networks in the UK giving first responders immediate access to life-saving data, images, and information in live situations and emergencies on the frontline. Emergency services will benefit from priority network use, ensuring first responders can share vital information and expertise quickly and securely from the frontline when it’s needed most.

Sierra Wireless’ XR90 router is purpose-built for mobile mission-critical applications, such as those in public safety including law enforcement, fire, ambulance/EMS applications, as well as critical communications including utilities and private networking. Along with the XR80, and XR80 LTE Cat 20 built for fixed and mobile applications such as in public safety and field service fleets, the three routers make up Sierra’s XR Series Solutions. These solutions deliver the full performance of 4G and extensive UK cellular coverage for the UK’s ESN, as well as 5G to provide technology future-proofing and serve high data application requirements across any network (4G, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Ethernet).

The Sierra Wireless AirLink® XR80 LTE Cat 20 Solution
For businesses and organizations looking for a smooth and simple migration path to 5G, Sierra Wireless offers the AirLink® XR80 LTE Cat 20 cellular network router. LTE Cat 20 offers the highest performance 4G in the market, and the AirLink XR80 LTE Cat 20 delivers that high-speed connectivity. It is designed to operate in harsh environmental conditions, making it perfect for both fixed and mobile applications in public safety. With its simple design, it also allows users to easily add 5G functionality in the future with a 5G expansion cartridge.

Optimized for Public Safety Applications
The high-performance AirLink^® XR Series routers enable secure, reliable two-way communication between public safety workers in the field and their dispatch centers. The routers help to increase the safety and efficiency of mobile assets and their workforce with real-time video and data transfer while integrating with onboard systems and improving responsiveness and teamwork through improved real-time communications. The XR Series can also help to improve inter-organizational communication during emergencies or natural disasters by helping provide real-time data and situational analysis information. With AirLink’s advanced VPN, communications between vehicles and depots are kept secure.

“For more than 25 years, Sierra Wireless has been delivering secure and high-performing cellular networking solutions for public safety applications, to ensure that emergency services and first responders have the tools they need to keep communities safe,” said Tom Mueller, Vice President of Product Enterprise Networking, Sierra Wireless. “The ESN-certified XR Series routers are purpose-built for mission-critical environments, ensuring high reliability, and giving public safety agencies real-time access to the critical data they need to guarantee an effective emergency response. More than half of the top 100 police departments and three-quarters of the emergency medical services (EMS) systems in the United States already rely on and trust our solutions.”

Solution Portfolio
The XR Series is designed for operational simplicity. The unique LPWA Out-of-Band Management provides zero-touch setup, reduces service calls, and enables fleet-wide security and firmware updates via AirLink Complete – an annual service that includes the AirLink Management Service’s cloud software (ALMS) to manage the routers, access to technical support, and an extended warranty.

Further, the routers are ideal for data-intensive and time-sensitive use cases. Powered by AirLink OS, the XR Series routers ensure connection to the best-performing network, at the right time. This is achieved through Sierra Wireless’ Cognitive Wireless, a patented technology that automatically switches to the best available network in less than a second.

Both the AirLink^® XR90 and the XR80 routers are available to order from Sierra Wireless’global network of partners.