THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to plug the chances of anti-social elements and unauthorised persons intruding into the police communication network and leaking classified information, the department will replace the existing manual wireless equipment with Digital Mobile Radio (DMR).
The DMRs are known to have better voice quality and the messages can be encrypted so the designated authorities alone will receive the content.
The project is expected to cost Rs 80-90 crore and will be bankrolled jointly by the Centre and the state. The initial phase of the project will be implemented in three districts. Thrissur city, rural and Wayanad have been included in the first phase and the project is expected to become fully functional by this year-end. So far, the third district has not been identified, but sources indicated Idukki/Pathanamthitta are in the running.
IT Cell SP J Jayanath told Express this is for the first time in India that DMR is going to be implemented state-wide."The technology is cutting-edge and going digital will enhance the connectivity of the department," he said. DMR Tire-III is the most sophisticated digital radio in the world and Jayanath said the drawbacks of the analog system can be fully addressed with the introduction of the digital equipment.
In the initial phase, the department wanted to test the efficiency of the digital system and that was why a hilly area, which has connectivity issues, and a district, which has got normal connectivity, were selected. "We wanted to make sure the DMR can be used in all terrain. In the first phase, we wanted to check its effectiveness and that's why it has been decided to put it in use in a hilly area as well as in a district where connectivity has been good using the analogue system," Jayanath said. Wayanad has been selected due to the suspected presence of Maoist ultras.
In the first stage, 1,500 DMRs will be purchased and bids will be invited by July. Sources revealed a study is on to detect the communication black spots in hilly terrains.
Another advantage of DMR is unlike the analogue wireless system, they can be used to send information to selective groups. Statistics can be also send through it as text messages.