Enhanced public safety – secure coordination among response agencies
Santa Clara, CA – With fan safety emerging as the day’s big winner, Mutualink is celebrating a victory off the football field as part of the highly-successful security operation for Super Bowl 50. Mutualink’s communications platform enabled secure, real-time collaboration and information sharing among local, state and federal agencies, as well as private entities such as utilities and mass transit. The technology provided unprecedented situational awareness to law enforcement – from Super Bowl City in San Francisco, to media day in San Jose, to the big game in Santa Clara – protecting nearly 2 million football enthusiasts who converged on the Bay Area last week.
As the biggest national security event of the year, Super Bowl 50 presented unique challenges because it brought together dozens of public agencies and private entities in the counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco, many of whom used different radios and frequencies to communicate with one another. The Mutualink platform served as a bridge that enabled all participants to connect and collaborate securely, regardless of whether they were using P25 digital radios, Land Mobile Radios (LMR), or Long Term Evolution (LTE) devices. In addition, Mutualink enabled parties to share real-time video – including viewing fixed video footage using a mobile device – for the first time ever.
Under the leadership of the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) and the Bay Area Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI), Mutualink executives began planning, training and support activities months ago to operationalize the Mutualink platform throughout the region. Agencies and entities that relied on Mutualink included local/state police, fire, the San Francisco FBI, Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), and Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E).
“Coordination is the name of the game with an event of this magnitude, and Mutualink made a very complicated communications operation extremely easy and effective,” said Mike Sena, Director of the NCRIC. “Being able to share voice, video and location information in real time gave law enforcement a huge advantage in maintaining a safe and secure environment for the entire Bay Area.”
Play by Play
Mutualink’s technology was available in various form factors for both fixed and mobile deployments throughout the Super Bowl and surrounding events. Some examples of how Mutualink was used include:
- Mutualink’s dashboard was front and center at the Joint Information Center, the command post for all Super Bowl security and communications activities.
- Approximately 50 devices, including Sonim smartphones, running Mutualink Edge™were used by SWAT team leaders and other officials in the field, enabling them to share information instantly with the Joint Information Center.
- PG&E utilized Mutualink’s Mobile Go Kit inside a Mobile Command Vehicle that was set up at various locations throughout the week, including the SAP Center in San Jose for media day.
- Camera feeds from numerous locations, including the Moscone Center and the Federal Reserve, were shared via the Mutualink platform for increased situational awareness.
- Interoperable communications over Band 14 network utilizing Converged Wireless System (CWS) base station with integrated backhaul and orchestrated by HetNet Gateway — both from Parallel Wireless.
- Secure sharing of information gathered, analysed and flagged by Haystax Technology software from public safety officials’ mobile phones and other sources.
Mutualink maintained reliable, uninterrupted transmission of video, voice and radio communications thanks to the Band 14 public safety broadband network. During large scale events, commercial cell phone towers experience overuse and interrupted service, which could prove catastrophic in an emergency. Mutualink also credits its technology partners, including Parallel Wireless, Sonim, Haystax Technology and others, for its successful Super Bowl deployment.
“The Super Bowl security operation was a demonstration of teamwork at its finest, and we’re proud that our technology was able to play a significant role in this well-executed event,” said David “Buck” Verbrugge, Mutualink’s California Business Development Director, and Ret. Captain of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety. “By transforming first responders’ narrowband radios into sophisticated broadband devices, Mutualink provided extraordinary situational awareness to the entire security team.”
The Bay Area was already confident in Mutualink’s capability, with numerous public and private customers throughout the region. “It’s been said this was the most intense security at a sporting event in U.S. history, and we’re grateful to have a communications solution we can depend on for both everyday operations, and massive undertakings like the Super Bowl,” said Lieutenant Vinicio Mata, Office of Emergency Services, Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety.
The possibilities of the tiny Intel Edison module are limitless. We are glad to be honored with Mutualink and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office to help deliver a nationally recognized public safety innovation.”
About Mutualink
Mutualink, Inc. has developed an interoperable communications platform that enables community-wide multimedia sharing of radio, voice, text, video, data files and telephone communications in a secure environment. Mutualink’s system is currently deployed by hundreds of public and private entities worldwide, including homeland security and defense installations, NATO Special Operations Forces, police and fire departments, transit authorities, hospitals, schools, universities, shopping malls, casinos, and more. Mutualink’s technology is on the “Approved Products List” for both the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Defense. Mutualink is a privately-held company headquartered in Wallingford, Conn., with R&D facilities in Westford, Mass. and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and Defense Services office near Washington, DC. For more information please visit www.mutualink.net.
For More Information & Further Inquiry:
Beth Clay, Mutualink, Inc.
Phone: (203) 774-3474
Email: BClay@mutualink.net
