Introduction

Hytera's PNC550 PoC terminal has enabled Turkish electricity distributor DEDAŞ to overcomecoverage issues, reduce device and service costs, and greatly improve the efficiency of meter readings thanks to a bespoke smart meter reading app

The Background

Dicle Electricity Distribution (Dicle Elektrik Daǎitim A.S.), or DEDAS, is an electricity distributionsystem operator in southwestern Turkey. The region it operates in includes the cities of Diyarbakir,where the company is headquartered, and Sanlurfa, Mardin, Siirt, Sirnak and Batman.

DEDAŞ is the second largest electricity distribution company in Turkey with around 5,500 employeesIt serves more than 1.8 milion subscribers across an area covering more than 60,000km2. One of itskey tasks is reading the electricity meters of its customers, as well as carrying out electricamaintenance and repairs.

The challenge

The ability of DEDAŞ field staff to conduct meter readings and undertake repair and maintenance ofelectricity infrastructure was being hampered by the poor quality of their existing communicationsproducts. This was leading to slower and poorer quality services and higher costs.

In addition, it was not always easy for staff to conduct inspections and carry out work, as equipmentwas sometimes hard to access making it dificult to inspect, Sometimes staff had to undertakeelectricity maintenance operations without first being able to properly assess the state of theequipment they were working on. This increased the chance of accidents and threats to the healthand safety of the workforce.

Another difficulty was that electricity meters are usually read manually. But if the meter was in adificult to reach location, it took inspectors longer to take the reading, as well as making it easier totamper with the data or lose it. A further problem facing personnel was the poor mobile networkcoverage in places and the fact that coverage in some areas was provided by a different mobileoperator, so DEDAS staff had problems communicating at times.

As a result of these issues, DEDAŞ wanted to update its communication devices. it was looking for adurable device with a long battery performance, replaceable battery, and with a high degree ofwater and dust proofing. The company also wanted to deal with a device manufacturer who had alocal office in Turkey. As well as looking at device performance and price, DEDAs also wanted to beable to develop bespoke solutions and to be able to access customer service support whenever theyneeded it.

The Solution

Hytera proposed its HyTalk Push-to-Talk over Cellular (Poc) system, along with 150 PNC360s and 50PNc380 handheld Poc radio terminals. The Poc system operates over existing public 2c, 3c and 4cmobile phone and Wi-Fi networks, so no new infrastructure is required. This makes it a highly Eexibleand cost-effective solution.

Another advantage of Poc is that it can support an unlimited number of user talk groups, so customerscan easilv create as many as they want, Each department can be assianed its own talk aroup, but thegroup broadcast facility means every radio user can be contacted at the same time in the event of anemergency, or if the management wants to transmit a message everyone needs to hear.

Full coverage within and outside the temple is ensured through a combination of Wi-fi and 4G LTEnetworks. For example, external security guards using 4G outside the building can easily contract staffwithin the temple who may be operating their devices on a Wi-Fi network.

The Benifits

Reliability And Coverage

The Hytera Poc system has provided the Krizia Taxi company with almost unlimited coverage. As aresult, the company now has more radio coverage and can cater to more customers, which beneöts thebusiness.

Real-Time Location

The Poc solution includes Gps location technology, which has greatly helped the taxi company's qualityof service. it is now much quicker and easier to and the exact location of the nearest available taxi caband dispatch it to the customer. This speeds up the dispatch and cuts the waiting time forcustomers, providing them with a more efficient service and a better experience. As a result, thecompany has doubled its number of callers since the PoC system was installed.

Cost-Effective Solution

As the Hytera PoC solution utilizes existing public mobile phone networks, it eliminates the need fordedicated repeaters and other radio infrastructure, which reduces both capital and operating costs.

Improved Audio

The PNc360s and PNc380 radio terminals provide loud, clear audio even in noisy environments such asbusy city streets, thanks to Hytera distortion suppression and noise cancellation technologies, whichboost the audio clarity.

Rugged And Robust Radios

The PNc360s and PNc380 devices are built to last as they are designed to cope with extremetemperatures. They are iP67-rated against water and dust ingress and they are also very tough as theymeet MlL-STD-810G standard to withstand a 1.5-meter drop, This has resulted in additional savings forthe company.

The implementation of a Hytera PoC solution for a taxi company in Davao City in the Philippines providesa good ilustration of how the technology can quickly and cost-effectively improve efficiency, quality ofservice and increase the number of customers using the company's services, all of which helps to growthe business.