Zimbabwe Police Deploys Hytera DMR System to Modernize Emergency Communications

2025-08-01

Zimbabwe Republic Police urgently needed to modernise its emergency radio communications system. Hytera fulfilled this need by supplying the ZRP with a Digital Mobile Radio system as well as many digital hand portable and mobile radio terminals.

Challenge

The new government attached great importance to the issue of public safety, but at that time the police radio equipment was deemed to be outdated and unable to cope with the demands and ambitions of the new government. The police emergency communication network needed to be upgraded from the existing analog system to a modern digital radio network.

Solutions

The ZRP was in urgent need of a wide-area coverage emergency communication solution that could be implemented quickly. The decision was made to install a large-scale Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) network provided by Hytera.

Given the urgent timescale and the requirements for follow-up planning, Hytera designed a conventional DMR solution to provide a first-phase emergency communications solution, as this could be installed more quickly and efficiently than a complicated trunked radio system. Hytera RD98XS DMR repeaters were used to provide the main radio infrastructure for the project. So far, 335 sites have been built across the country, covering major regions in various provinces.

Hytera has also supplied more than 4,500 DMR PD68XG hand portable radios and over 300 MD78Xi mobile radios. The PD68XG is a compact, high quality device (just 27mm thick and only weighing 310g) with LCD screen and full keypad. It is rugged and reliable and rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, so it is able to operate in harsh environments.

It also supports GPS for tracking and positioning, as well as supporting emergency mode operation, priority interrupt, Lone Worker and Man Down safety features. The long battery life provides an operating time of approximately 16 hours in digital mode, so it can accommodate use over the length of a long shift.

The MD78Xi mobile radio is ideal for desktop use or for installation in police vehicles. Audio processing technology and the in-built speaker means the MD78Xi offers outstanding audio quality in loud environments and near the boundary of radio coverage. It too also supports mixed analog and digital communications.