National Coastwatch partners with Windsor Telecom to modernise communications

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The National Coastwatch partners with Windsor Telecom to help preserve more lives.

National Coastwatch Institution (NCI), the charity that provides eyes along the coast to save lives at sea, has chosen Windsor Telecom as its managed communications provider. This forms a key pillar in their new five-year plan, recently launched by their Royal Patron HRH Princess Anne at Trinity House, to expand and further raise awareness of their lifesaving work.

Windsor Telecom will manage and upgrade connectivity and communications to 57 stations around the UK coastline, as well as supporting new innovations such as wireless monitoring and rescue cameras in remote locations to better support their 2,500 volunteers.

 

Windsor Telecom will deliver:

  • Site by site upgrades to the best available internet connections, using a mix of Fibre Broadband and 4G or 5G mobile connectivity
  • Replacement of legacy PSTN voice services with cloud telephony and DECT handsets
  • Enhanced security through business-grade firewalls
  • Straightforward guided volunteer-led install and rollout programme.

For over 25 years, National Coastwatch has been working alongside Her Majesty’s Coastguard and the RNLI to help save lives at sea. During 2021 they participated in more than 700 search and rescue incidents, but for too long the Coastwatch stations have been relatively cut off when scanning the remote areas they serve, relying on outdated, consumer-based technology.

That’s about to change with a 5-year plan to expand the service into new locations and take on more vital education and prevention work, as they attract volunteers to their cause and work collaboratively with other search and rescue organisations. National Coastwatch must now be able to make full use of digital technology to fulfil their role in helping to keep vessels and people safe along our coasts.

Stephen Hand, General Secretary and IT Trustee at NCI comments: “Modernising our ability to communicate and share information swiftly and reliably is key to strengthening our ability to support our search and rescue partners in particular Maritime and Coastguard Agency and RNLI, so it’s important that we choose the right technology partner to join us on our 5-year plan. Windsor Telecom proved from the outset that they understood both our needs and culture, seeking a partnership that would contribute to our vision and help modernise NCI. We’re very excited to get started and can’t wait to see what the digital future brings.”

Pete Tomlinson, CEO at Windsor Telecom comments: “As a lifelong sailor who can remember a time before the internet and communications services were ubiquitous, I know first-hand how helpful these tools can be, especially in an emergency. I also know first-hand what a fantastic job the NCI and their volunteers do, keeping eyes along the coast and feel privileged to be working alongside them to move into a digital future.”