Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai on Monday inaugurated revamped police communication services — POLNET 2.0. The new platform is armed with a robust multi-media facility and is a captive satellite-based network that provides video, audio and data connectivity across the country, especially in times of disasters when regular communication either gets jammed or crashes.

“The operationalisation of POLNET 2.0 is a big achievement for the country and the DCPW is to be complimented for rendering this task. This system will work in any weather,” Rai said while launching the facility at Vigyan Bhawan here.

The Directorate of Coordination Police Wireless (DCPW) that operates POLNET or the police network services in the country has brought out an enhanced communication platform for police and security forces to communicate better during law and order problems and disasters, including linkup from remote border and coastal areas. The DCPW was set up in 1946 and it was placed under the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1950 with the primary mandate of coordination between state and central police and security agencies for radio communication and frequency allocation. It has been operating POLNET since 2006.

The new platform is named POLNET 2.0 and for the first time it will provide video-conferencing facility to four entities sitting at different locations in the country with Internet-enabled multimedia services,

a senior official said. From its control room in Delhi, it can host 40 people talking at one point of time, the official added. POLNET 2.0 will also have a phone calling facility for personnel of police and paramilitary forces deployed in remote areas to talk to their families.