Eliminating empty zones: Why HF radio remains critical in remote desert areas

To ensure reliable communications in a challenging environment, this Middle Eastern border guard had to look beyond infrastructure-based comms networks

Securing reliable communications across vast desert areas that lack the necessary infrastructure can be complicated. In these so-called ‘empty zones’, which can extend for thousands of kilometres, alternative comms systems must be put in place to ensure vital personnel can remain in contact.

High-frequency (HF) radio has been proven over the decades to offer reliable communications even in remote areas. In the desert, where satellite and LTE coverage can be limited, next-generation HF radios provide the essential means of communicating across an isolated and unforgiving landscape.

Monitoring the borders of a 300,000km2 country in the Middle East, whose checkpoints and highways stretch far into the desert, could have been a challenge. Thanks to upgrading their existing TETRA network with HF radio, the border guard can now communicate effectively and efficiently across empty zones while benefitting from digital encryption.

The problem with desert cross-communication

With over 2,000 personnel and multiple base stations situated upwards of 800km from the nation’s capital, this Middle Eastern border guard needed a reliable communications system that offered coverage across the desert. The lack of cellular LTE network infrastructure, radio towers, and power sources could have severely impeded the guard’s ability to coordinate operations and receive assistance in an emergency. Without the right comms system in place, national security and individual safety was at risk.

Despite the advances of satellites and cellular LTE, HF radio remains a consistently reliable communications system for operations in remote areas. Propagated by radio waves passed through the upper levels of the atmosphere, HF radios can communicate with each other and into other radio networks using minimal to no existing infrastructure. Automatic link establishment (ALE) also means that operators don’t need high-level HF radio expertise to communicate effectively. For these reasons HF radio remains vital for coordinating defence and humanitarian operations, especially in isolated areas.

HF radio and TETRA interoperability improves Middle East border guard operations

The HF radio solution

Upgrading the Middle Eastern border guard’s comms through HF radio began with a Proof of Concept (PoC) initiative. Across a 40,000km2 area, HF bases were established within and outside the ‘empty zone’. By equipping vehicles and personnel with transceivers, the guard established stable communications even across a vast tract of remote desert.

The HF radio system provided complete coverage to the entire patrol area, including areas where communication had previously been impossible. As well as outperforming a satellite system in testing, audio quality was proven to be exceptionally clear with minimal distortion. Further testing of the HF radio network’s GPS transmissions highlighted the timeliness and accuracy of its data, able to track vehicles even when moving at high speeds.

Essential to the test was ensuring that the border guard’s existing Motorola Solutions TETRA network could be integrated with the HF radio system, provided by Barrett Communications (a Motorola Solutions Company). Interoperability was achieved seamlessly through a conventional channel gateway (CCGW), eliminating the need for a separate hardware network and channel banks.

Alongside providing communications across remote desert areas that were previously unreachable, the HF radio solution was designed to meet the strict security requirements of border control operations. Secure digital voice technology ensures on-air communications are encrypted, protecting transmissions from unauthorised deception or decryption.

By integrating HF radio into their existing TETRA system, this Middle Eastern border guard significantly enhanced their communications capabilities in a cost-effective way.