Responding to the phased shutdown of the legacy 2G network in the UK, Reliance Protect has launched its next generation 4G lone worker safety key fob device. The new Pulse+ device is among the first solutions to support full Voice Over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) communications across multiple networks, ensuring voice calls and alarm transmissions can operate entirely over 4G infrastructure.
The UK’s mobile network infrastructure is undergoing its biggest transformation in decades with the 2G network the next scheduled for shutdown. The 3G network is already effectively shut down. For organisations in sectors ranging from health, social care, social housing and transport to retail and hospitality that rely on lone and frontline worker safety technology, the transition presents a critical challenge: ensuring devices remain connected, compliant, and capable of delivering emergency support when it matters most.
As Chris Allcard, director at Reliance Protect, explains, “Network providers are now actively working through plans to decommission the older 2G technologies to free up bandwidth and support the huge increase in connected devices we rely on every day, from smart infrastructure through to vehicles and IoT technology. Organisations using lone worker devices need to prepare now for these changes.”
The UK Government has set a 2033 deadline for the withdrawal of 2G services, with operators planning to complete the process sooner. Upwards of half a million lone worker devices currently operating in the UK still rely on 2G technology for emergency voice calls and alarm communications. While historically dependable, 2G infrastructure is increasingly unable to support the modern connectivity, resilience and data insight demands now expected from critical safety systems.
Reliance Protect’s new solutions are engineered to remove dependency on legacy 2G voice networks. It’s important to note that many existing 4G lone worker devices still revert to 2G to complete the essential alarm voice calls. Reliance Protect’s VoLTE-enabled devices allow alarms, voice communications, location information and supporting background data to operate simultaneously over the 4G data network, roaming across multiple networks.
Allcard further explains. “A lot of devices currently marketed as 4G still rely on 2G infrastructure for voice functionality, which doesn’t actually remove the 2G connectivity risk. We wanted to create a genuinely future-proof platform that customers could rely on for at least the next five to ten years.”
Developed over a period of 18 months, in parallel with the 4G VoLTE ID+ discreet ID badge style device, the new solution delivers significantly faster alarm activation and response times by transmitting voice calls, GPS and WiFi locations and incident data concurrently.
The platform also enables richer data collection, opening opportunities for future integration with external health and wellbeing sensors, such as heart rate monitoring and body temperature tracking, which could, for example, support proactive tracking of stress and tiredness levels. Reliance Protect currently processes more than five million rows of operational data every day, including network performance and coverage data.
Importantly for customers planning long-term procurement strategies, the new 4G devices have been introduced at a price point comparable to Reliance Protect’s existing 2G solutions, helping organisations to future-proof their lone worker protection without significant additional upgrade costs.
“All organisations using lone worker technology need confidence that their devices will continue to function as networks evolve,” Allcard adds. “Our latest solutions give customers stability, resilience and future-proof protection, while ensuring the people carrying these devices remain connected to support whenever they need it most.”