Critical communications
Critical communications: one control point for every live video signal
Mediatrade designs, builds and supports systems that bring all your live video into one place. More than 30 years of broadcast experience, applied to communications that cannot fail.
What is critical communications?
Critical communications means systems and services that must work reliably, even in exceptional and demanding conditions. Lives, public safety and essential societal functions can depend on them. The field is also called mission-critical communications.
Critical communications is not the same as crisis communications, which refers to how organisations inform the public and stakeholders during disruptions and emergencies.
Critical communications solutions are used by, for example, the police, rescue services, emergency medical services, the defence forces, transport operators, and critical infrastructure organisations such as energy and water utilities.
Traditionally, critical communications has focused on voice and data. Today, real-time video and the combination of different data sources play an increasingly important role. A shared situational picture enables faster decisions, more effective cooperation and information sharing between control rooms and units in the field.
What Mediatrade brings from the broadcast world
Broadcast and media work is built on live signals that cannot drop and delays that cannot grow. Mediatrade has done this work for media houses for more than 30 years. We now apply the same expertise to critical communications.
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System design and configuration
For the whole video chain, not single devices.
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Ultra-low latency networks
For moving video between sites.
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Secure stream handling
In the public cloud and in on-premise installations.
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24/7 on-call support
Round-the-clock support from the team that designed the system.
Medialink
Medialink: your conductor for all live video signals
Medialink is Mediatrade’s web-based, virtualised system for managing live video. It brings every source and destination into one interface, where you control, route, record and share video. Think of it as a conductor: many sources, one coherent, controllable system. Medialink does not replace your existing systems. It sends commands to them.
Medialink features
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See and control
- Multiviewfor better situational awareness
- Routingany source to any destination with one click
- Sharingroute a signal back to the field or to another organisation
- Access controldefine which sources and destinations each user group can see. Everything is logged
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Secure and record
- Secure streamsvideo traffic is encrypted at AES-256 level
- Recording and evidenceautomatic recording and a time-stamped log of every action
- Works without public internetevery component is designed to run in private networks without a public internet connection
- Public cloud or on-premise installation
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Connect and scale
- Protocolsaims to be protocol agnostic, and where a source needs it, a bridge is added
- Ultra-low latencysupport for ultra-low latency (ULL)
- Control integrationwith selected camera solutions, for example Zepcam body-worn cameras and LiveU transmitters
- Automatic scalingwe can receive and relay an unlimited number of video signals
- System design and configurationdelivered entirely by Mediatrade
Medialink in numbers
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0 ms
processing time for an uncompressed feed over fibre
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30%
faster signal routing than with several separate systems
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1
interface to manage all live sources
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Finland
Made in Finland
How it works
How it all works
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Bring in your sources
Cameras, body-worn cameras, drones and vehicles connect to Medialink. In the field, video travels over the mobile network, encrypted. Medialink FieldHub is a mobile operations centre that works entirely on the mobile network and on its internal battery. Cellular bonding, for example LiveU, also carries live video from the field.
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Move video where it is needed
Ultra-low latency networks, for example Net Insight Nimbra, link your sites. Transport runs over the network, including over dedicated dark fibre.
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Manage everything from one place
See every source in multiview, route them, record them and share them to the field or to another organisation when needed. These are typical building blocks. The exact setup depends on the project.
Where it is used
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Fire and rescue services and police
Situational awareness from the field.
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Authorities and security organisations
One view across teams and sites.
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Critical infrastructure
Live monitoring for those who keep critical systems running.
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Media houses and broadcasters
Medialink was born in round-the-clock production, where the signal cannot drop.
References
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Helsinki City Rescue Department: “Lisa” live broadcast case
Mediatrade designed the Lisa live broadcast case together with the rescue department. It is portable live broadcast equipment: the camera, monitor, recording, backup power, transmitter unit and connections for external sources fit in a single case that one person can operate. The rescue department has used the case since autumn 2024. Read more in the press releases of the Finnish Government and Palosuojelurahasto (both in Finnish). Photo: Palosuojelurahasto.
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ACROSS: an ultra-low latency media network for the Stockholm and Åland archipelagos
In the EU Central Baltic programme’s ACROSS project, Mediatrade designed and delivered the network infrastructure: eight Net Insight Nimbra 640 platforms, three Nimbra 1060 platforms and 14 Remote Stations. With Mediatrade’s Medialink Booking App, users book a session in three steps: choose the session, choose the sites and book the connection.
Why Mediatrade
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01
More than 30 years of experience in broadcast and media systems
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One team for design, configuration and support
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Partnerships in live production, for example LiveU and Net Insight
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Office and showroom in Vallila, Helsinki
Frequently asked questions
What is critical communications?
Critical communications means systems and services that must work reliably, even in exceptional and demanding conditions. Lives, public safety and essential societal functions can depend on them. They are used by, for example, authorities, transport operators and critical infrastructure organisations.
What are signal management and control?
Signal management and control means managing all live video signals as one system: seeing, routing and recording every source from one place. The system does not replace existing systems. It sends commands to them.
What is Medialink?
Medialink is Mediatrade’s web-based system for controlling, routing, recording and sharing live video sources from one interface. It supports multiview and ultra-low latency, and Mediatrade designs and configures it.
Does Medialink work with our existing cameras and formats?
Medialink aims to be protocol agnostic: when a source needs it, a bridge is added to the system. Control integration is available for selected camera solutions. Tell us what you use and we will check it.
Can Medialink be installed on our own premises?
Yes. Medialink can be deployed in the public cloud or installed on-premise. Every component is designed to work in private networks without a public internet connection.
Can I restrict which sources each user group sees?
Yes. You can define which sources and destinations each user group sees. The system logs everything.
Can I share a signal with another organisation?
Yes. You can route any signal back to the field or to another organisation.
How low is the latency?
For an uncompressed feed over fibre, Medialink’s processing time is 0 ms. Total latency also depends on the network path and the equipment. We go through the figures for your solution.
Who supports the system?
Mediatrade provides round-the-clock on-call support and is responsible for system design and configuration.
Ask us more
Contact us
Tell us what you need to see and control
We handle the complexity, you control the picture. Mediatrade’s project sales team answers on weekdays.
Systems and projects
