Paging Network
Critico owns, operates and maintains the only wide area paging network in the UK which functions completely independently of the mobile networks. Our UK paging network offers vital resilience if normal mobile networks fail or are congested during major events.
The paging network helps employees request assistance quickly and efficiently, ensuring smooth operations in various environments. Reliable connections are crucial for effective communication, especially in critical situations.
Our nationwide pager service still provides an essential and robust solution to many corporate and blue-light users who require reliable backup – and that is why Critico continues to make significant investments to keep delivering exceptional coverage to over 98% of the UK population.
Additionally, our paging network is a low-cost solution, making it an affordable and practical choice for users seeking economical options.
Critico’s National Paging Systems
On-site paging offers several key benefits that make it an essential tool for businesses and facilities that require rapid and secure communication. Critico’s on-site paging solutions provide:
Comprehensive Coverage
Critico’s extensive network of high-power transmitters guarantees coverage across urban, rural, and even the most remote areas of the UK. This makes Critico the go-to solution for businesses, healthcare providers, and emergency services that require dependable communication capabilities with first responders.
High Reliability
Built with redundancy and advanced failover mechanisms, Critico’s paging network ensures the highest levels of reliability. Unlike many modern mobile devices, pagers offer superior battery life and operational resilience. Whether in challenging conditions or during peak usage times, you can trust that your messages will be delivered quickly and securely.
Scalability and Flexibility
Critico’s paging network is designed to scale according to your needs. From sending a single critical alert to broadcasting thousands of messages, Critico offers group messaging, priority messaging, and other customisable options to meet whatever the demand. On-site paging systems are also available for environments like hospitals, ensuring efficient communication with staff and patients.
Unmatched Resilience
Designed to withstand network outages and other disruptions, Critico’spaging network remains resilient in the face of challenges, making it a trusted partner for mission-critical communications. Modern pagers also support voice messages, allowing for the delivery of complex instructions quickly and effectively.
Cost-Effective Solutions
With competitive pricing plans tailored to various needs, Criticooffers an affordable yet powerful solution for organisations of all sizes. Enjoy the benefits of a high-performance paging network without the premium price tag.
Paging Networks – Let’s get technical…
Our paging service in the UK uses either POCSAG or FLEX protocols to transmit paging messages over the air to paging receivers. The first telephone pager system, patented in 1949 by Alfred J. Gross, marked the inception of dedicated text messaging long before modern mobile devices were developed, emphasizing its enduring relevance in critical communications, particularly for emergency services.
The POCSAG protocols can operate at three speeds, 512 bits per second, 1200 bits per second, or 2400 bits per second.
Flex protocol speeds are higher and use four-level modulation techniques to achieve 1600 bits per second, 3200 bits per second and 6400 bits per second. Each radio channel uses a narrow band 25KHz channel spacing that can support up to 50,000 uses representing a highly efficient use of the radio spectrum.
The ongoing evolution of paging technology showcases modern pagers’ advanced capabilities, such as real-time voice message relay and two-way communication.
The paging network operates in a broadcast mode that sends a message to each of the transmitters simultaneously. They have safeguards that prevent reductions in message processing and delivery speed, regardless of the volume of traffic, protecting the network at the input stage using sophisticated service controls and more radio channels to spread the traffic load.
Paging systems have played a pivotal role in delivering dedicated text messages, particularly in critical communications for sectors like emergency services.
Paging System – Fast Fact
We have 300 transmitting paging base stations around the UK that provide resilient coverage overlap in high population areas, and outdoor coverage in very rural areas such as central Wales, and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland where no other form of personal radio coverage is available, illustrating the continued relevance and utility of pagers in modern communication.
Get in Touch
For more information on how Critico’s paging solutions can benefit your organisation, contact us today to learn more about how we can tailor a system to meet your specific needs.