Launched in 2021, the NEO 2 program marks a historic turning point in the modernization of France's security forces.
On the occasion of Milipol 2025, Marine Pagnon, Head of Institutional Relations and Partnerships at Crosscalltakes stock of 4 years of strategic collaboration with law enforcement agencies reveals its vision for tomorrow's critical communications.
NEO 2 represents a major technological ambition in the Public Safety sector sector. How did this project come about? did Crosscall meet the challenges?
Marine Pagnon: The NEO 2 program is part of a very specific French public safety philosophy. Nur model is based on the presence of plainclothes or uniformed officers in direct contact with the population, providing local security, deterrence and assistance provide assistance.
But this presence in the field requires us to be ever more efficient and versatile in our safety, control and emergency response missions.emergencymissions. THE Agence du Numérique des Forces de Security Interior (ANFSI) s ambition with NEO 2 was to provide all agents with a single smartphone, enabling them to enhance their mobility and enable them to carry out a greater number of their missions directly in the field.
Let's take a concrete example: in the past, during an identity check, if the officer needed to verify information about an individual, he had to take him to the police station, carry out the check, etc. In terms of operational efficiency, this was a huge waste of time. With NEO 2, officers can access police files directly from their smartphones, carry out mobile checks, and take the appropriate decisions immediately.
Crosscall has responded to these challenges by relying on what is in our DNA: a smartphone that is obviously resistant to the most extreme conditions, with extended autonomy. But we went beyond that. NEO 2 has become a tool that integrates perfectly into all field applications: from security missions on the public highway to road checks with motorcyclists, from border controls border controls to the most delicate missions carried out by elite units. It's this versatility that makes all the difference.
What concrete evidence of operational efficiency have you seen in the field?
M.P.: In my opinion, the most striking figure is a breakage rate of less than 1% for the entire fleet. When you consider the number of daily interventions, the harshness of the missions and the intense mobilization of the forces on a daily basis to provide security for major sporting events such as the Rugby and Football World Cups, or the Olympic Gamesit's a real feat.
Another indicator of success: the initial contract is extended to 2029, well beyond the duration originally envisaged. This guarantees a much longer service life than originally envisaged, demonstrating the reliability of our equipment over time.
But what's perhaps even more revealing is the increasingly versatile use of smartphones thanks to our entire ecosystem of accessories. The X-COMMfor example, was developed specifically for to replace the traditional bulb microphone. In noisy environments, it facilitates radio communications considerably, while offering the ergonomics to which officers are accustomed. The X-COMMAND allows motorcyclists to control their communications directly from the handlebars, without compromising their safety during roadside checks, and provides the necessary discretion for officers during surveillanceoperations .
How do you explain this success?
M.P.: I'd say it rests on two fundamental pillars.
The first is that the product has become much more than a smartphone. It's a real development platform that can respond to concrete needs and evolving uses. evolving. There has been a real R&D effort, carried out in collaboration with the Police and the Gendarmerie Nationale to come up with a product modular that meets their operational their operational needs.
The second pillar is our collaborative approach with proximity. Crosscall is a human-scale structure, which gives us a flexibility and agility not necessarily available to the giants giants. We have dedicated teams to support ANFSI in all aspects of development, including- development. This proximity enables us to react quickly, to co-construct solutions and to ensure perfect compatibility with homeland security issues, particularly in terms of protecting sensitive data.
Speaking of proximity, this collaboration was also an opportunity to deploy cutting-edge innovations, notably during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
M.P.: Absolutely. The Jthem Olympics in Paris represented an exceptional public safety operation, with forces deployed on a massive scale at all the Olympic venues and throughout the Paris region.
The event provided an opportunity to full-scale trial of the STORM critical communications network on severalthousand terminals. STORM is the program designed to replace conventional radios with 4G smartphone communications.
As part of the preparations for this major event, we realized missing audio accessories accessories to facilitate radio use. In noisy environments, having a dedicated accessory makes total sense to smooth communications. That's how the X-COMM was born.Mwas born, which we developed entirely to order. It's quite a unique product on the market: both Bluetooth and wired, ruggedized, ergonomic to meet the operational requirements of field forces operational requirements.
What are these these large-scale tests foreshadowbode for the future of security force communications?
M.P. This opens the way to a even greater modularity. We're already seeing developments like N EO DK with biometric control, which is perfectly compatible with Crosscallterminals. This will add yet another layer of functionality in the field.
But the last major innovation developed by Crosscallis the new version of X-SPACE. This solution transforms the smartphone into a real desktop computernow available on two 4K screens. The agent simply plugs in his smartphone à l'screen, and you have a complete workstation. A single terminal for the field and the office.
The implications are far-reaching: substantial savings on IT assets, greatly simplified fleet management, and less environmental impact as the number of impact on the environment, since the number of devices required is drastically reduced. It is estimated that one smartphone can replace up to 5 different terminals.
What's morethere's the question of interoperability. With the large-scale deployment of STORM on all the security forces' smartphones, we're heading for a convergence of emergency communication tools, with a gradual disappearance of the traditional "emergency phone". communication tools, with the gradual disappearance of the radio in favor of the smartphone.
Finally, the advent of artificial intelligence augurs well for the future.er new developments to improve team efficiency and collaboration, even if everything remains to be imagined on this point. on this point.
How is Crosscall preparing to support this evolution?
M.P.: You have to bear in mind that the NEO 2 program is scheduled to run until 2029. This means that we'll be involved in this program for almost 10 years. In 10 years, we'll have the opportunity to support the in-depth transformation of the police and gendarme profession.
And I believe that our strength lies precisely in our ability to remain agile while remaining reliable over the long term. We are not just an equipment supplier: we are a partner who co-constructs with our customers solutions for thefuture and sustainable. This philosophy makes perfect sense in a program as strategic as NEO 2. And we are all the more so proudde nous pouvoir le faire alongside the women and men who ensure our safety on a daily basis.