A telecoms firm is to bring in a new hi-tech radio system for the Island’s emergency services, its new general manager Brian Gonsalves said yesterday.

East End Telecoms, which already supplies police, the fire service and ambulance with radio equipment, is to introduce a new system from Chinese firm Hytera.

Lt Col Gonsalves, who stepped down as Bermuda Regiment CO in the summer, said: “It’s basically a replacement radio system for the current Motorola one and we’ll be phasing in in the next five years.

“This will be the radio system going forward — it has more features and is more economical to run. It’s also smaller, which is good and it has GPS, as well as point-to-point calling and texting.”

Col Gonsalves was speaking only months after swapping his combat gear for the corporate world and a business suit.

And he said his years of experience in the military was a major asset in the battleground of business.

Col Gonsalves, who stepped down last summer after four years in charge at Warwick Camp, said: “It’s definitely interesting, without a doubt, and I’m very much enjoying it — it’s a new experience.”

And he added his 24 years in uniform, starting aged just 14 in the Junior Leaders, through the US reserve officer training programme (ROTC) at university, had helped prepare him for life in the corporate trenches.

Col Gonsalves said: “Going from a uniform to civilian life was a big transition — but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

“The military certainly developed a can-do attitude and a belief that you can get it done and that’s very important in the business world.”

He added that his previous career, before becoming a full-time Regiment officer, had spanned banking and the international business world, so he had a wealth of experience to draw on.

Col Gonsalves said: “I have had that experience and exposure and I tried to bring that to the Regiment to develop a service, a product, for our clients — that’s the taxpayers, the people of Bermuda.

“What the Regiment taught me was ‘don’t be afraid to try something’. It’s the Nike motto — ‘just do it’.”

And he added: “I was selected for this position where there is authority and responsibility, which I was used to in the Regiment.”

East End Telecom, part of the East End Group, has supplied telecommunications expertise to a variety of Island users since it was formed in 1968.

It was the first Bermuda company to introduce a cell phone service, through AT&T, and provides radio, paging, GPS and wireless data technology not only for the emergency services, but also for Government and the marine and construction sectors.

Col Gonsalves said: “I’ve been here since the middle of November — it’s a lot of stuff to learn. But I can use a lot of my experience as the Regiment Commanding Officer here.

“Being in the Regiment, I was a user of radios and I’m very familiar with how Government works, particularly on the public safety side through working closely with the police and fire service. That experience can be brought to the position of general manager, without a doubt.”

Col Gonsalves added that he had been impressed by the breadth of technical knowledge of his new team.

He said: “They pride themselves on providing a very good service and very high quality product. The back-up, like hardware, systems and radio antennae, is very important.

“When you’re dealing with public safety, you can’t have mishaps. There are a lot of extra steps to make sure there is redundancy and quality is in place.”