PoC Radios Explained: PTT Over 4G | SyncComms
PoC Radios Explained: Nationwide Push-to-Talk Over 4G
Buying Guides Licensing & Regulation

PoC Radios Explained: Nationwide Push-to-Talk Over 4G

• 2 min read • 4 views

Push-to-talk over Cellular — PoC — gives you the one-button instant talk of a two way radio with the coverage of the 4G mobile network. No range limit, no Ofcom radio licence, no repeater. Here is how it works, what it costs to run, and when it beats conventional radio.

How PoC works

A PoC radio looks and handles like a normal two way radio, but inside it is closer to a smartphone: it carries a SIM and sends your voice over 4G (falling back to 2G/3G, or Wi-Fi) to everyone in your talk group. If there is mobile signal, your team is in range — whether they are on site, on the motorway or at the other end of the country.

What it costs to run

PoC needs no Ofcom licence, but each device carries a SIM and an annual server licence — typically a modest per-radio subscription rather than the one-off £75/5-year Ofcom fee of conventional radio. For teams that genuinely roam, that trade is easily worth it.

When PoC beats conventional radio

Choose PoC when your team is spread across sites or on the move: multi-home care groups with roaming managers, school coach trips and DofE expeditions, split-campus colleges, delivery runs and mobile security patrols. Choose conventional DMR when everyone works on one site — it has no monthly cost and keeps working if the mobile network goes down.

The PoC radios we supply

The Hytera P50 (£210 ex VAT) is the simple, rugged nationwide handset. The P50 Pro (£275 ex VAT) adds an Android 12 touchscreen and camera. At the top, the Hytera PDC680 (£1,134 ex VAT) is a true hybrid — a professional 4W DMR radio and an Android LTE device in one handset, so site radio and nationwide PTT live in the same pocket.

Do PoC radios need an Ofcom licence?

No — they use the mobile network, not licensed radio spectrum. You pay the SIM and server subscription instead, and we set the whole thing up before dispatch.

What happens with no mobile signal?

A pure PoC radio has no coverage where there is no network — which is why hybrid devices like the PDC680, or a conventional DMR fleet for on-site work, matter for critical use.