When it comes to public safety, every second counts. If communication breaks down, so does the response - leading to losses in time, coordination, effectiveness, and public trust. During large-scale incidents, a persistent “communications gap” emerges: the critical distance between information being available and that same information becoming actionable across teams, agencies and jurisdictions.
Closing this gap requires communications systems that can scale securely and reliably under pressure. Because in a crisis, every delay compounds the risk — and the ability to share information quickly and decisively is what determines whether response efforts succeed or fall short.
Why Large-Scale Events Put Communications to the Ultimate Test
Few events stretch public safety communications to the limit like the FIFA World Cup, where scale is measured not only in attendees but in overlapping risks, jurisdictions, and responsibilities. In host cities like Toronto, BMO Field’s usual capacity of around 28,180 will be increased to approximately 45,735 seats for the 2026 tournament. That kind of surge requires entirely different tools, planning, and resources compared with day-to-day operations.
The concentration of spectators, VIPs, athletes, and officials within confined urban spaces creates an environment where routine crowd-management needs can quickly intersect with more deliberate risks – from crime to terrorism.
Responding effectively requires coordination across municipal, regional, federal, and private organizations. Each agency brings its own systems, mandates, and channels. Without a communications infrastructure that can scale seamlessly across agencies and networks, the communication gap widens, delaying decisions and compounding risk.
The Need for Communications that Scale
Scale is not just about bigger systems; it’s about enabling the right capabilities under pressure. That means:
- Multi-agency interoperability: bridging incompatible radio systems, cellular networks, and IP communications so responders can coordinate without barriers.
- Two-way information flow: moving beyond one-way alerts to enable real-time dialogue between the field and command.
- Adaptive incident workflows: automatically adjusting communication paths and escalation channels as situations evolve.
These are the hallmarks of critical event management at scale: breaking down silos, ensuring speed and alignment, and giving leaders a clear operational picture when it counts.
Strong encryption and protected channels are required to complement these capabilities to protect the sensitive information that is being sent. Such channels provide the trust that allows agencies to share information confidently - but it is interoperability, dialogue, and adaptability that make that communication actionable.
Scale in Action: A Coordinated Response
Imagine a matchday in Toronto where multiple incidents emerge simultaneously: a medical emergency in the stands, a potential security threat outside the stadium, and a high-profile visitor who needs security cover to get back to their seat after half-time.
With BlackBerry® Secure Communications, alerts reach relevant teams instantly; GPS-enabled dispatch identifies the closest resources and provides the optimal routes for Emergency Services. Law Enforcement and Security teams; workflows update dynamically to reflect all incidents; and acknowledgment tracking ensures every message is received, acted upon and people are accounted for.
Instead of fragmented, parallel responses, agencies deliver a coordinated effort—responding quickly, effectively, and securely at scale.
Maintaining Operational Control Across Jurisdictions
Major events like the World Cup dissolve traditional jurisdictional boundaries. Effective collaboration is only possible when each agency has confidence in how information is shared and controlled.
BlackBerry Secure Communications enables this through flexible deployment models and sovereign data ownership, ensuring agencies maintain authority over their information while contributing to the broader response effort. Features such as secure group communications, audit trails, and where necessary, encrypted calls, reinforce accountability while respecting jurisdictional boundaries.
Speed and Alignment: The Real Impact of Scale
At its core, public safety depends on two outcomes: speed and alignment. Acting quickly without coordination risks confusion, while alignment without speed risks delay. Both must be achieved simultaneously, and scale is what makes that possible.
BlackBerry’s approach gives leaders the visibility, flexibility, and accountability needed to direct resources with confidence. With communications certified to Common Criteria and designed to meet FIPS 140-2 encryption standards, and FedRAMP High authorizations, agencies can trust that information moves securely across networks and jurisdictions.
This same technology has been relied on to protect communications at the highest levels of government, including G7 and G20 summits, where sensitive information must be exchanged across multiple nations, agencies, and security services under intense global scrutiny. Scale transforms public safety operations from fragmented reactions to deliberate responses. From chaos to command, scaling secure communications ensures agencies can protect lives and trust — on the world’s biggest stages and in everyday service.
