Not being at the IWCE show in Las Vegas this week has been tough for me as I have attended for so many years and always enjoyed it. However, circumstances prevented me from attending in person this time so I have been experiencing it vicariously by reading as many of the press releases as possible, the great reporting by both Urgent Communications and Mission Critical, lots of tweets, and of course emails and texts I am receiving from friends who are there. My impression from this distance is that it was once again a great show and this year it was truly about LMR and LTE.
FirstNet had a major presence at the event with many speaking slots and the ability to talk directly to attendees. The LMR vendors are getting serious about LTE and even LTE/LMR devices. While I have not seen the latest from Harris, Motorola, and others face to face, I have read with interest the product specifications. I still think FirstNet will start with LTE-only devices that cover FirstNet and at least one commercial network operator for LTE, and 3G, and that these devices will be an adjunct to, not a replacement for, LMR voice radios for a long time to come. Next will be combination LMR/LTE radios that have already been discussed and in some cases shown in early form at IWCE. These radios will morph over time into what I believe will become the standard radio type for the foreseeable future. They will provide solid Public Safety-grade LMR voice services, and good LTE video, data, and voice services.
It will be interesting to see what form factors emerge from the vendors. I still have to explain to vendors that have never built a radio (cell phones are radios) for the Public Safety market that in many cases, two-handed device operation is a non-starter for field use, and in the fire service especially, the ability to operate at least the basic functions of voice services when wearing gloves is also imperative. I understand that at IWCE this year there were many discussions and some good presentations about Mission-Critical PTT over LTE. While I won’t repeat what I wrote last week about the subject (posted on our website), I will say that I believe there is a disconnect between what the Public Safety community will trust their lives to and what can be provided in the near future. That is not to say that at some point it might be possible to move all voice communications over to FirstNet but planning to do so prematurely could prove disastrous for the Public Safety community. This is one of those cases where it might be helpful to put those pushing for Mission-Critical PTT over FirstNet sooner rather than later in a Scott Air Pack in a house full of smoke and then let them decide which technology they will trust their lives to today. But I digress!
IWCE is a great measure of how LMR and LTE (FirstNet and commercial) are coming together not necessarily to merge and become one but to be used as tools that provide different types and forms of communications. I started out before FirstNet explaining to people that today’s Public Safety professionals make extensive use of voice communications but the ability to send and receive video and data would be a welcome addition to their communications arsenal. Giving all of these tools to incident commanders and others during incidents and enabling normal daily Public Safety activities to be completed easier and faster in the field without having to return to the station to file a report will have great benefits and will result in saving lives and property. FirstNet is well on its way toward the day in the very near future when, hopefully, it will receive multiple responses to its RFP and then it can begin the process of finding the right fit for FirstNet and the Public Safety community. I plan to attend the next IWCE in 2017, and I expect that before that we will know who the prime contractor is and how FirstNet and the vendor plan to work together. However, the RFP submissions and the final award are only the beginning of a multi-year journey. Next Year’s IWCE will also be about LMR and broadband, and it will be interesting to see how far we will have progressed in the coming year. Andy Seybold
Funding Available for Band 14 Network Relocation – Targeted News Service via Google Alerts Mar 23 11:16 … Communications Commission, and provide the unencumbered spectrum that is necessary for the nationwide public safety broadband network.
FirstNet Updates Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network Deployment Road Map – i360Gov via Google Alerts Mar 21 22:25 FirstNet Updates Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network Deployment …
FCC’s Wheeler: Go High for 5G, 600MHz Switch Will Be Slow – Light Reading via Google Alerts Mar 24 12:10 … companies and organizations approved to bid on the low-band radio wave, which will be reassigned from broadcast TV to mobile broadband usage.
T-Band Mandate Shouldn’t Be A Problem for Public-Safety Agencies – SCMA via Google Alerts Mar 24 00:15 A mandate that public-safety agencies vacate the T-Band airwaves after the FCC auctions the airwaves by 2021 was included in the 2012 law that …
UPDATED* RFI – Public Safety Wireless Broadband Data Services – Bids in Illinois via Google Alerts Mar 23 16:25 Deliver the required voice and data services to state public safety agencies. The state offers to network service providers, system integrators, …
FirstNet and NG911: Pushing in the Same Direction – GovTechWorks via Google Alerts Mar 22 23:05 … first responders will receive mission-critical voice and data communications from dispatchers over FirstNet’s high-speed 4G mobile network.
Modification/Amendment – Loren Data’s FBO Daily via Google Alerts Mar 22 22:20 D — FirstNet Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) …
Governors likely will be missing key FirstNet data point, making opt-out decision even more … – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Mar 22 09:50 … have each of the 56 states and territories contribute its fair share of the cost for the proposed nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN).
Analyst’s Checklist Stocks: Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK), Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ:NETE) – Street Updates via Google Alerts Mar 22 06:50 The firm deployed 4G LTE technology for the New Jersey Public Safety broadband network, supporting the high security and high-quality demands of …
Who voted – GovZine via Google Alerts Mar 21 22:25 FirstNet Continues Work for Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network Deployment · http://www.executivegov.com . The First Responder Network …
FirstNet Announces Up to $40 Million Available for the Band 14 Incumbent Spectrum Relocation … – Lexology via Google Alerts Mar 18 12:15 It’s a busy time at FirstNet, gearing up for the deployment of the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN). With yesterday’s release of a …
Sweden may use 700 MHz spectrum for emergency services – Telecompaper via Google Alerts Mar 18 09:10 The existing network, with a 10 Mbps speed for 77 percent of Swedish territory, would be suitable for emergency response agencies, it said. As PTS is …
Advocacy Group Urges FCC To Tighten Rules on Broadband Data Collection – NewsFactor Network via Google Alerts Mar 25 06:20 The Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner will become part of IBM Global Business Services and is expected to help IBM meet a growing demand in the …
Electronic Comment Filing System – Federal Communications Commission via Google Alerts Mar 24 20:50 Name of Filer: Public Safety and Homeland Security. Lawfirm Name: FCC. View Filing: Announcing Comment Dates for Alerting Paradigm NPRM.
FCC – Public Safety And Homeland Security Bureau Announces Comment Dates For Notice Of … – Colorado Media.Net via Google Alerts Mar 24 19:15 From the FCC: Public Safety And Homeland Security Bureau Announces Comment Dates For Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking To Strengthen The …
True Priority and the FirstNet Network – EMSWorld.com via Google Alerts Mar 24 19:01 FirstNet has been obligated by Congress to take all actions necessary to ensure the …
Advocacy Group Urges FCC To Tighten Rules on Broadband Data Collection – NewsFactor Network via Google Alerts Mar 24 15:30 They are incorporating state-of-the-art ‘big data’ practices, such as …
Goodbye to all of that: Is the neutral internet now safe? – TelecomTV via Google Alerts Mar 24 14:30 We don’t know what way the D.C. Circuit court of appeals is going to rule on the legal challenge to the FCC’s move to reclassify broadband access …
House Democrats voice support for Charter/Time Warner Cable deal – xmlpush Mar 24 08:30 Four Democratic U.S. House members have sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, expressing their support for Charter Communications’ pending $79 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable. In a March 23 letter, Reps. Marc Veasey of Texas, Joyce Beatty of Ohio and Gregory Meeks of New York said the FCC should consider the significant commitments Charter has made to creating jobs and offering high-speed broadband to low-income communities, Multichannel News reports. The lawmakers…
FCC’s Sohn: Lifeline Revamp Has Safety Valve – Broadcasting & Cable via Google Alerts Mar 23 20:50 Sohn called Lifeline part of a broader agenda to promote “fast, fair and open” broadband networks, citing net neutrality, raising broadband speed …
Parallel Wireless announces Band 14-in-a-Box – FinancialNews.co.uk via Google Alerts Mar 22 21:15 Parallel Wireless, Inc. has made available an easy-to-deploy Band 14 Public Safety LTE network kit at a fraction of the cost of currently available …
NTIA to Hold Meeting on Drones – National Public Safety Telecommunications Council – npstc via Google Alerts Mar 22 18:20 The National Telecommunications and Information Administration plans to convene a meeting April 8 as part of its multistakeholder process to discuss …
Power Line Communications: Theory And Applications For Narrowband And Broadband … – nearenzani.com via Google Alerts Mar 22 18:05 Power Line Communications: Theory And Applications For Narrowband And Broadband Communications Over Power Lines | nearenzani.com.
NACo, NTIA launch Internet connectivity initiative – National Association of Counties via Google Alerts Mar 22 15:01 A new initiative recently launched by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) intends to motivate and support …
Verizon Comes Out Against Throttling, Prioritization – Wireless Week via Google Alerts Mar 22 10:45 Ahead of the D.C. Circuit court of appeals ruling on the FCC’s decision to reclassify broadband services as Title II services, Verizon on Monday laid out …
Hitech Participates in APCO Emerging Technology Forum – Newswire via Google Alerts Mar 22 06:20 Hitech Systems, Inc. and LanguageMAPS, Inc. participated in the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International’s …
Dali Wireless Showcases Next Generation Public Safety In-Building Communications System at … – Critical Controlroom Web Portal – Mission Critical Comms news via Google Alerts Mar 22 02:40 FirstNet is set to bring a nationwide broadband interoperable public safety …
Nokia No.1 global vendor of 4G public safety technology: Study – ETTelecom.com via Google Alerts Mar 22 00:50 The company deployed 4G LTE technology for the New Jersey Public Safety broadband network, supporting the high security and high-quality …
Homeland Security: Keeping First Responders First Hearing Before The Subcommittee On … – erujupag.ru via Google Alerts Mar 21 23:50 Improvement Act of 2002 S. 2651 First Responders Support Act of …
Oh look, net neutrality didn’t end the world after all. Surprise! – MacResource via Google Alerts Mar 21 23:30 Tom Wheeler, chairman of US broadband watchdog the FCC, has given telcos a firm poke in the eye over their net neutrality doomsday predictions.
Hitech and Pulsiam to Demonstrate Drone Interface at B-APCO Conference – Newswire via Google Alerts Mar 21 22:20 … the British Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (B-APCO) …
NTIA near producing draft of facial recognition code of conduct – Biometric Update via Google Alerts Mar 21 21:10 The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will convene a meeting of organizations involved in the privacy …
Parallel Wireless and Ecosystem Partners Announce General Availability of FirstNet-Ready Band … – SYS-CON Media via Google Alerts Mar 18 11:10 U.S. Public Safety agencies can win a week’s rental of this DIY Band 14-in-a-Box kit by submitting their interest here or at Parallel Wireless booth 227 …
House member wants ‘enforceable’ Charter-TWC merger terms – xmlpush Mar 18 08:45 House Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) has appealed to the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department about implementing “durable and easily enforceable” merger terms between Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable. The $55 billion deal is now expected to be approved after it was reported that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler could circulate a draft order for the deal this week. Conditions of the merger hinge on broadband buildouts and access…
Raveon Technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) at the IWCE Trade Show in Las Vegas – PR Web via Google Alerts Mar 18 04:15 For many of these applications, Raveon’s narrow-band data radio modems