News Briefs-Tuesday, April 4, 2006
FCC panel sets date for next post-Katrina meeting
The Federal Communications Commission’s panel on communication networks reliability post-Hurricane Katrina will hold its next meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 8, 2006. Three working groups will address the panel. Each will discuss the impact Hurricane Katrina had on communications’ infrastructure. The public may submit written comments before the meeting by e-mailing Lisa M. Fowlkes at lisa.fowlkes@fcc.gov. Web access to the meeting will be available at www.fcc.gov.
Hong Kong deploys IP system for enhanced security
Motorola rolled-out the final phase of its Third-Generation Command and Control Communications system (CC3) for Hong Kong. CC3 is an IP system based on the digital TETRA trunking radio standard that offers reliable routing capabilities, improved voice quality and the ability to track callers and mobilize officers in the field, the vendor said. The system also provides security features, such as encryption and authentication of users to prevent eavesdropping by criminal elements. In addition, it lets the city’s police force access the command-and-control communication system, which replaced the previous IP- and TETRA-based digital communications system, Motorola said.
Kenwood MPT-1327 system streamlines fire/police communications
The Christian County Kentucky Fiscal Court has ordered Kenwood USA’s trunked, multi-site, MPT-1327 two-way radio system to deliver streamlined communications between police and fire personnel. The system is being deployed to ease the chronic congestion that plagues existing two-way radios in the county because each frequency was dedicated to a single use, according to Kenwood. The system is scheduled for installation within six months for three sites using a total of 17 frequencies.
Nonprofit joins commercial enterprise for first responder offerings
Wallace Wireless and nonprofit Operation Respond Institute (ORI) will partner to offer Operation Respond Emergency Information System (OREIS ) to North America's first responders. Under this new agreement, Wallace Wireless will offer OREIS Mobile as part of its Wireless Incident Communicator product suite. The suite delivers ORI emergency guidance and real-time HAZMAT information directly to first responders’ hand-held devices or smart phones. The platform is now being used in more than 56,000 agencies, including the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System and the Department of Justice-supported Regional Information Sharing Systems.
Integrated wireless platform operates at 900 MHz
Helicomm announced it recently demonstrated an integrated wireless platform based on ZigBee technology. The platform integrates the company’s ZMD44102 RF transceiver, a microprocessor based on the 8051 architecture, and Helicomm’s 900 MHz 802.15.4 media access control stack to achieve a secure, low-data-rate solution, the company said.
RFID reader/writer integrates platforms with mini-SD card
Wireless Dynamics launched the SDiD 2010, a near-field communications and RFID reader/writer. The device integrates NFC, RFID and Smart-Card functions into a mini-SD card, the company said. It operates at 13.56 MHz and offers an embedded antenna with a 2.5 cm read/write range. It also is capable of peer-to-peer communications using NFCIP-1 and ISO 18092 standards.
