https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • Product Guides
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookie Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • Product Guides
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Critical Infrastructure


News

Speakers say utilities should partner with public safety for 700 MHz broadband

Speakers say utilities should partner with public safety for 700 MHz broadband

"Don't wait for that opportunity; make that opportunity," Matt Schnell, telecommunications supervisor for the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), said at UTC's Telecom 2012.
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 22nd May 2012

ORLANDO — Starving for spectrum to support broadband applications for the smart grid, it is time for U.S. utilities to proactively seek access to appropriate frequencies — the 700 MHz swath that will be the spectral foundation for a nationwide public-safety LTE network — according to panelists at the Utilities Telecom Council.

“Don’t wait for that opportunity; make that opportunity,” said Matt Schnell, telecommunications supervisor for the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). “You can’t wait for public safety to ask you to join them — they just won’t do it … They are not going to come look for us and say, ‘Hey, come and join us and work with us on this.’

“You have to go to them and create those opportunities for relationships.”

NPPD has partnered with the state patrol in Nebraska to build a statewide interoperable VHF system that is designed to be more robust than either the utility or public safety could have afforded to build on its own, Schnell said. Similar partnerships between utilities and public safety can be forged in the broadband arena, as well.

Utilities and public safety are logical communications partners, because both groups have high reliability requirements, particularly as they respond to events that can lead to commercial-carrier networks being overloaded or otherwise unavailable, Schnell said. In addition, while Congress has granted public safety 20 MHz of contiguous spectrum in the 700 MHz band for a LTE network, the $7 billion earmarked for the buildout of the network is not nearly enough to deploy 4G cellular technology throughout the nation, according to most industry sources.

By partnering with utilities, public safety can leverage the steady revenue streams of utilities to help pay for the network, both in terms of initial capital costs — base-station sites and backhaul–and ongoing maintenance expenses. In addition, having utility users on the network could greatly increase the economies of scale associated with the network, which could lead to lower prices and greater device innovation.

“Now is the time to act,” Schnell said. “[Public-safety entities] don’t have enough money, and they are looking for infrastructure, so there are things we can offer them.”

Meanwhile, utilities should be very motivated to pursue such arrangements, according to Mark Madden, Alcatel-Lucent’s regional vice president for North American utilities. Utilities have wanted dedicated broadband spectrum for their applications for years, but the combination of circumstances — a shortage of airwaves needed for the ever-growing commercial wireless industry and the desire by Congress to raise billions of dollars in revenue by auctioning frequencies — means the likelihood of utilities getting dedicated spectrum in near term is “probably zero,” he said.

“The reality of getting spectrum in the future is zero,” Madden said. “There’s just no spectrum out there, and what is out there is being consumed by the PDA on your belt. As we look at the need for 500 MHz of spectrum to support consumer services, the opportunity to put aside even 10 MHz for the utility environment is rapidly diminishing, and I’ll just call it what it is — it’s probably zero. So there’s a limited opportunity here.”

Although utilities likely would have only secondary access to the public-safety network, the prioritization schemes associated with LTE are sophisticated enough that policies can be established in a manner that ensures utilities get the bandwidth they need for their most critical functions even in time of public-safety emergencies, Madden said.

“It’s not dedicated spectrum or a dedicated utility network,” Madden said. “But the technology does support graceful sharing, so [accessing the network on a] secondary basis does not have to equal ruthless pre-emption. It’s going to come down to contractual relationships and making sure the network is architected and managed correctly.”

To make that happen, utilities need to begin forging relationships with potential public-safety partners as soon as possible, while the rules for the 700 MHz public-safety network are still being established, Madden said.

“Each utility stepping up can and will make a difference,” he said. “If you just wait on UTC and all the vendors in the space to do the advocacy for you, we’re not a big enough voice. We really need all the utilities and critical-infrastructure providers out there publicly advocating for sharing in this band and helping determine what those rules are, so you are not left out.

“If you wait two years to start advocacy, you’re done. You’re not going to be able affect it, because the rules are going to be set and the RFPs are going to out. The process of selecting partners for this public-safety network is going to play out over the next three years. If you don’t step in there now, you will be buying services from the carriers.”

Related stories:

  • NIST updates guidelines for smart-grid readiness
  • Why public safety, utilities sharing broadband network makes sense
  • Utilities could be the broadband partner public safety needs
  • Critical infrastructure could be a valuable partner on new LTE
Tags: Alcatel-Lucent Public Safety Utility Critical Infrastructure Long Term Evolution (LTE) News Policy Public Safety UTC News

Most Recent


  • Public-safety coalition renews efforts to secure federal NG911 funding
    A coalition of public-safety associations today reiterated its support for federal legislation that would provide the funding needed to pay for 911 centers to migrate from legacy technologies to an IP-based next-generation 911 (NG911) platform that is designed to support multimedia communications, as well as traditional voice calls. Representatives of the Public Safety Next Generation […]
  • Speakers say utilities should partner with public safety for 700 MHz broadband
    Newscan: Cyberattacks on DoE national labs draw lawmaker scrutiny
    Web Roundup Items from other news organizations Cyberattacks on DoE national labs draw lawmaker scrutiny Blinken postpones trip to Beijing after Chinese spy balloon spotted over U.S., officials say To protect satellites, secure your networks, chief of space ops says Ransomware offlines Arizona’s largest school district Mending the fabric: FCC says to file broadband-location challenges […]
  • The shine begins to wear off 5G private wireless
    Verizon had high hopes for private wireless networking. The company had predicted that by now it would be well on its way to making billions of dollars from the sale of custom 4G and 5G networks dedicated exclusively to its enterprise customers. Indeed, during 2021 Verizon execs pegged the total addressable market for private wireless at around […]
  • Phishers trick Microsoft into granting them 'verified' Cloud Partner status
    Late last year, a group of threat actors managed to obtain “verified publisher” status through the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program (MCPP). This allowed them to surpass levels of brand impersonation ordinarily seen in phishing campaigns, as they distributed malicious applications bolstered by a verified blue badge only ever given to trusted vendors and service providers in […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Open-source tools for the IoT ecosystem
  • New Orleans-area 911 center inks multiyear APEX deal with Carbyne to replace call-handling system
  • Speakers say utilities should partner with public safety for 700 MHz broadband
    Newscan: Feds recover millions from pipeline ransom hackers, hint at U.S. Internet tactic
  • Cyber is the new Cold War, and AI is the arms race

Commentary


How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient

26th January 2023

3GPP moves Release 18 freeze date to March 2024

18th January 2023

Do smart cities make safer cities?

  • 1
6th January 2023
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Public-safety coalition renews efforts to secure federal NG911 funding dlvr.it/ShwGfn

4th February 2023
UrgentComm

Newscan: Cyberattacks on DoE national labs draw lawmaker scrutiny dlvr.it/Shvpw3

3rd February 2023
UrgentComm

The shine begins to wear off 5G private wireless dlvr.it/Shth0P

3rd February 2023
UrgentComm

Phishers trick Microsoft into granting them ‘verified’ Cloud Partner status dlvr.it/Shqngn

2nd February 2023
UrgentComm

Shapeshifting robot can morph from a liquid to a solid dlvr.it/Shqk9K

2nd February 2023
UrgentComm

Automakers against stampede to BEV dominance dlvr.it/ShpX08

2nd February 2023
UrgentComm

FCC nominee Gigi Sohn headed for third Senate hearing dlvr.it/ShpDcZ

1st February 2023
UrgentComm

Sign up to learn how to successfully manage your Motorola ASTRO® 25 System: spr.ly/60143j8fp https://t.co/XcxiUwzN27

1st February 2023

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.