Briefs: FirstNet to conduct meeting next week

Board members for FirstNet — the entity charged with overseeing the development and operation of a nationwide 700 MHz LTE network for public safety — will convene next Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. MT (11:00 a.m. ET) for their third meeting.

Agenda items for the meeting have not been released, said a FirstNet spokesperson. According to the Federal Register notice announcing the meeting, the board may meet in closed session for some time "to preserve the confidentiality of commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential, to discuss personnel matters, or to discuss legal matters affecting the First Responder Network Authority, including pending or potential litigation."

The FirstNet spokesperson declined to speculate what topic would cause the FirstNet board to move into closed session. However, one of the FirstNet board's top priorities at the moment — announced during its December meeting — is to hire a full-time general manager during the early part of this year. Traditionally, discussions regarding applicants for the position would be considered a personnel matter that would warrant a closed session.

Board members will meet in Room 1107 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Radio Building 1 (Room 1107), which is located at 325 Broadway in Boulder, Colo.

Thales appoints Borkey as CTO

Thales Communications recently announced the appointment of Todd Borkey as chief technology officer and vice president of strategic initiatives. Previously, Borkey was chief technology officer for DRS Defense Solutions, where he led the strategic planning, innovation and research process for a $1.3 billion defense business. Prior to working at DRS, Borkey worked at Northrop Grumman, AT&T Bell Labs and Sandia Labs.

"Todd's expertise and leadership will be instrumental in the continued growth of our company," Thales President and CEO Michael Sheehan said in a statement. "With the expansion of our capabilities and our product portfolio, we are well positioned to significantly increase our offerings, and our value, to our customers."

Quality MobileCommunications gets CalAmp designation

Quality MobileCommunications, LLC, a wireless communications solutions provider and RF systems integrator serving enterprises in thePacific Northwest, has been designated as an authorized CalAmp Premier Solutions Provider for the states of Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho.

CalAmp develops and markets wireless communications solutions that deliver data, voice and video for critical networked communications and other applications

NetMotion Wireless increases traction with utilities

Mobile VPN provider NetMotion Wireless announced that its Mobility XE solution is being used by 92 investor-owned, municipal and cooperative utilities in North America, including three of the five largest energy providers. Combined, these utilities provide electric, gas, waste and water service to almost 100 million customers in the U.S. and Canada.

"Mobility XE helps our field employees access vital databases and information, whenever and wherever they are," Sundaram Ananthakrishnan, enterprise portfolio architect at Southern California Edison, said in a statement. "This allows our employees to have more reliable, near real-time data. This helps employees work and better serve our customers."