Motorola Solutions to display integrated software suite, LMR-LTE interop solution during APCO 2017

DENVER—Motorola Solutions this week will showcase new solutions designed to address myriad public-safety issues during the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) 2017 show, according to the company.

“Motorola Solutions is creating a new generation of voice, data and messaging capabilities for interoperable communications between land mobile radio (LMR) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks,” Bruce Brda, Motorola Solutions’ executive vice president for products and solutions, said in a prepared statement. “From interconnected apps that make it easy for officers to communicate with radio and smartphone users, to connectivity between LMR and LTE networks, our newest solutions are designed for the unique needs of public safety.”

Tom Guthrie, Motorola Solutions’ vice president of smart public-safety solutions, said Motorola Solutions will display a “buffet” of offerings that highlight the breadth of the company’s portfolio.

Motorola Solutions’ PSX App Suite integrates public-safety applications, so they can share information and credentialing, similar to an enterprise “office” software suite, Guthrie said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. As a result, first responders do not need to re-enter information across the various applications they may be using, whether connectivity is provided via an LMR or LTE network.

The PSX App Suite also supports location-based services and multimedia group communications, allowing a public-safety user to share data, photos and videos with others in a talkgroup without losing the voice or text-conversation thread, according to a company press release.

By integrating RapidSOS 911 call data into the Motorola Solutions’ CommandCentral Inform platform, public-safety answering point (PSAP) personnel will get additional data about the location of emergency callers, Guthrie said. The RapidSOS integration also allows PSAPs to receive health data provided by the caller, as well as telematics from connected cars, according to the company press release.

With its ASTRO 25 Broadband Connectivity Package, Motorola Solutions will provide public-safety agencies with a method for maintaining push-to-talk interoperability between an ASTRO 25 network and an LTE network—a capability that has been in demand since the advent of FirstNet and the growing use of push-to-talk-over-cellular (PoC) services to extend push-to-talk functionality beyond the coverage of LMR networks.

In addition, Motorola Solutions is announcing that two hardware solutions displayed at shows earlier in the year—for instance, IWCE 2017—are commercially available or will be very soon, according to Anatoly Delm, Motorola Solutions’ director of global infrastructure marketing.

The LXN 500 LTE Ultra Portable Network Infrastructure is a 30-pound backpack that includes an LTE eNodeB, EPC and application server, enabling broadband communications between first responders, even in locations with no connectivity to a traditional LTE terrestrial network, Delm said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. The LTE backpack solution is designed to be used in areas where no LTE coverage exists; using the solution within a terrestrial coverage would require some coordination efforts to ensure that interference does not become an issue, he said.

Motorola Solutions also will showcase the Sr600 in-car camera, which captures a 360-degree view at resolutions as high as 4K, according to Delm. Video from this camera currently cannot be streamed to a command center in real time, but it can be uploaded via a secure Wi-Fi connection, he said.

These solutions will be displayed at the Motorola Solutions booth, #801.