Challenges and opportunities abound in critical communications, panelists say
These new technologies come with additional challenges, like the need for corresponding in-building codes and standards. With more and more wireless calls made from inside buildings, in-building coverage is becoming an increasingly critical issue for both first responders and the general public.
“Our information, as we know it today, continues to be enhanced, so we have to make modifications, edits and additions to those codes and standards,” said Alan Perdue, executive director of the Safer Buildings Coalition. “In order to do that, we need industry at the table … to make sure our codes and standards stay up to date with what it is we know how to do.
“Going backwards is not an option, and ignoring the needs of those who use the system is not an option.”
Despite the challenges, vendors said they see opportunities in the market. Aside from a steady analog market, there has also been a growing interest in Phase 2 compliant Project 25 systems. Vendors also see mission-critical voice turning more to the technological tools used in business-critical settings. And mobility continues to increase in importance, with the demand even creeping into the dispatch arena.
But the more mission-critical organizations turn to digital technologies and increase their reliance on broadband data, the more backhaul will be needed to support capacity.
“Where do you get that backhaul? Can we do it all wirelessly? Can we get enough frequency and bandwidth? Do we have to put in fiber? Those are challenges that are part and parcel to this conversation as well,” said Bill Fillman, vice president and principal consultant with Tait Communications.
“It’s a challenge that we all face. I think, as a country, we’re all concentrating on LTE and broadband and FirstNet and solving these problems. The infrastructure and backhaul is a really big part of that.”