Cybersecurity could be the biggest challenge for FirstNet, next-gen 911

In addition, the ability to connect to an EPC is becoming exponentially easier at a rapid pace. At APCO, there were deployable units on display, including a trailer that will be used in the New Jersey LTE network and a “network in a box” solution that could fit into the trunk of a squad car. Other prototypes that were discussed during the show included even smaller EPC configurations that can be held in a hand.

There a many other examples that I could cite, but the bottom line is that I am confident that the smart engineers in this industry will be able to develop solutions that will exceed the capabilities and performance of existing mission-critical and critical-infrastructure technologies. It’s only natural, as they have the benefits of Moore’s Law and access to much greater spectrum/bandwidth assets in developing these new technologies.

Of course, the transition to next-generation 911 and public-safety LTE will not happen overnight. Both likely will take years to become reality, which is why it was great to hear that PSCR plans to target a portion of its new $300 million in grant money to conduct research into solutions that leverage LMR and LTE systems cooperatively, because the two technologies will co-exist for some time.

Despite all of this good news regarding the development of new technologies, there is a repeated theme across all industries that is a source of constant concern: cybersecurity. All of these technologies are based on IP standards and involve interconnected equipment—and we are just starting to see the Internet of Things (IoT) revolution become a reality—that depends heavily on software to function properly.

These characteristics allow the technologies to provide users with unprecedented interoperability and access to myriad databases at a fraction of the cost of legacy hardware-based communications systems, which is a great thing. It also means that bad software code can cause the system to malfunction or for data to be compromised.

Sometimes, this happens unintentionally. Last year, there was a massive 911 outage for several hours in several states because a server in Colorado reached its limit of calls that could be served—a figure that was set arbitrarily, not based on any actual capacity issues associated with the gear. There was no weather problem or network issue, just a software glitch that had the very real consequences of preventing millions of people from reaching 911 when they needed help.