LMR will have role for the foreseeable future, should be integrated with broadband, panelists say

Michelle Johnson, director of the LTE Center of Excellence for Harris—a manufacturer of LMR and LTE equipment—said it is important for entities to establish communications systems that support interoperability between legacy LMR networks and broadband technology.

“For our customers, we’re not telling them to put the brakes on anything, because we see a world where they coexist, and there will be some time where they coexist,” Johnson said. “So, I wouldn’t say, ‘No, don’t buy your next land-mobile-radio systems. Still buy it, because there will be a transitional period. Make sure that there are solutions out there that make that coexistence possible—push to talk being one of the biggest ones, having that interworking between land mobile radio and LTE.”

Bill Springer, system architect for Illinois FirstNet, expressed excitement for the capabilities that FirstNet promises to bring to first responders—particularly streaming video—but repeatedly emphasized the need for the reliability and simplicity that LMR provide during times of emergencies.

“I think a lot of this is not just based on tradition; it’s based on what’s actually worked,” Springer said. “The new technology is going to improve things; it’s going to get here. What we need to make sure is that the basic mission is not compromised.”

In the case of public safety, Springer noted that the decision to change technologies should rest with first responders, not elected officials or administrators.

“It won’t be us convincing them; they’ll have to convince themselves,” Springer said. “They’re going to have [to say], ‘I get it now. This really works; let’s move to this.’ Until we reach that point where the public-safety first responders are comfortable with it themselves, it’s going to be an uphill battle.

“I don’t want to be the one to go into that staff meeting in the police office and say, ‘Give me your radio; you’re going to use this smartphone.’ That’s not going to go well—for me, especially. It’s one of these things where they have to be comfortable with it on their own.”

But getting an objective assessment of the relative effectiveness of LMR and LTE networks may not be as straightforward as some would hope, because some people may view their salaries being in jeopardy if a change is made, Tilles said.

“We have people that work for these municipalities that take care of traditional land-mobile-radio systems that are worried about their jobs,” Tilles said. “They do not see a place for themselves in FirstNet, so they’re going to be initially—and maybe always—resistant to that network, because they see themselves being now outmoded and losing their positions.

“So we have a lot of different issues that we have to deal with to get this up and running and doing what it needs to do.”