Changes in LA-RICS public-safety LTE plans also will impact proposed P25 network, executive director says
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Changes in LA-RICS public-safety LTE plans also will impact proposed P25 network, executive director says
One potential source for new sites for both the LA-RICS LTE and P25 networks is the state of California—a fact noted last week by FirstNet Chairwoman Sue Swenson and Mallon. On Monday, Mallon said he planned to speak with officials representing the state of California transportation department (Caltrans) and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to explore potential options.
The linkage between the LA-RICS public-safety LTE and LMR systems is not limited to siting issues. While most public-safety LTE network deployments are focused almost exclusively on providing high-speed data connectivity to first responders, the LA-RICS LTE system also was supposed to have an important role in voice communications.
A significant amount of public-safety communications in the Los Angeles area are conducted over LMR networks operating in the T-Band UHF spectrum (470-512 MHz). However, the law passed by Congress in 2012 that created FirstNet also stipulates that public-safety entities must vacate the T-Band spectrum in 2021.
With this in mind, LA-RICS planned to migrate its mission-critical voice traffic currently on the T-Band system to the new P25 network on 700 MHz narrowband spectrum, Mallon has said. Because there are not enough available channels at 700 MHz to accommodate all of the T-Band voice traffic, LA-RICS planned to offload non-mission-critical voice traffic to the public-safety LTE network—a critical component in meeting the overall voice-communications requirements in the region, according to Mallon.
This should have been
This should have been approved. Downsized from 232 sites to 83. About a third of what was originally planned. The people of Los Angeles and the FirstNet bought into a pie in the sky idea and no millions will be wasted. In addition, the 800 Mhz system will suffer from these losses in the LTE system.
If a system to cover LA can’t be built, what makes people think a nationwide system can be built. More government spending on a failed stimulus project.
I am totally bewildered as to
I am totally bewildered as to how this system was even engineered to begin with? It flies in the face of common sense and best practice from beginning to end. FirstNet is completely flawed from a conceptual aspect and now beyond the stage of a pipe dream, so scrap public safety LTE (across the U.S.). LA-RICS LMR should be completely separate for resiliency, and could all be done on 700/800 MHz. like the rest of the country. We did it here in NYS and had to fight Canada. Why in the world would one even consider investing ANY P25 dollars in T-Band knowing it’s being shut down. Sounds to me Luke they never brought in an independent engineering firm to figure this out.