Industry’s LMR loyalties remain, but rapid LTE development continues

While FirstNet and broadband technology clearly were hot topics during the recent IWCE 2014 show, a consistent message was delivered in sessions throughout the conference program: LTE is a great technology for data, but LMR will remain the primary choice for mission-critical voice services for some time.

It’s a mantra that public-safety officials like Harlin McEwen have been stating for years, and McEwen reiterated it at this year’s IWCE. What’s being debated throughout the industry is exactly how long is the “some time” that LMR remains as the primary critical-communications voice technology. Some have argued that LMR may never go away, particularly in rural areas; meanwhile, Alcatel-Lucent’s Ken Budka noted that standards-based equipment supporting mission-critical voice over LTE (VoLTE) should be on the market in about four years.

Exactly how long it will take LTE to replace LMR—if the transition ever becomes practical—is a great conversation topic, and there are legitimate points that support almost any position you want to take on the subject. However, no one can question the fact that the LTE ecosystem is developing more rapidly than anyone imagined, and even LMR’s staunchest proponents are taking significant steps to ensure that they will be ready for a broadband-focused environment.

Now, FirstNet has $7 billion to spend and representatives of the organization have been outspoken about the need for deployable LTE equipment, so it is only natural that several vendors had deployable LTE solutions displayed on the IWCE show floor to meet the need. But many other recent broadband developments have raised more than a few eyebrows, including:

• Effort to transition some 900 MHz spectrum from LMR to LTE—Three key enterprise organizations (the American Petroleum Institute, the Enterprise Wireless Alliance and the Utilities Telecom Council) are asking the FCC for permission to develop a plan that would establish a 3×3 MHz swath of spectrum for LTE deployment in the 900 MHz band that is currently used for LMR operations. If this vision becomes reality, it will be interesting to see if the transition can be executed effectively and is pursued in other LMR bands.  
• Motorola Solution’s P25 radio with LTE—A week before IWCE began, Motorola Solutions announced that its P25 APX radios can have an LTE module included in them. Currently, the LTE capability is focused on delivering LMR functionality like over-the-air programming much more efficiently, but who knows what offerings will be available in the future. The fact that LTE and P25 are in a single device should be a welcome developmental step that could aid potential migration efforts.
• Kenwood USA’s LTE plans—Kenwood has always been a prominent LMR brand, and its Japanese parent company appeared to be doubling down on its LMR bet with the recent purchase of EF Johnson to expand its portfolio to include P25. Then, less than two months later, Kenwood USA used IWCE to unveil its plans to become a player in the LTE market, with equipment expected to be available early next year.