https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • Product Guides
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookie Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • Product Guides
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Feature


Public safety is about to experience a watershed moment

  • Written by
  • 5th November 2013
First-responder communications are on a path to experience revolutionary change—change that will affect nearly everyone associated with this market.

What is in this article?

  • Public safety is about to experience a watershed moment
  • Look for the coattails
  • Expect a big change

Public safety is about to experience a watershed moment

The creation of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and the allocation of premium spectrum to the public-safety sector are providing the impetus for very high bandwidth communications and, for the first time, an enabling of data-rich applications.

The last 20 to 30 years have been a showcase for significant technological breakthroughs, particularly in the communications area, and they have changed our culture.   It was only 25 years ago that a professor at a prominent university told me, with great excitement, that they had “just installed their first fax machine.”   Fax machines soon became ubiquitous and they changed communications; they revolutionized how business was conducted.   Prior to the fax machine, one dropped a letter into the mail and hoped to have a response in 2-3 weeks.  Fax machines moved the turn-around time to just a few days.   Soon thereafter, e-mail showed up on the scene.  In today’s ultra-connected environment, one suspects a problem if an e-mail goes 3-4 hours without an answer.  

The world is changing—fast—and our culture along with it.   The demand for innovative technological solutions continues to grow and talented artists and engineers are responding with creative products, services, and even business models that make it all possible.

In spite of the major changes seen in virtually every area of our society, the public-safety community has largely remained untouched by the revolution.   Oh, some of the dispatch consoles now have a high-definition monitor, and some of the screens on those big radios are now available in more than just black and white, but the average 12-year-old has significantly more capability in his $49 smartphone than the average policeman carries in his critical communications gear.

There are many reasons for this—security demands, durability requirements for devices, intrinsically safe specifications for devices, narrowband spectrum allocated by the FCC, relatively low volumes—one can create a long list of reasons for why the first responder hasn’t participated in the communications revolution. However, there is hope that this is about to change.

The advent of dedicated Band 14 700 MHz spectrum and the creation of FirstNet together create a historical opportunity for first responders and product providers alike.  In order to maximize their participation in this technology revolution,  the first responder community and the technology suppliers both will have to change.

Much of the pace of change has been driven by the rapid adoption of new technologies by very broad segments of society around the world.   This has created huge markets that attract many small and large companies hoping to capitalize on an extensive customer base, which makes it possible to incur heavy development costs.

Many factors have contributed to the slow pace of technology infusion into the public-safety market.   For instance, the channel bandwidth allocated by the FCC (12.5 kHz and 25 kHz) has created physical constraints that impose data-rate limitations.  But perhaps more important is the size of the market itself and its unique requirements that have evolved over the years.   Undoubtedly, first responders have demands that far exceed those of the average teenager and nearly all consumers.   However, when unique requirements are placed on devices, or on applications, they begin to dissect the market into smaller sub-segments that greatly reduce the volume possibilities.   When markets get smaller, and the possible customer base starts to shrink, the attractiveness to the creative risk-takers driving the technological train starts to diminish.   It becomes much harder to justify a large research-and-development investment with a limited market size.

To put it in perspective, the worldwide smartphone market exceeds 1 billion active users, with more than 100 million in the U.S. alone.   Contrast that with a first-responder market, worldwide, of about 30 million, and a U.S. market ranging from 3 million-10 million (depending on who is included.)    It’s easy to see where most of the research effort is being focused. 

1 | 2 | 3 |
Look for the coattails
Tags: Public Safety Feature Land Mobile Radio Long Term Evolution (LTE) Public Safety Article

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Public safety is about to experience a watershed moment
  • Public safety is about to experience a watershed moment
  • Public safety is about to experience a watershed moment
  • Public safety is about to experience a watershed moment

Commentary


How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient

26th January 2023

3GPP moves Release 18 freeze date to March 2024

18th January 2023

Do smart cities make safer cities?

  • 1
6th January 2023
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Cybercrime ecosystem spawns lucrative underground Gig Economy dlvr.it/ShkKbf

31st January 2023
UrgentComm

FAA approves beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights in North Dakota dlvr.it/ShgxHW

30th January 2023
UrgentComm

AT&T boasts of core ‘white box’ success in 5G, fiber push dlvr.it/Shgb4w

30th January 2023
UrgentComm

Spending American Rescue Plan Act funds: A primer for municipalities dlvr.it/ShgZ52

30th January 2023
UrgentComm

AT&T wireless growth keyed by FirstNet—now provides 24,000 agencies with 4.4 million connections dlvr.it/ShY5qH

27th January 2023
UrgentComm

Report: Remote work causing offices to empty, but walkable cities still in high demand dlvr.it/ShXM7Z

27th January 2023
UrgentComm

AT&T FirstNet unleashes robotic dogs for emergency services dlvr.it/ShW7p8

27th January 2023
UrgentComm

Federal agencies infested by cyberattackers via legit remote-management systems dlvr.it/ShVhn3

26th January 2023

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.