Commentary September 3GPP Plenary: 6G officially begins, Release 19 on track 15th October 2024 The 3GPP Plenary meetings took place September 9-13, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. 3GPP Radio Access Network (RAN), Service and System Aspects (SA) and Core Terminal (CT) groups continued to focus on the Release 19 (R19) work, while officially approving a study on 6G. The 6G work represents the next generation of wireless communications. While the […]
Commentary Is LMR the best solution for first responders? Should 4.9 GHz license go to the FirstNet Authority? 24th March 2024 Recently there was an article titled “LMR remains most reliable technology for public-safety communications,” written by the executive director of the Forestry Conservation Communications Association (“FCCA”). To some extent there are some truths to that, but it is not an absolute. Indeed, it is far from it. There were some assertions in the article that […]
Commentary 3GPP begins Release 19 work for public safety as Release 18 progress continues 17th January 2024 The 3GPP Plenary meetings took place Dec. 11-15, 2023, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Participants made continued progress on Release 18 (R18) features of interest to public safety. The Plenary meetings also included planning for Release 19 (R19) features, and the start of preliminary discussions for Release 20 (R20). The FirstNet Authority served as an active participant […]
Commentary Things to know about IWCE 2024: Conference highlights 12th December 2023 We have revamped the conference track structure this year, organizing tracks by specific industries, as well as by technological topics. Whether you work for a utility, are responsible for the critical communications for a transportation network, or are among those making first-response effort a reality, you will find sessions organized in a track established for […]
Commentary Better technology can help solve the public-safety staffing crisis 26th June 2023 Every time I read about a public safety agency being short staffed, with a burnt-out workforce, draining their overtime budget, I feel their pain. From New York to New Mexico and in communities all across the nation, police and fire departments routinely are forced to mandate longer shifts, which takes an emotional toll and raises […]
Commentary How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient 26th January 2023 It’s a scenario we’ve all experienced: an ambulance with a blaring siren racing against time to get a person in medical distress to a hospital through traffic. What we don’t see is 5G connectivity enabling paramedics to communicate with hospital staff via video conference and coordinate care in real-time before arriving at the emergency room. […]
Commentary Do smart cities make safer cities? 6th January 2023 According to the United Nations, two out of three people will live in urban areas by 2050. This increase in city populations will undoubtedly put an even greater strain on government service providers. Faced with the growing demand of residents for increasingly agile and efficient public services, cities must be able to adapt quickly and […]
Commentary Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications 18th April 2022 I’m from a little town in West Texas. As a Texan, I like getting straight to the point: I believe that emergency communications are a matter of national security. Because this message is so important, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has designated this April as the first-ever Emergency Communications Month. At CISA, we […]
Commentary Rethinking mega-event private critical communications after Astroworld 5th January 2022 The catastrophic loss of life in November at the Astroworld music festival in Houston is a potent reminder of the special critical-communications needs that should be considered at large venues hosting tens of thousands of participants. Large-scale mega-events—for example, football games, music festivals, and concerts—are not unusual, and many take place safely. But tragedy is […]
Commentary Complacency is not an option 2nd November 2021 A rising tide of public-safety broadband networks (PSBN) around the globe creates opportunities for agencies delivering police, fire, and emergency medical services. But along with the chance to rethink traditional voice communications and add new broadband-enabled tools, agencies must assess and plan for the risk of network failure. Networks designed for public-safety operations incorporate layered […]
Latest 3GPP standards-development work includes new classes of HPUE, progress on mission-critical services 1 22nd April 2024
Is LMR the best solution for first responders? Should 4.9 GHz license go to the FirstNet Authority? 3 24th March 2024
Video Check out key takeaways from Disaster Management Symposium webinars, register to view archives Video: Opening of the Expo Hall on day three of IWCE 2023 Lynk CEO Charles Miller: The sky’s the limit
