News AT&T announces Cradlepoint products as FirstNet Ready and able to migrate to 5G 14th December 2018 AT&T announced that, beginning today, FirstNet subscribers and AT&T business customers can use Cradlepoint in-office and rugged in-vehicle routers that leverage AT&T’s 5G Evolution technology immediately and provide an easy upgrade path to 5G in the future. “Uniting the unmatched benefits of FirstNet with the future promises of 5G can unlock a whole new world […]
News JVCKENWOOD buys 40% stake in Tait Communications 11th December 2018 New Zealand-based Tait Foundation yesterday announced that it has sold a 40% share of LMR manufacturer Tait Communications to Japan-based JVCKENWOOD, which announced in August its plans to purchase a stake in the Tait company. “The deal is complete,” Tait Communications CEO Garry Diack said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “The money’s in […]
News New FirstNet Chair Horowitz encouraged by progress, outlines ‘FirstNet 2.0’ plans 7th December 2018 Leaders of U.S. public-safety organizations are “thrilled” with AT&T’s development of the FirstNet system and want the FirstNet Authority to continue its advocacy for first responders—a cornerstone of the organization’s “FirstNet 2.0” strategy that will be unveiled next week, according to FirstNet board Chair Ed Horowitz. Since being named FirstNet board chair in late August, […]
News AT&T CEO says FirstNet build is one-third completed, will help 5G push and increase network capacity by 50% by end of 2019 5th December 2018 AT&T is six months ahead of its contracted schedule to deploy the 700 MHz Band 14 spectrum licensed to FirstNet, and the public-safety initiative will result in increasing the capacity of its network by 50% by the end of 2019 and preparing the carrier for a smooth migration to 5G, according to AT&T CEO Randall […]
News Newscan: Pittsburgh plans to have all police officers wearing body cameras in 2019 29th November 2018 Web Roundup Items from other news organizations Pittsburgh plans to have all police officers wearing body cameras in 2019 A frantic call, a neighbor’s knock but few official alerts as wildfires closed in Deadly Camp Fire did not prompt a wireless emergency alert Prisons want cell-phone jammers to stop inmates from communicating with outside world […]
News PoC can replace LMR under certain circumstances, but not for mission-critical voice, speakers say 27th November 2018 Push-to-talk-over-cellular (PoC) technology can allow enterprises to halt investment in LMR systems for non-mission-critical users today, but PoC solutions and broadband networks need to evolve before similar decisions could be made for mission-critical personnel, panelists said during a recent IWCE webinar. Brad Stoddard, director of Michigan’s Public Safety Communications System, said PoC certainly can be […]
Audio UAS: Charles Werner says public-safety drone use exceeding expectations 27th November 2018 Charles Werner podcast on 11-27 Charles Werner, chair of the National Council on Public Safety UAS, explains how public safety is rapidly increasing its use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)–often known as drones–for a variety of purposes, including the enhancement of situational awareness, search-and-rescue efforts and communications coverage. Werner also discusses challenges associated with UAS […]
Video Harris County: Niki Papazoglakis outlines shared-device pilot project for jail personnel 20th November 2018 Niki Papazoglakis, director of the Mobility Acceleration Coalition, describes the planned mobile broadband pilot that is planned for the Harris County jails, noting some of the expected efficiencies that could be realized and some of the challenges associated with deploying devices that are shared by multiple public-safety users. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded […]
News MCPTT expected to evolve during the next several years, speakers say 16th November 2018 Mission-critical-push-to-talk (MCPTT) services based on the LTE standard approved by 3GPP are expected to be available to end users next year, but several aspects of the ecosystem need to evolve before such offerings can match the performance of LMR voice, according to panelists at IWCE’s Critical LTE Communications Forum in Chicago. Although there is considerable […]
Video Cradlepoint: Todd Krautkremer highlights purpose-built edge solutions 14th November 2018 Todd Krautkremer, chief marketing officer for Cradlepoint, outlines the need for critical-communications entities to utilize appropriate edge solutions to complement subscription to dedicated LTE services offered by carriers that prioritize traffic. Krautkremer also highlights the company’s offerings to address interoperability and deployable challenges, as well as plans to provide customers with a migration path to […]
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? 2 24th March 2024