Commentary Will mission-critical PTT be FirstNet’s ‘killer app’? 7th April 2016 With all of the broadband functionality promised by public-safety LTE, could mission-critical push-to-talk—a decidedly narrowband technology—be FirstNet’s “killer app” that drives public-safety adoption?
Video Zello: Company demonstrates broadband push-to-talk functionality with LMR, multimedia capability 6th April 2016 Zello brands itself as a walkie-talkie application that can turn any smart device into a push-to-talk device. The app also features picture messaging, message playback and radio-interfacing abilities.
News ESChat, Tait and Avtec demonstrate LMR-LTE full-featured interoperability via P25 ISSI, CSSI gateways 4th April 2016 Three companies—ESChat, Tait Communications and Avtec—conduct a joint demonstration at IWCE 2016 highlighting the ability to leverage P25 gateway standards to enable full-featured communications between traditional P25 radio systems and an LTE-based push-to-talk (PTT) solution.
Video Mutualink: Mike Wengrovitz highlights capabilities of new Recon Jet body camera, wearable gateway 4th April 2016 Mike Wengrovitz, Mutualink’s vice president of innovation, demonstrates how the company is working to integrate Recon Jet smart eyewear into the company’s vision for body cameras and the Internet of Public-Safety Things.
News Officials provide more specifics about mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) standard for LTE, FirstNet deployment 3rd April 2016 Functionalities associated with the new mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) standard for LTE are designed to meet or exceed the capabilities and performance benchmarks for existing land-mobile-radio (LMR) systems, but real-world testing is needed to determine whether MCPTT can overcome some physics limitations that will allow it to meet the needs of first responders, officials said during an IWCE 2016 session on the subject.
News FirstNet receives multiple capability statements, ‘optimistic’ about RFP competition 31st March 2016 FirstNet receives multiple capability statements from potential offerors—the strongest indication to date that there will be bidders vying for the right to build and maintain FirstNet’s much-anticipated nationwide public-safety broadband networks (NPSBN).
Commentary IWCE 2016 showcases signs of real convergence, not just hype 31st March 2016 The intersection between traditional critical communications and the commercial telecom arena that was on display at IWCE 2016 last week took the trend to a new level, with convergence being manifested in ways that seemed unimaginable even a few years ago.
News FirstNet shares more details about state-plan process during the next year 30th March 2016 FirstNet plans to share public-safety broadband deployment plans with officials from each state and territory after a contractor is selected, but some proprietary information will need to be confidential and only limited changes will be considered during this period, FirstNet officials said during IWCE 2016 sessions.
Commentary FirstNet deserves kudos for high-profile role since RFP release, including at IWCE 2016 29th March 2016 When FirstNet released its RFP in January, some industry observers expected the organization to go silent, in an effort to avoid missteps that might result in a legal challenge. Thankfully, that has not been the case, with the latest example being FirstNet’s robust participation in sessions at IWCE 2016.
News Mississippi remains lone state holdout in FirstNet preparations 27th March 2016 Mississippi will receive a state plan from FirstNet regarding that outlines proposed public-safety broadband service within its jurisdiction, despite the fact that Mississippi continues to be the only state that has declined to engage in the FirstNet consultation process to date, according to a FirstNet official.
Latest 3GPP standards-development work includes new classes of HPUE, progress on mission-critical services 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