News Mexico seeks bids for nationwide 700 MHz wholesale LTE network to serve competitive market, public safety 10th February 2016 Add Mexico to the list of countries that soon could leverage LTE technology to meet the communication needs of its public-safety entities, although first responders are just one of many groups to be served under the new Red Compartida tender for a wholesale LTE network operated on 90 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band.
News FCC will release its review guidelines for FirstNet opt-out states by Q2 2017, official tells Congress 3rd February 2016 States and territories considering the pursuit of the FirstNet opt-out alternative will know how the FCC will review opt-out proposals to deploy the radio access network (RAN) within their jurisdictions by the time state plans are delivered during the second quarter of 2017, an FCC official told Congress.
News FCC official addresses T-Band issue during hearing before Congress 2nd February 2016 Public-safety agencies depending on LMR communications systems operating on T-Band spectrum should experience “no loss of service—no loss of continuity” as a result of a federal mandate that requires public-safety licensees to clear the airwaves in five years, an FCC official said in testimony before Congress.
News LTE standards body set to complete mission-critical PTT standard in March 28th January 2016 A standard for mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) over LTE is on track to be completed in March, according to an official with 3GPP, which oversees the development of standards for LTE technology. If the standard is completed as scheduled, MCPTT-capable LTE devices likely would be commercially available within two years, according to most industry sources.
Commentary Want to keep track of FirstNet’s progress? Here are some key dates, milestones to remember 28th January 2016 When is FirstNet going to be built and provide the kind of reliable broadband services that the public-safety community has been seeking for the past decade? Here’s one projection, based on FirstNet’s RFP, current law and target deadlines for the key LTE standards body.
News Wireless carriers are key to successful FirstNet RFP bid. Which are interested? 21st January 2016 A wireless carrier may not be the prime contractor for FirstNet, but the general consensus is that a carrier (or multiple carriers) will have to be part of any winning proposal to build and operate the nationwide public-safety broadband network. Which carriers might be interested, and why?
Program finalized for IWCE’s Network Infrastructure Forum; advanced registration ends next week 21st January 2016 New at IWCE 2016 is the Network Infrastructure Forum, hosted by IWCE and AGL Media Group, which will feature a content-rich program that examines hot topics in the space, from towers to small cells and in-building solutions. But register before Jan. 29 to take advantage of discounted pricing.
News Caribbean countries prepare to build public-safety LTE networks on spectrum aligned with FirstNet in U.S. 19th January 2016 While FirstNet’s RFP release may be the focus of the public-safety communications arena, many countries in the Caribbean also are preparing for the development of first-responder LTE networks, according to an official for Neptune Mobile, which hopes to deploy the systems throughout the region.
Commentary Modern portable radios can meet first responders’ needs today and into the future 14th January 2016 First-responder technology is changing, and the tools used by police, fire, EMS, public works and others must keep pace. Right now, users need a rock-solid radio that works on today’s systems and can be upgraded in the future as public-safety communications continue to evolve.
News FirstNet RFP calls for 25-year deal, contractor to pay FirstNet at least $5.625 billion 14th January 2016 FirstNet’s selected contractor will gain access to 20 MHz of spectrum and receive as much as $6.5 billion to support the buildout and operation of the proposed public-safety broadband network, but the contractor must pay FirstNet a minimum of $5.625 billion over the life of the 25-year deal, according to the request for proposal (RFP) released today.(total minimum payment amount corrected in story)
FirstNet Authority reauthorization needed as public-safety-driven network evolution proceeds 16th March 2024