News AT&T unveils plan to lease spectrum to utilities for private networks utilizing Nokia technology 11th February 2016 Carrier and Nokia announce a joint plan designed to address utilities’ long-stated need to access broadband spectrum to support critical communications. The offering calls for AT&T to lease its spectrum for 15 years to utilities, which would pay for the deployment of private LTE networks using Nokia technology.
IHS: Omar Talpur seeks input from LMR users, administrators on potential LTE transition 10th February 2016 Omar Talpur, market analyst for IHS Critical Communications, discusses research he is doing on a hot topic in the industry. When (or if) the much-discussed transition from LMR communication to LTE communications will happen and what factors might drive such a change. If you are an LMR user, administrator or help influence an LMR budget, you can participate in the study (and potentially win a gift card) by taking a 10-minute survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IHS_Critical_Communications_Broadband_2016.
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.
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