Commentary NG911 needed to secure our communities and nation 24th February 2023 As the new Congress begins its work in earnest, we look forward to continued progress in funding the transition to IP-based next-generation 911 (NG911) technology. Our nation’s 911 systems are critical to ensuring the safety and security of our communities, and nationwide implementation of NG911 will ensure these systems can leverage the most advanced communications […]
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 Reflections on recent LTE outages 20th September 2022 Rogers Communications Canada experienced a national service outage on July 8, 2022, that halted LTE communications for millions of Canadians, including public-safety agencies counting on mobile broadband for operations. In light of this jarring failure, should public-safety leaders rethink plans to collapse all wireless communications onto a single wireless technology platform operated by a service […]
Commentary FirstNet’s public-safety-first approach to 5G and evolving the first-responder network 23rd December 2021 You would be hard-pressed to read the news today and not find a headline about 5G. It has been an exciting year for the telecommunications industry as a whole, with initial 5G services becoming more available on smartphones and tablets — including some of the devices our first responders use during emergencies and everyday operations. […]
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 […]
Commentary For public-safety communications, our past guides the future 28th October 2021 Reflecting on past innovation can inspire industry to deliver more for first responders. As the country honors first responders today, those of us in the public-safety community bear a special responsibility to recognize the valor of those who keep the public safe, protected, and healthy. We must show them our gratitude by making their jobs […]
Commentary New technologies drive code advancements for in-building public-safety communications 30th July 2021 In-building coverage is a significant challenge for first-responder emergency communications, according to an International Fire Chiefs Association report based on a Safer Buildings Coalition survey conducted in 2018. According to the report, 98% of emergency responders said that they were having problems with their communication because of dead spots in a building, while 56% said […]
Commentary Unfinished Business: Why NFPA and IBC fire codes need to kill the fire phone 17th June 2021 In the human body, the appendix seems to serve no functional purpose. Why did the organ appear? How can it come out of people’s bodies with no harm? Much as a person’s appendix is a mystery organ with no value, the North American fire codes contain a similar useless bygone artifact. The omnipresent-but-never-used wired two-way […]
Commentary Unlocking the power of ESInets: Different NG911 provisioning approaches exist; level of control is key differentiator 7th April 2021 Next-generation 911 (NG911) systems represent a quantum leap forward for the public-safety community and the citizens that it serves. Internet Protocol (IP)-based and broadband-enabled, such systems are capable of considerably more than legacy 911 systems, which is why many emergency communications centers (ECCs) from coast to coast are clamoring to implement them. The broadband capabilities […]
Partner content Ransomware? Let’s call it what it really is: extortionware 21st February 2021 Just as the targets of these attacks have shifted from individuals to corporations, so too has the narrow focus given way to applying force and pressure to pay. No one needs reminding that ransomware has reached incredible proportions; one widely reported statistic from Purplesec suggests that $20 billion was paid out in 2020. That’s almost double its […]
Updated: How ‘sidelink’ peer-to-peer communications can enhance public-safety operations 1 27th February 2023
Verizon officials highlight role of 5G tech for responders during IWCE keynote dlvr.it/Slkh9n 30th March 2023
RT @IWCEexpo: 📽️ More sights from Day 2 at #IWCE23. It's been a fantastic start so far... Thanks to you! Tomorrow is another awesome spea… 29th March 2023
RT @IWCEexpo: Ildefonso De La Cruz Morales, Principal Analyst-Critical Communications @OmdiaHQ takes the stage and kicks off tonight’s Keyn… 29th March 2023