News New alliance calls for allocation of public-safety 4.9 GHz spectrum to FirstNet Authority 6th August 2020 Public safety should retain control of its 50 MHz of 4.9 GHz spectrum—airwaves that the FCC is considering for at least some commercial use—through an allocation to the FirstNet Authority, according to the newly formed Public Safety Spectrum Alliance (PSSA). “We’re concerned that public safety is going to lose spectrum that we might need,” Jeff […]
News Florida selects firm to plan statewide communications system, hopes for 2021 procurement 5th August 2020 State of Florida officials hope to begin the procurement process for an upgraded Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) by the middle of 2021, according to sources associated with the state’s Department of Management Services (DMS). Virginia-based consulting firm Federal Engineering has been selected to lead the planning for the upcoming SLERS procurement, which is […]
Audio Verizon: Bill Bratton talks about Advisory Council, upcoming Virtual Town Hall 4th August 2020 Bill Bratton, who has led police departments in New York, Boston and Los Angeles during a career that spanned five decades, discusses the impact that technological evolution has had on public-safety communications and operations. Currently the executive chairman of Teneo Risk Holdings, Bratton also chairs Verizon’s First Responder Advisory Council (VFRAC), which was established […]
Partner content Huawei customer working on AT&T’s FirstNet buildout 3rd August 2020 AT&T confirmed to Light Reading it selected Union Wireless to build FirstNet services for public-safety users across rural Wyoming. “Union will help build out additional LTE coverage across rural communities, adding Band 14 spectrum and AT&T commercial LTE spectrum bands to cellular sites,” an AT&T spokesperson wrote in response to questions on the topic. Union […]
News Horowitz cites FirstNet adoption during COVID-19 pandemic, expects momentum to continue 31st July 2020 Public-safety entities are increasingly willing to adopt the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) being built by AT&T—particularly as first responders recognize its value during the COVID-19 pandemic, FirstNet Authority board Chairman Ed Horowitz said this week. Horowitz said he believes FirstNet reached its “tipping point” last December, when AT&T reported more than 1 million FirstNet […]
Partner content Six big questions about the FCC’s $9 billion fund for rural 5G 31st July 2020 The FCC wants to dole out $9 billion to finance the construction of 5G networks in rural areas of the US. Naturally, the devil is in the details. Should the agency require participants in the program to build speedy 5G networks, or are slower networks OK too? Should satellite providers be allowed to receive money from the […]
News Unlocking telehealth benefits hinges on data integration 31st July 2020 While telehealth has seen unprecedented growth in the first half of 2020, its continued popularity will depend in part on the availability of expanded remote patient monitoring capabilities. Even though scores of internet-connected health and medical devices have been developed, they frequently haven’t been incorporated into routine clinical care. “The ability to integrate [remote health […]
Partner content SpaceMobile deal could kill all of AT&T’s dead zones 31st July 2020 According to SpaceMobile, AT&T is putting the final touches on an agreement with the startup that could allow the operator to connect its customers’ existing phones directly to SpaceMobile’s satellites. If the service works as promised, the result could essentially eliminate all of AT&T’s 4G and 5G dead zones with the flip of a switch. A […]
News EMS, healthcare solutions highlighted in latest Verizon 5G initiative 29th July 2020 Applications designed to aid healthcare and emergency medical services (EMS) outcomes are the focus of current testing in Verizon’s 5G First Responder Lab that is scheduled to extend through the end of the year, according to a company official. Nick Nilan, Verizon’s director of public-sector product development, said the company’s previous work in the 5G […]
News FirstNet tops 1.5 million connections, 13,000 agencies, according to AT&T 24th July 2020 FirstNet is supporting more than 1.5 million connections that are being used by more than 13,000 subscribing agencies through June, representing an adoption rate that likely doubles the number of FirstNet connections reported at this time last year, according to figures released today by AT&T, the nationwide contractor for FirstNet. AT&T CEO John Stankey cited […]
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? 3 24th March 2024
Video Check out key takeaways from Disaster Management Symposium webinars, register to view archives Video: Opening of the Expo Hall on day three of IWCE 2023 Lynk CEO Charles Miller: The sky’s the limit
