FirstRunner: Mark Raczynski, Tim O’Connell demonstrate quick setup of versatile deployable solution 3rd April 2019 Mark Raczynski (left), General Dynamics Mission Systems’ product manager for public-safety deployable systems, and Tim O’Connell, Rescue 42’s president, CEO and CTO, showcase the capabilities of FirstRunner, a versatile, deployable LTE tower that is designed to be set up quickly–even in locations that other deployable solutions might not be able to access. Raczynski and […]
News Almost-final LMR licensing numbers show 2018 gains for enterprises, an all-time low for public safety 3rd April 2019 Overall LMR licensing activity increased slightly in 2018, with a gain in business-industrial licensing activity offsetting the second consecutive record-low year of public-safety licensing to narrowly exceed overall 2017 numbers. Despite this, the overall 2018 LMR licensing figures are the second-lowest mark this century. According to the FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) database, the FCC […]
News FirstNet Authority conducting public-safety outreach to inform reinvestment decisions in nationwide system 3rd April 2019 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS—Findings from outreach workshops with first-responder entities during the next several months will be used to help develop the FirstNet Authority’s roadmap that will outline the organization’s plans to invest about $15 billion into the FirstNet system during the next 23 years, according to a FirstNet Authority official. Last month, the FirstNet Authority […]
Video Texas Parks & Wildlife: Mike Mitchell contrasts communications demands, challenges in rural vs. urban settings 1st April 2019 Mike Mitchell, technology assistant commander game warden for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s law-enforcement division, explains some of the challenges his personnel faces in remote areas and difficult RF environments, including along the Texas-Mexico border. Despite these obstacles, Mitchell said his department is beginning to leverage mobile broadband applications and deployable solutions. Mitchell […]
Video Honeywell: Derek Case talks about in-building UL certification 1st April 2019 Derek Case, Honeywell’s global director of strategic marketing and program manager for the company’s BDA business in the Americas, talks about how Honeywell identified first responders’ need for in-building coverage and the company’s work to comply with the new UL 2524 standard. Honeywell also plans to develop solutions to help public safety have better […]
Video MCOP: Fidel Liberal details MCPTT progress, remaining hurdles 31st March 2019 Fidel Liberal, coordinator of the Mission Critical Open Platform (MCOP), talks about the organization’s development platform and provides updates on some of the key issues associated with the mission-critical-push-to-talk (MCPTT) standard, including proximity services (ProSe), group calls via eMBMS, and latency factors–even when 5G connectivity is available. Liberal spoke with IWCE’s Urgent Communications Editor […]
Commentary How 3D location can increase situational awareness and improve operational efficiency 29th March 2019 Public-safety responders put their lives on the line every day to protect citizens from threats of all kinds. For most of us, this dedication and effort is taken for granted, as it goes largely unseen. This is because police and fire departments—and other first-responder agencies—are committed to being responsive in emergency situations while ensuring that […]
Video ITEC: Walt Magnussen recaps highlights of Winter Institute, outlines future plans for event 29th March 2019 Walt Magnussen, director of the Texas A&M University Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC), provides an overview of this week’s Winter Institute, which provides a real-world environment for first responders to “experiment” with cutting-edge communications in a real-world disaster-response scenario, and outlines goals for next January’s event. The Winter Institute is conducted at the Disaster […]
Video Hydronalix: Jaime Lara, Ron Cipriani demonstrate capabilities of EMILY water drone 28th March 2019 Jaime Lara, an electrical engineer at Hydronalix, describes the functionality within the company’s Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard, or EMILY, which is being piloted by Ron Cipriani, EMILY production manager. EMILY can be outfitted with a host of radio technologies and sensors to provide first responders with key data points to aid a response effort […]
News AT&T FirstNet highlights new EPTT features, future promise of MCPTT 28th March 2019 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS—Push-to-talk services over the FirstNet system being built by AT&T already are being leveraged and more use cases are developing as the offering rapidly evolves toward a mission-critical-push-to-talk (MCPTT)-compliant solution during the next few years, according to an AT&T FirstNet official. AT&T’s existing enhanced push-to-talk (EPTT) product—a carrier-integrated product provided by Kodiak, which […]
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