Public Safety Advocate: Too Early for LMR vs. FirstNet Rhetoric
It appears as though the more public safety agencies join FirstNet the more those following the progress as “outsiders” (not public safety personnel) are making noises about how FirstNet will “soon” become the only public safety network needed. It is not clear why vendors, pundits, and researchers are pushing this model. It is clear why elected officials in Congress, the states, and local jurisdictions are promoting the one network approach: They want to stop funding existing Land Mobile Radio systems (LMR) that are currently the nearest thing public safety has to mission-critical networks.
Further, some in Congress seem to believe LMR spectrum below 470 MHz can be auctioned for lots of money. I am not sure why some think LMR spectrum is so valuable when it has already been proven that the T-Band 470-512 MHz spectrum used by public safety in eleven major metro areas is not worth much when it comes to auctions. If we continue to allow those who believe giving up the LMR spectrum and putting all of the public safety community onto a single radio system is both the most prudent and economical way forward, we are missing the real issue: What, exactly, are the public safety community’s requirements (not our view but theirs)? We need to let those using the communications networks decide what and where one or both networks will be needed. As I have said before, simply because a technology appears to be ready for prime time, unless it is something the public safety community believes it can trust lives to, it won’t be adopted as the only public safety network regardless of what others say.
I bring this subject up because of the number of related sessions and panels at the recent IWCE conference in Orlando, articles in the trade press, and planned for the upcoming PSCR event in San Diego, the APCO conference in Las Vegas in August, the International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP), and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). Technology in the United States, at least, has a tendency to get out ahead of the need or is looked at by those whose smartphone is bonded to their hand, that everything needed in the way of communications can be found either on the smartphone or over the network that powers it. Yet the reality is that while FirstNet is making great strides there are still some limitations with LTE and FirstNet that have not been solved or that have, perhaps, been solved but have not been proven in real-world testing and operation.
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Thinking Different Guide - Innovation Instigator and Agitator@ Strategyworks LLC, I offer "Thinking as a Service".
6 年If Public Safety does not fight tooth and nail to keep P-25 and continue to push for the evolution of LMR, it will find itself with out communications one day. Firstnet is a great enhancement to public safety capabilities but its not the bedrock. LMR is.
Chief Revenue Officer @ EF Johnson Technologies, Inc. | Wireless Communications, Public Safety Systems
6 年It seems we have been at this intersection before. In the mid 90’s, as Project 16 was picking up the pace with the first digital LMR systems, the concern was that Nextel may compete and even overtake the LMR technology for Public Safety communications. Nextel’s technology was a lot closer to the functionality of talk groups and dispatching in Project 16 LMR systems than 4G/LTE is today in relation to Project 25 LMR systems. Public Safety LTE technology for FirstNet will have operational capability to meet now entrenched Project 25 LMR standards; however, the gap exists ranging from robust P25 system RF coverage specifications, multilevel network redundancy to mutual aid and talk groups management. In our Public Safety market, we need broadband technology from FirstNet to offer much needed voice, data and video convergence through a high-speed network. This will help State & Local governments to modernize information and communications infrastructure from records management systems, operational analytics to public safety applications such as incident/crash reports and electronic citations.
Solutions Director, PM, RF/PIM Interference, DAS, Small Cell
6 年Seems to me one network complements the other. Some level of redundancy in a life and death situation is always a good thing. Many smaller departments don’t have much infrastructure to begin with but larger one certainly do. I have never been comfortable putting all your eggs in one basket when it comes to Public Safety communications. That’s from someone who’s worked LMR, E911 and cellular for a long time.