Chicago, IL, July 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First responders have a new wireless solution that enhances mission-critical communications services. UScellular and Tango Tango are teaming up to expand radio reach, enable agency collaboration and extend the life of land mobile radio (LMR) systems for public safety officials.
UScellular’s wireless network and the advanced networking, mobile, and cloud technologies from Tango Tango, help expand the coverage and capabilities of a traditional LMR system ideal for push-to-talk services used by police, fire and emergency operations…
Department of Homeland Security teams are working to make aging IT infrastructure interoperable and ready for 5G emerging technology.
Norman Speicher was looking at colleges in Boston, Massachusetts, with his daughter when he made a 911 call on behalf of someone who suddenly fainted. His phone connected to a cell tower on the south side of the city, and algorithms routed the call to the wrong dispatch center, as the dispatcher informed him. This delayed help by four or five minutes.
The episode illuminates some of the interoperability cracks in computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems between 911 call centers, first responders and law enforcement…
Four key phases exist in a VoIP project: assessment, design, procurement, and implementation. An independent consultant can bring you an unbiased perspective throughout the journey by identifying potential bottlenecks, estimating budgets, determining what needs to be upgraded or replaced, and developing a set of system requirements to ensure a competitive bid process and smoother implementation. Here, I’ll share an inside view of how to make the most of each phase of the VoIP process—giving you a taste of the value a consultant brings to the table.
VoIP projects typically take six to 12 months to complete, and engaging an outside expert to handle the process takes a burden off your IT department. The consultant can work as part of the IT group, performing many of the tasks necessary to complete critical phases while still allowing oversight from the project team… READ MORE
AUSTIN, Texas, July 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — In 2012 Joan Lantz called 9-1-1 on her cell phone. She died in her apartment in Rock Hill, South Carolina because 9-1-1 operators could not locate her. In 2020 Sheila Sheppard died in her Washington DC residence because the address of her emergency did not appear on the 9-1-1 operator’s screen. Every year there are countless tragic stories like these. Over the past 10 months calls to 9-1-1 have increased dramatically to exceed pre-pandemic levels and over 80% of those calls are from cell phones; as a result an increasing number of Americans are becoming aware of a serious problem. When 9-1-1 is called from a cell phone the call taker does not receive your address, 9-1-1 doesn’t know your location. Even in ideal circumstances where there is a high density of cell towers and the most advanced public safety technology, 9-1-1 can only identify that you’re in an area ranging from 25,000 to 27,000,000 square feet. Real Safe 911, a new app and system from Real Safe Brands, has solved this critical location issue. When you call emergency services using Real Safe 911, the 9-1-1 operator will automatically receive your current address. Real Safe 911 works over the existing 9-1-1 infrastructure, and with every 9-1-1 system in the US and Canada… READ MORE
North America’s leading 9-1-1 standards-development body today approved a landmark new version of its Next Generation 9-1-1 standard, a move that will accelerate the transition to smarter, faster, and more resilient emergency response. Version 3 of the National Emergency Number Association’s (NENA) i3 Standard for Next Generation 9-1-1 includes key updates to NG911 infrastructure, paving the way for interoperability on a national and international scale.
“This is a landmark moment in the evolution of NG911,” said Gary Bell, ENP, President of NENA. “The public-safety community and the tech industry now have the most up-to-date, comprehensive, consensus-driven, open standard for NG911. This will no doubt hasten and strengthen our push to see NG911 systems, services, and products deployed coast to coast.” … READ MORE
We will start this Advocate with an introduction to the “No Noise Task Force” (NNTF), which operates under the auspices of the Safer Buildings Coalition (SBC). The NNTF will be investigating in-building communications, primarily for the public-safety community, but also for all of us who need to communicate while inside buildings. Then we will look at eight approved vendors for Push-To-Talk (PTT) over FirstNet and give a nod to Next-Generation 9-1-1 (NG911).
The Need for In-Building Wireless Communications
Over several decades, organizations, companies, people, and first responders have transformed the way we communicate. Today, we have robust fixed and wireless broadband systems, most of our smartphones and tablets are connected wirelessly, and 80% of all calls received by Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) are delivered through wireless devices and networks…
Learn about current efforts to continue to protect the 4.9 GHz Band for public safety as well as recent filings, key decisions impacting these efforts, and how you can support PSSA’s initiative to protect the 4.9 GHz band for public safety.