Industry Predictions for the Coming Year
September 02, 2009
Ron Haraseth
Public-Safety Consultant
The communications industry is looking at some of the most significant changes in history, but we won’t notice them overnight. The degree to which current systems are imbedded and the outright cost and complexity of new replacement technology will dictate a slow evolution. Public safety has developed a core set of operational key elements over 50 – 60 years. The requirement for those core elements will not change, but how they are delivered will change. There will be a significant challenge for public safety and the wireless support industry at large. The disparity between “have” and “have-not” agencies will become a painful gulf that will be difficult to bridge.
John Johnson
Radio System Analyst
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA)
No, technology changes too fast. But I can hope that the FCC will make a decision on 700 MHz broadband, the price of Project 25 (P25) equipment will be reduced and that multiband P25 radios come into the public-safety market, and the Tennessee Titans win the Super Bowl.
Joe Blaschka
Consultant
Adcomm Engineering
Increasing user awareness of the upcoming FCC deadlines for narrowbanding should result in a significant increase in narrowbanding-related projects and equipment sales. The 800 MHz rebanding will be finishing up in much of the country with the border areas and a few other complex systems remaining. And 700 MHz may still not be resolved given the political and cost implications.
Ron Beck
Network Engineer
Central Lincoln (Ore.) People’s Utility District
The industry is facing some challenging and interesting times. The expectations that employees have for private radio systems is based in part on experiences with handsets and services that they use outside of their work environments. Blending the reliability track record of a utility’s private systems with the rich features of the wireless carrier’s systems will remain a challenge as we go forward. I’m looking forward to meeting that challenge and expect that many of my peers share that feeling.
Charles Dowd
Deputy Chief
New York Police Department (NYPD) Communications Division
NYC 9-1-1
I feel there’s a good chance the FCC will grant some 700 MHz public-safety broadband waiver requests. It would allow us to demonstrate our capabilities and share that with public safety in general. We can develop the right tools and right solution for public safety that we can share with folks. The next generation will be cops in the field pulling photos and sending fingerprints right from their devices. All of those things are coming.
For more on the Harris acquisition of Tyco, click here.
For insights on the Project CAP program, click here.
The most important FCC policies are discussed here.
For more on the future of LTE technology, click here.
The biggest communications issues facing users are discussed here.
Your comments are welcome, click here.
