Report: FirstNet to Increase Adoption of Safe Cities

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — FirstNet, a high-speed broadband data network dedicated to public safety using a nationwide spectrum license, is expected to resolve the quality and capacity problems city surveillance wireless infrastructures have experienced, according to a new report from the IHS Security & Fire division.

Revenues in the United States for electronic security equipment in city surveillance applications totaled around $200 million with wireless infrastructure forming almost $80 million of that total and more than doubling to 2017, according to the “Safe Cities: Understanding the Market Opportunity – World – 2013 Edition” report.

Wireless networks have varied dramatically from city to city; the differences in quality and capacity of these networks can be very noticeable and affects how the city can use that network. For example, a very low-cost wireless network can’t stream video from an officer to a command center, or vice versa. However, FirstNet is expected to level the playing field for every city, offering some cities possibilities that did not exist before.

FirstNet will be built to public-safety grade standards using LTE wireless technology, and is a network that is defined, administered, and only relevant to the United States. However, if FirstNet proves a success in providing emergency service providers the first nationwide, high-speed network dedicated to public safety this will pave the way for other countries to follow a similar path, according to IHS.

Because first responders rely on land mobile radio (LMR) networks for mission critical voice applications, a key feature of FirstNet is the integration of LMR networks alongside the LTE voice capabilities. The integration is crucial in order for FirstNet to be successful, according to the report.

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