FirstNet, a high-speed broadband data network dedicated to public safety using a nationwide spectrum license, is expected to increase collaboration between emergency responders, a new report from the IHS Security & Fire division has found.
Revenues in the American market for electronic security equipment in city surveillance applications totaled around $200m, with wireless infrastructure forming almost $80m of that total and more than doubling to 2017. Wireless infrastructure in the past has been plagued with both quality and capacity problems, both of which FirstNet is expected to resolve.
Wireless networks in the past 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. A very low-cost wireless network can't stream video from, for example, an officer to a command centre, or vice versa. FirstNet will level the playing field for every city and for a significant portion of those will raise the bar, offering them possibilities that didn't 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 US. 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.
A key feature of FirstNet is the integration of land mobile radio (LMR) networks alongside the LTE voice capabilities because police, firefighters and emergency service personnel all rely on LMR networks for their mission critical voice applications. For FirstNet to be a success this integration was crucial.