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Hytera Communications said it expects its acquisition of Sepura to close on 24 May. The acquisition had been held up by reviews by several European governments.

Progress in next-generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) implementation is being made. Last December, the National 911 Program Office issued a 104-page report indicating that 21 states have emergency services IP networks (ESInets) deployed, with 10 of those states reporting that all of their public-safety answering points (PSAPs) are connected to an ESInet. An ESInet is a critical building block in the provisioning of NG 9-1-1 services, largely because it provides the underlying data transport network and the means of interconnecting PSAPs. Moreover, with an ESInet in place, public-safety agencies can leverage new and enhanced applications not possible with legacy 9-1-1 systems.

Motorola Solutions entered into an agreement to acquire Kodiak Networks, a privately held provider of broadband push-to-talk (PTT) technology for commercial customers. Kodiak partners with mobile network operators globally — including AT&T — to offer its cloud-based PTT solution and management platform.

Public-safety 700 MHz narrowband licensees are working to relocate their licenses from band 14 to other 700 MHz spectrum by end-August to make way for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) broadband network.

9-1-1 industry officials said they need help from Congress to ensure a timely transition to next-generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1) technology during a House communications and technology subcommittee hearing March 29.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims released a redacted version of Judge Elaine D. Kaplan's decision in Rivada Mercury's pre-award protest of the First Responder Network Authority's (FirstNet) contract award process, offering insights into the award process and the reasoning behind the judge's decision against the protest.

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) board passed a resolution Tuesday giving FirstNet CEO Mike Poth the authority to finalize the contract for a nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN). During the meeting, Poth said he would work to finalize the contract within the week.

Hytera Communications said it is “ready to respond vigorously to Motorola Solutions’ allegations” and is fully confident that Hytera will be vindicated in U.S. federal court, one week after Motorola filed complaints in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Hytera for allegedly infringing Motorola patents and stealing trade secrets.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled in favor of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) in the protest action. The FirstNet board will hold a special meeting to determine next steps.