Public Safety Communications Europe (PSCE) released a white paper addressing new 5G capabilities and potential benefits for public protection and disaster response (PPDR) users.

Mission Critical Partners (MCP) announced it will partner with the state of New Jersey and its Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP), through the Interoperable Communications Bureau (ICB), to support the state’s efforts with deployment of the nationwide public safety broadband network developed by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet).

Engineers at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) completed performance certification lab testing of environmental sensing capability (ESC) equipment. ESC are the sensors that will help enable dynamic sharing in the 3.5 GHz band between U.S. Navy radars and Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) devices.

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) efforts generally align with GAO's practices for effective interagency collaboration.

AT&T announced it is working with Cradlepoint to help first responders and businesses prepare for the evolution to 5G technology. Cradlepoint's latest in-office and rugged in-vehicle 5G Evolution routers are available only on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and AT&T network.

The acting CEO of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) laid out a new strategy for the organization through 2022 as it moves further into operational mode and the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) gains subscribers and coverage.

The FCC took steps toward a 5G spectrum auction in 2019 by adopting new rules around availability of high-band millimeter wave spectrum for the next generation of wireless connectivity.

The U.K. Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) released a contract notice for aircraft communications system (ACS) devices for the Emergency Services Network (ESN).

Seven new or reappointed First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) board members were officially sworn in Dec. 11 by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The board oversees the activities of FirstNet to ensure that its public-private partnership with AT&T continues to develop, build and operate a nationwide public-safety broadband network.

Officials from the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) hosted their U.K. counterparts from the Home Office 6 December.