Thales signed an agreement to support the state of North Dakota’s effort to build a statewide unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) network for safe beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.

Comtech Telecommunications reported operating results for its third fiscal quarter ended April 30 and provided an update on business developments.

A consortium of four U.K. police forces including Hampshire Constabulary, Thames Valley Police, Surrey Police and Sussex Police, operating as the South East Regional Integrated Policing Programme (SERIP), signed a contract with NICE to deploy its digital evidence management solution. SERIP will roll out NICE Investigate to more than 12,000 officers to streamline investigations and address the challenges of growing digital evidence.

Regional wireless carrier C Spire announced it is offering a free public-safety data priority service designed to help local and state emergency first responders send and receive critical mobile data communications during a crisis or natural disaster.

Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum represents a major opportunity for utilities, oil and gas companies, and other entities that operate mission-critical communications networks. Recent initiatives that call for grid modernization and digitization are driving critical infrastructure industries (CII) to move beyond their legacy narrowband communications and advance to private broadband solutions.

Druid Software, in collaboration with RF Connect and CommScope, deployed a Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)-enabled OnGo private 4G wireless network at Memorial Health Systems in Springfield, Illinois.

The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) began development of a new power standard to expedite the deployment of 5G, small cells and other distributed networks. The work addresses the need for a standard for remotely powering distributed devices that consume more than the 100-watt constraint identified by other industry standards.

As hurricane season begins, C Spire reminded consumers that they can receive free, location-based notifications on capable mobile phones under a national public-safety warning system designed to alert consumers during emergencies.

Polaris Wireless submitted a petition requesting the FCC to release an emergency declaratory ruling reaffirming the deadlines established in the fifth report and order on 9-1-1 location technology. Polaris said the Z-axis proceedings have reached a critical point that necessitates such clarity if the deadlines set by the commission are to be met. Polaris said the FCC should dismiss without prejudice the “alternative proposals belatedly and hastily advanced by certain interests.”

Basil “Bill” Pagones of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, passed away May 15 after a long illness. He was 81 years old. Pagones was the former Project 25 (P25) Technology Interest Group (PTIG) executive director and a friend and colleague to many involved with Project 25.