By Lindsay A. Gross, Managing Editor When disaster strikes, satellite communications are extremely reliable because the only obstructions that can hinder operations are physical objects, said James Ramsey, president of MTN Government Services (MTNGS). “When traditional channels of communications fail at a disaster location, terrestrial networks either stop working or

  By Sandra Wendelken, Editor   A federal task force on public-safety broadband communications is in a developmental stage with the goal of providing continuous and direct input into the FCC's Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) to help ensure that the needs of the public-safety community are being heard, said

    By Sandra Wendelken, Editor   The nation’s first commercial Project 25 (P25) Inter Subsystem Interface (ISSI) system linking Harris and Motorola networks underwent testing earlier this week in Dallas. A Harris ISSI gateway linked the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Airport’s Harris P25IP 700 MHz system with the city

  By James Arden Barnett Jr.   As we approach the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, it’s sad that the lack of interoperable communications on Sept. 11 actually increased the loss of life and destruction on that terrible day. Sad also

  FCC officials agreed to answer technical questions submitted by MissionCritical Communications readers. Following are questions from readers and answers from FCC technical and policy experts.   Question: I have a mining company client that uses 72 MHz for crane and locomotive control. All of the narrowbanding articles I have

Following are comments we’ve received from readers about recent online and print news and articles. If you’d like to comment on an article, e-mail edit@RRMediaGroup.com .   In response to “ Dallas Tests First Commercial P25 ISSI System ” from July 21   Editor:   I’m curious to know if

    By Lindsay A. Gross, Managing Editor             Public-safety organizations nationwide are using smart phones in a variety of ways in addition to their mission-critical voice networks. Smart phones allow first responders at the scene of an incident to query criminal databases, receive dispatch information and incident reports, or

    By Mark O’Brien   Public TV and public safety share more than just the word public in their name. By now everyone knows that TV has converted to digital. What many don’t know is that digital TV (DTV) is still available over the air. Rabbit ears may have

  Although digital technologies are gaining a great deal of attention in our industry, in a recent survey of MissionCritical Communications readers, 73 percent of respondents said they use analog conventional networks.   Digital trunked networks are used by 38 percent of readers, followed closely by 32 percent who use

Following are comments we’ve received from readers about recent online and print news and articles. If you’d like to comment on an article, e-mail edit@RRMediaGroup.com .   In response to “ Smart Phones Augment Public-Safety Radios ” from June 30   Editor:   For public safety using smart phones, we