The Asia Pacific and Middle East regions have been among the most dynamic areas to do business, especially in the wireless two-way radio market. The regions comprise some of the most progressive and some of the poorest countries in the world.As 2014 came to a close, economic forecasts were improving and the need for two-way radio communications to support economic growth and public security needs was increasing, but challenges remain for the region.

The Department of Commerce Inspector General found that the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) confidential and public disclosure monitoring procedures were inadequate during its start-up years in 2012 and 2013.

Following are comments we’ve received from readers about recent online and print news and articles.

Bids for the FCC’s Advanced Wireless Services (AWS)-3 spectrum auction passed the $40 billion mark, doubling or tripling most analysts’ estimates.

BNS Enterprises, an affiliate of S&P Communications, purchased A&B Communications, a two-way radio sales and service provider based in Corpus Christi, Texas. A&B Communications is an authorized Motorola Solutions and Kenwood two-way radio dealer servicing south Texas and the Coastal Bend.

The Finnish TETRA operator, VIRVE, has identified steps to eventually offer critical voice and broadband data that will be delivered by a government-controlled hybrid of dedicated and commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks by 2030.

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and the nation’s largest wireless carriers agreed to a consensus plan designed to improve the ability to locate wireless 9-1-1 callers.

The Project 25 (P25) Steering Committee voted to publish four documents during its meeting last month in Denver. Most importantly, the committee approved a dynamic regrouping standard for the air interface.

Shortly after many public-safety agencies completed VHF narrowbanding, they discovered degraded coverage, particularly for analog paging systems. Volunteer and career firefighters who carried and relied on VHF paging were not receiving pages in places where they normally received them.

ASTRID, the Belgian TETRA emergency services operator, registered significant peaks in radio traffic during the WWI commemorative ceremonies held 28 October in West Flanders. The special security measures generated significantly more radio traffic than normal during the two commemorative events in Nieuport and Ypres.