Here is the thing, most public safety entities can’t rely on private wireless because they need a wide coverage area. I can tell you what I have seen in the real world, but for the most part public networks have caught up in speed, meaning they have a way to connect in a more reliable fashion. Will they still account for dead zones? Of course. 

Also, a competitor to any private network today is FirstNet and Verizon’s public safety packages. They work very well using 4G and 5G. Bodycams can connect reliably using either the carrier’s network or they can connect to the vehicle on a limited network connection.

We used to create limited private networks for remote command centers, like when they pull up the swat vehicle or an RV that is converted to a command center. We had antennas on the roof to create a local network that was reliable and could connect first responders to the command center and if need be, to a backhaul connection, usually satellites. Today we have Starlink to make it easier. 

When you read this, you will think I am pessimistic about several of these solutions. I just want to give you perspective that there are flaws in private networks for first responders. I don’t say this to shut you down, but maybe offer some advice so you don’t repeat the mistakes I have made. I used to work in public safety and they have a different list of priorities. Sure, budget matters and is still the number one roadblock to many advances. However, they need reliable communications. Good enough will not work. Many of these guys’ lives depend on solid coverage, and I mean their lives! 

I remember working with a sheriff who seemed to be about 7 feet tall. However, he was the nicest guy. Super intimidating in the uniform when he stood next to you, but a great guy to work with. When I was in public safety he told me a story about the radio coverage he had. These radios were trunked Motorola radios. 

The sheriff was once going in to talk down a suicidal person. He didn’t think much of it and a protocol was to have his mic open and radio on talk so his partner could listen in. His partner waited by the car and listened. You can guess this, but the radio’s coverage died the minute he walked in the building. The partner didn’t hear a thing, and the suicidal person turned the gun on the sheriff. Luckily, the sheriff was able to grab the gun and talk the suicidal person down. Then he cuffed them and walked out. Meanwhile his partner was calm and asked how it went. As you can guess, the sheriff was angry because he had no backup and was lucky to get out alive. He literally started yelling at his partner. 

Then, the next day, he started yelling at his radio guy. Then they called us to add another radio. We were able to find a site on township land, get a shelter, and install the radio with midband backhaul in about a month. Good things can happen after a life is threatened. 

Then we went back to that apartment building and tested it inside, at the Sheriff’s request, and made sure our radio tests worked. All of us went together to make sure and test inside, outside, and in rooms. 

And that is why public safety is critical. 

Let’s look at what public safety could be asking for. 

1. Video monitoring. This is allowing law enforcement to put cameras anywhere and connecting them with a wide area secure network. They’ve been doing this for some time but now they can expand even more. They may not need power due to the advances in solar and battery. We’ve even put some on lifeguard chairs in California to cover the beaches. Yes, solar and battery life is not all it’s cracked up to be but it’s better than nothing. All I am pointing out is that if you’re creative you can solve a lot of problems. We already put cameras on poles and rooftops. Even in some businesses that grew to have a camera in their windows or on their signs. All that public safety needs is a wireless signal. It’s been a success for this use case.
2. Disaster response using drones. They use this today without a larger network and it works very well. Imagine if they could go farther and capture more live video immediately. It’s a use case that could help emergency responders if they have the network to support it.  I think that if they could get drones on a public network, maybe using FirstNet, it would make more sense. You never know where emergencies will happen. 
3. Broadband Access has been a key factor, the thing is, that’s why FirstNet was formed. They never built anything, they just managed spectrum and handed it off to AT&T to give first responders priority access. While this may not seem like a big deal, when emergencies pop up they can quickly overwhelm any site within an hour. Then the first responders have to rely on their network which is normally voice only. Today we need broadband. So, FirstNet seemed like a good idea. However, it’s competition to any private network that may cost a lot of money for very limited coverage. 
4. Peer to peer communication is something first responders already have. They have reliable systems, even if they’re over 10 years old, some may be 20 or 30 years old. However, budgets are tight so if they can offer reliable voice communications then so be it, let it ride. However, today police rely on broadband, tests, and getting reports to a device in the field. The old systems can be very limited, but they have great coverage and that is where many public and private networks fall short. It takes a lot of planning to offer blanket coverage, oh, and a ton of money. Reliable peer to peer communication is always a priority. 
5. Emergency temporary networks have been a thing for a long time. Here is how that works. You offer a network in a box, meaning 4 or 5 access points that the first responders can pull out in a command center and pop up in very short notice. I have built many of these for Wi-Fi and PLTE. They work very well and pop right up. However, it is not always too easy to bring online. Wi-Fi is by far the easiest. I think P5G would be a challenge to pop up on a moment’s notice in the middle of nowhere. If you can pull this off, it works very well and is needed by many local emergency responders. The reason for the local network is to give priority to the first responders devices without worrying about the network being overloaded. Today we have FirstNet which is supposed to overcome that issue. We’ll see when it’s tested. They still rely on the AT&T network to operate. 
6. Indoor networks to give coverage and priority to the first responders. Today there are requirements to put DAS in for fire responders. This is an ordinance almost everywhere, ask any developer. They have to make sure they have coverage in the building on every level including the stairs. Even with the testing, it still had dead zones, I see it all the time. The fire network is generally the local 2-way or trunked radio system. If you are at a venue, this is where they want to have more than DAS and perhaps a first responder network with priority access. This is expensive to do, so it has to be allocated under public safety. I thought FirstNet would start putting these networks in, and maybe they are but I haven’t seen any RFPs coming out. I was hoping that this would be required to be added to new construction and venues. 
7. Secure connections to control city lights, traffic flow, and other things to open roads for first responders. Maybe connect to city cameras in real time to see the traffic flow.

I often wondered why a national public safety network was never built. I know you will point at FirstNet, but come on, that is AT&T with FirstNet spectrum given priority. It’s not a dedicated spectrum, just prioritized for first responders that pay for it. 

You may not remember this or even been around, but when Nextel was bought by Sprint, Sprint had no idea what to do with it. You see, Sprint had a CDMA network and Nextel had an iDen network. After Sprint had taken over Nextel, which meant they had to buy Nextel Partners which was a scattering of entities that owned the Nextel spectrum and networks in the suburban and rural areas, it was a huge investment. 

Oh, not to mention there were no synergies between the two technologies. CDMA was a common 3G cellular platform and Nextel’s iDen was a proprietary Motorola platform. You could not merge the technologies together without a complete overhaul. The fact that iDen was eventually sunset by Motorola lets you know that iDen had a limited lifespan.

So, like any company, Sprint moved the customers over to CDMA and anyone who had NexTel lost their beloved Push-to-talk (PTT) feature. 

I bring this story up because Sprint tried to sell off the iDen network as is, maybe making money off this terrible mistake. Their primary customer was the US Government to set something up like what FirstNet set out to do, provide national coverage with both phone service, texting, and PTT. At the time, it made a lot of sense. I am not sure why the feds would not buy it but I am assuming Motorola would not commit to supporting it for the next 20 years. Every public safety entity wanted this at that time because the Motorola P25 trunked radio was very popular at that time. 

 Told this story because today responders have to decide how to move ahead. They have been using the carriers for some time but with shrinking budgets and trunked radios looking more and more like a thing of the past, they may have to make some hard decisions soon. 

The reason they stick with their radios is because they’re reliable and react immediately. They usually have some type of redundancy built in. They have also been running, in most cases, for well over 10 years. Most are paid for and have been for years. Today’s budgets may not allow a system to be upgraded or replaced. 

The downside for LTE or 5G are the ongoing costs to operate a core. These guys struggle to pay for maintenance and repair. With FirstNet they have one more monthly expense to cover. They have a serious dilemma because their technology may be sunset someday and they won’t have the budget or time to do anything else. 

More:

• YouTube
• X formerly Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Wade Sarver Personal Blog
• Facebook Groups
  • Tower Climbing Careers
  • America’s Tower Hands
  • Tower Climbers Backpage

Offers available:

• Need unlimited mobile service for a good price? I use Visible and I like them. Think about Visible. Check out this deal https://www.visible.com/get/?ZHfvq, not too shabby.
• Looking for a new credit card? I have an Amazon Prime card because I get 5% on Amazon purchases along with 2% on restaurants and gas and 1% on everything else. I love it! Use this link to get one.

Small business owners: Looking to sell or merge? I have partners looking to partner with small tech & IT businesses. Details:

• Looking for companies in IT, Fiber (indoor or outdoor), wireless, Wi-Fi, FWA, Venue or DAS.
• Looking for owners ready to sell or retire.
• Smaller companies, maybe 4 to 15 employees.
• Concentrating on the East coast, but open to US based businesses,
• Email me at wade@techfecta.com.

Looking for financing to grow, expand, or purchase a business? I have a partner who can help:

• Who they can help:
  • US based,
  • Someone looking for $10M and up,
  • Needing to grow, consolidate, or merge,
  • Email me at wade@techfecta.com.
• About the Investor;
  •  Made 155+ completed transactions,
  • $2.4B+ deployed,
  • $1.4B of assets,
  • Focused on Technology, IT, and Wireless,
  • Been around over 15 years.

Update on next book! I am putting together a new book on Private Wireless Networks. Hopefully by the end of the month.