Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/74973
SPECIAL REPORT 3. Kenwood USA Corporation www.kenwoodusa.com Mission Critical Communications: Challenges & Solutions 3. Founded in the United States in 1961, Kenwood USA Corporation is the largest sales subsidiary of Kenwood Corpora- tion of Japan and is recognized by con- sumers and industry professionals for providing products known for quality, performance, and value. The company's Communications Sector is a worldwide provider of mobile and portable radios and custom systems to public safety, government, and commercial users. Kenwood's Project 25 Digital Hand- held Radios are designed for intuitive user interface, incorporating enhanced features for optimal voice and data performance, as well as advanced interoperability capabilities. Mark Jasin, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Kenwood USA Corp., concurred with the findings of both reports from a system technology perspective. He advocates putting a fact finding committee in place to in- vestigate all issues beyond the technol- ogy. "Law enforcement is incompatible with jurisdiction authorities, so how can the jurisdiction authorities be expected to homogenize a communications system? Enforce- ment would need to go 'national' before their communications systems could effectively do so," Jasin said. He added that a well-conceived 20+ year plan should be phased in to allow ac- ceptance and implementation. 4. Motorola Solutions www.motorola.com Motorola Solutions is a global provider of state-of-the-art communications solutions for commercial enterprise, government agencies and public safety. From high- performance data communications to mobile broadband and two-radio systems for narrowbanding, their interoperability technology solu- tions provide first responders with the flexibility needed in mission criti- cal situations. Paul Steinberg, Senior Vice Presi- dent and Chief Technology Officer for Motorola Solutions, believes public safety broadband will be a needed complement to the existing LMR voice systems that are so cru- cial in mission critical situations. He pointed out that several issues must 36 LAW and ORDER I July 2012 4. be addressed before a nationwide broadband network can operate on a level comparable to today's LMR networks. These include development of a broadband network with the same capacity and coverage of cur- rent LMR systems, and implementation of standards supporting the unique capabilities required of these technologies. According to Steinberg, group voice communica- tion (i.e., push-to-talk) will operate as an application that runs over the broadband network (unlike current LMR networks that are built spe- cifically to carry mission critical voice). Therefore, standards must be developed to ensure these applications are built openly for complete interoperability. He also acknowledges the communi- cation challenges facing public safety personnel, specifically communicating under adverse conditions from virtu- ally any location, and not only where commercial viability would dictate that a carrier provide coverage. "As the network is built and rolled out, it must be planned and constructed with the capacity and coverage demands of public safety in mind," Steinberg said. 5. Raytheon www.raytheon.com With a history of innovation spanning 90 years, Raytheon is a global leader in technology driven solu- tions for defense, homeland security and other government markets. Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mis- sion systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. T.J. Kennedy, Raytheon's Director of Public Safety and Security, agrees that legacy LMR systems will be in place for many years while the National Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) is rolled out. He believes it is critical to move to an open, standards-based platform for Public Safety Broadband while focusing on interoperability of new platforms and systems, as well as leveraging the new spectrum and bandwidth for improved safety and inter-agency communications and data sharing. He also believes that mission-critical voice will benefit from the new network when data traffic is moved from existing LMR systems to the more sophisticated dedicated Public Safety LTE systems. Although the NPSBN will pro- vide challenges during initial implementation to both data and voice, it will provide public safety stakeholders with the invaluable oppor- tunity to improve operations and safety with the new capabilities.