Motorola Solutions has announced that it will provide mobile apps, software and services for the FirstNet network as part of its role on the AT&T team selected by the US government to deliver America’s first nationwide wireless broadband public safety network.
Motorola Solutions’ LEX F10 device (pictured right), which is specifically designed for public safety users, has been certified for the AT&T LTE network. The company will also deliver a suite of mobile apps, built specifically for the unique needs of public safety. Motorola Solutions says that the suite will work virtually seamlessly between the FirstNet network and land mobile radio networks (LMR) as well as other software and services that support and enable the new FirstNet communications capabilities.
The company’s mobile suite of mobile apps designed for public safety includes:
- Messaging, which lets first responders securely share text messages and photos with individuals or talk groups across smartphones and two-way radios, enabling faster communication and collaboration. For example, Messaging enables a user to send a photo to a voice talk group.
- Mapping, which enables location-based collaboration by showing nearby officers and quickly creating geo-fenced voice- or text-based communication groups with officers in the vicinity. It allows an officer to talk to another officer one block away – even if he doesn’t know the officer’s name.
- WAVE, the company’s push-to-talk (PTT) solution that lets smartphone users securely communicate with a simple press of a button. In addition to enabling groups of smartphone users to easily communicate with one another, WAVE also provides a “secure PTT bridge” with the narrowband radios police use today, enabling teams to communicate using push-to-talk across networks and devices.
- Telephony, which enables users to make secure, encrypted phone calls.
The apps are designed to work “better together” and interactions between the suite’s apps can take place without the user needing to return to the app launcher. Users can seamlessly move from app to app – for example, an officer can use Mapping to create a talk group of nearby officers, then quickly pivot to a voice conversation using WAVE.
“We’re proud to further strengthen our relationship with AT&T and continue our unique role supporting the delivery of FirstNet services to public safety entities,” said Bruce Brda, executive vice president, Products & Services, Motorola Solutions (pictured).
“We’ll work hand-in-hand with AT&T and first responders to help provide a new generation of voice, data and messaging capabilities for US public safety. Our solutions can help customers transform their communications into improved safety for Americans and for first responders. LMR and LTE networks will continue to coexist, and helping first responders bridge those technologies with interoperable solutions will be an important growth driver for our company.”
“Public safety is looking for advanced, interoperable communications and collaboration capabilities,” said Chris Sambar, senior vice president-FirstNet, AT&T Global Public Sector. “Working with Motorola Solutions and other key team members, we will help deliver broadband-enabled devices and apps that will be certified for use by public safety seeking FirstNet services.”
