The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) research branch this month completed its final series of operational pilot tests of radios that can operate on multiple bands to thus allow first responders to communicate across agencies and jurisdictions with a single radio.
The Multi-Band Radio (MBR) pilot began in 2009 and involved a number of local, state and federal partners involved in emergency response, shows that the technology works.
For the most part currently, handheld emergency response radios operate on a single band, which means first responders can’t communicate across agencies and jurisdictions, thereby necessitating the need to carry multiple radios or share them.
“Today, many state, local and federal emergency responders face communications interoperability challenges that could put lives at risk,” says David Boyd, director of the DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s Office for Interoperability and Compatibility. “Thanks to the participation and insights of our state, local and federal pilot partners, S&T’s new multi-band radio allows responders to communicate with other responding agencies and jurisdictions, regardless of radio band.”
DHS says that its MBR initiative helped spark industry development of the new radio technology that is now commercially available. For the latest series of pilot tests, which were used by various agencies involved in public safety, including the Coast Guard in Miami, the Chicago Police Department, and the Boise, Idaho, Fire Department, MBR radios were supplied by Harris Corp. [HRS] and Thales Communications, Inc., a U.S.-based subsidiary of Frances Thales.
For the pilots Harris supplied its Unity MBR radios and Thales its Liberty radios, which it designs and manufactures in Maryland.
Harris has already sold more than 20,000 multi-band radios to various customers including the Marine Corps. Thales also has been selling its Liberty radios, with customers in the U.S. military such as the Army and National Guard as well as public utilities, federal and local law enforcement agencies and local fire departments.
The market for multi-band radios is already growing, Greg Henderson, director of product management in Harris’ Public Safety and Professional Communications business, tells HSR. The pilot projects were important not only in demonstrating the interoperability of the multi-band radios work in large-scale events incidents, but also to show the customer and user base the value of the technology and how it can work in a large event and how it can help the mission, he says.
Multi-band radios are now being written into requirements whereas prior to the pilot project the weren’t, Steve Nichols, director of business development, DHS and Public Safety at Thales Communications, tells HSR.
Nichols says that for Thales that pilot projects were also important in helping the company refine its radio based on customer feedback obtained during the testing.
Demand for multi-band radios is good although budget pressures at all levels of government are impacting the ability of agencies to purchase the radios, Nichols says. The funding situation is improving but has not rebounded to the levels of just a few years ago, he says.
S&T hopes to complete a final report on its MBR project later this year and also plans to issue a procurement guide that will be designed to help public safety agencies analyze the various features and options to determine the capabilities they need for their specific jurisdiction. A spokesman for the directorate also tells HSR that with the conclusion of the pilot project public safety agencies across the country are now in a better position to begin acquiring the MBR technology.
As MBR technology advances, S&T in the future will look at ways to tie in broadband and data to the multi-band realm, S&T says.
In addition to being able to operate across multiple, noncontiguous bands, the MBR radios when authorized can operate in the Defense Department bands and two federal bands.
With the pilot project complete S&T transitioned more than 100 radios with the newest multi-band technologies to the 15 participating agencies.