FirstNet to speed adoption of Safe Cities concept

FirstNet, a high-speed broadband data network dedicated to public safety using a nationwide spectrum licence, is expected to increase collaboration between emergency responders, a new forecast report from the IHS Security & Fire division has found.

Revenues in the US market for electronic security equipment in city surveillance applications totalled around $200m, with wireless infrastructure forming almost $80m of that total and more than doubling to 2017. Wireless infrastructure in the past has been plagued with both quality and capacity problems, both of which FirstNet is intended to resolve.

FirstNet will be built to public-safety-grade standards using LTE wireless technology, and is a network that is defined, administered and only relevant to the US. However, if FirstNet proves a success in providing emergency service providers the first nationwide, high-speed network dedicated to public safety this will pave the way for other countries to follow a similar path.

A key feature of FirstNet is the integration of land mobile radio (LMR) networks alongside the LTE voice capabilities because police, firefighters and emergency service personnel all rely on LMR networks for their mission-critical voice applications. For FirstNet to be a success this integration was crucial.

The IHS report entitled Safe Cities: Understanding the Market Opportunity - World - 2013 Edition, is a first edition report providing qualitative and quantitative analysis to identify where the market opportunities are for Safe City projects. The report explores the technologies and business models enabling Safe City projects, regional market drivers, and what the competitive landscape looks like.