Alcatel-Lucent trials 4G LTE public safety network in Las Vegas
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Alcatel-Lucent trials 4G LTE public safety network in Las Vegas

French vendor Alcatel-Lucent has completed a six-month trial of a 4G LTE public safety network in Las Vegas, US, with a view to rolling it out nationwide.

Alcatel-Lucent collaborated with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, as well as the Nevada Department of Transportation and a number of other emergency first responders on the trial, which used spectrum allocated to the First Responders Network Authority (FirstNet).

“For more than ten years, Alcatel-Lucent and Bell Labs have been promoting the use of open standards-compliant commercial broadband technology to build a nationwide interoperable public safety network,” said Fred Scalera, director of public safety strategies at Alcatel-Lucent.

“Our work with the departments in Las Vegas is another step closer to our country having that network.”

FirstNet facilitated dedicated 700MHz spectrum and the trial enabled real-time video, vehicle tracking and Wifi, among other data access and communication tools, meaning organisations could quickly and securely obtain and share emergency information.

Michael Barnbeck, director of the radio systems bureau at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said: “This trial demonstrated how an IP-based 4G LTE network can leverage resources and use officers more efficiently, through the use of an interoperable, high-speed mobile broadband network.

“Three separate critical first-responder agencies have the ability to access their own data and provide real-time sharing between dispatch and first responders at an incident.”

With Alcatel-Lucent’s Public Safety LTE solution at the centre of the trial, the company was able to deliver its ultra broadband and advanced IP networking functionality with flexibility and speed – a key element of its Shift Plan, announced earlier this year.


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