LightSquared announced a plan to ensure the United
State’s public safety community continues to have Push-to-Talk and other
critical communications features that it has come to depend on as LightSquared
moves to next generation satellite services.
LightSquared’s satellite network has played a critical
role in federal, state and local public safety communications in emergencies
dating back to 1996, including Hurricane Katrina and the recent series of
devastating tornadoes that swept through Joplin, Missouri.
LightSquared’s satellite service will continue to ensure
seamless communications among multiple law enforcement and public safety
agencies at the federal, state, tribal and local levels. These agencies have
come to depend on the reliable interoperable communications capabilities that
LightSquared provides.
As part of this plan, LightSquared
will replace the current LightSquared public safety devices at no cost and
continue to support older devices through 2014.
Work with the public safety community to design next
generation LightSquared devices that meet the rugged standards demanded by
public safety workers who work in a wide range of hostile conditions and
environments.
Continue to support the Satellite Mutual Aid Radio
Talkgroup (SMART) program on which public safety agencies nationwide rely to
communicate.
For police, fire and rescue, satellite communications is
a critical backstop when traditional networks go down or become overloaded by
demand during natural disasters and other emergencies. Public safety depends on
satellite communications when other networks fail, and LightSquared’s
investment in Push-to-Talk will literally help save lives in coming years,”
said Bob Spieldenner, director of public affairs, Virginia Department of
Emergency Management.
LightSquared’s next generation satellite communications
service will continue to have full interoperability with multiple public safety
networks around the nation, a critical tool in national and local emergencies.
Ubiquitous interoperable communications has been a goal
of the public safety community for many years and was highlighted immediately
after the 2001 terror attacks when first responders were hindered in their
ability to coordinate with each other because they used incompatible
communications systems.
In an emergency, the last thing public safety workers
should have to worry about is their ability to communicate with each other.
That’s why LightSquared is committed to the SMART program, ensuring that the
men and women on the front lines have communication devices that connect them
to each other or to a federal agency thousands of miles away,” said Sanjiv Ahuja,
chairman and chief executive officer of LightSquared.
In addition, LightSquared has formed its own Emergency
Rapid Response Team that is prepared to travel to troubled areas to assist
first responders at the local, tribal, state and federal level with interoperable
satellite communications.
By Telecomlead.com Team
editor@telecomlead.com
