As Land Mobile Radio phases out, Emergency Services Providers Get Ready for Push to Talk Cellular

People want the new stuff.

Whether it’s the new video game platform or the 2023 model cars, the new stuff captivates us with all the things we’ll be able to do that we couldn’t do before. But in the world of B2B technology, sometimes the wait can be costly.

Emergency services enterprises, for instance, have been waiting for new communications tools, and it’s a risky move that could be costly as the nation leans into the 2022 hurricane season, which is predicted by experts to be as active, if not more active, than 2021.

The problem is that the rate of new Land-Mobile-Radio (LMR) license requests dropped by 10 percent last year, and has been on the decline for years. Land-mobile-radio (LMR) licensing activity in both the public-safety and business-industrial sectors dropped by more than 10 percent in 2020 to establish new all-time low marks, based on data available in the FCC’s online Universal Licensing System (ULS) database.

But worry not. The new stuff is here.

According to a report by the International Wireless Communications Expo, push-to-talk cellular devices are the next wave of communications tech for the emergency services industry, eliminating the need for LMRs entirely.

“The maturation of push-to-talk-over-cellular (PoC) technology and carrier network options also is providing an alternative to LMR systems, particularly for certain enterprise sectors,” the report stated. “At the moment, LMR technology—notably P25—continues to be the dominant push-to-talk platform for public-safety entities in the United States, although sources have cited anecdotal evidence of entities delaying long-term LMR decisions so they can evaluate PoC options like mission-critical push to talk (MCPTT) and private LTE networks.”

One of the companies forging the PoC path is Siyata Mobile Inc. (NASDAQ: SYTA, SYTAW), a global vendor of Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) devices and cellular signal booster systems. The company has crafted a ruggedized push to talk device, the SD7. Recently, Siyata announced that the SD7 was certified and approved for use on FirstNet®.  Built with AT&T, FirstNet® is solving long-standing communications challenges faced by public safety entities and those supporting emergency response nationwide.

The SD7 is now FirstNet Ready®, which means first responders can use it to tap into specialized capabilities designed to meet their needs on FirstNet. This allows first responders to communicate with one another easily and quickly during everyday situations, big events or emergencies.

 “FirstNet® has been an early collaborator with Siyata, supporting our mission to be the global leader in the rapidly growing Push-to-Talk Over Cellular (PoC) industry. Their continued support is a testament to the high-quality products we develop and the clear benefits they provide to first responders,” commented Siyata CEO Marc Seelenfreund. “The SD7 is a next generation cellular technology aimed to disrupt the legacy $12.6 billion LMR industry and getting certified and approved for use on FirstNet® puts us firmly on the path to do just that.”

To that end, FirstNet has certified that the SD7 model is a ready-made to help solve emergency communication issues across the board.

“FirstNet^® devices and modules go through extensive review, so first responders can be confident that Siyata’s SD7 meets our highest standards for reliability, security and performance,” said Scott Agnew, assistant vice president, product marketing, FirstNet^® Program at AT&T. “The more tools public safety has access to on their network, the more we can help them achieve their mission.”

Before being certified and approved for use on FirstNet^®, devices are subject to hundreds of tests that cover a number of aspects, from security and durability to network impacts. This helps make sure that they can meet the needs of first responders. FirstNet Ready^® devices are listed on the FirstNet device page.

“The SD7 is exactly the device we have been waiting for to replace our radios and we are very excited to roll them out this month,” said Neil Rojas, Security Director at Fantasy Island Amusement Park in Beach Haven, New Jersey.