As noted in my previous blog, I moderated a Narrowbanding Panel at the APCO Annual Conference on August 21. Roberto Mussenden, the FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau point of contact for narrowbanding, pointed out that there has been a lot of progress by licensees. Both the total number and the percent of public safety licensees that are still licensed at 25 kHz-only operation have been more than cut in half over the last two years. However, there are still about 35%, or roughly 37,000, licenses in the FCC database that are 25 kHz emission-only licenses.
If you are one of these, you need to immediately submit to the FCC either (1) a license modification application to include 12.5 kHz or better emission designators, or (2) a waiver request to continue operating temporarily at 25 kHz beyond the Jan. 1, 2013 deadline. The only exceptions are 12.kHz or 6.25 kHz equivalent efficient systems that operate on 25 kHz channels. Roberto emphasized that last-minute waiver requests will “be viewed with skepticism and not likely granted.” He also urged licensees to check their license data in the database and advise the FCC licensing bureau if there are any errors. Finally, he let the attendees know that the FCC Enforcement Bureau will soon issue guidance reminding licensees of their obligation and of the FCC’s intent to aggressively enforce the mandate. That FCC Enforcement Advisory No. 2012-05 was indeed issued on August 22.
Tags: Motorola Solutions, Narrowbanding, FCC
Read MoreRecently I was lucky enough to receive a tour of the new Ronald McDonald House, now the world's largest, which opens officially on June 26 in downtown Chicago. The 14-story, 86-room facility at 211 E Grand includes “nurturing communal areas to provide a home away from home” for families of the patients seeking vital care at The Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.
Tags: Two Way Radios, Chicago Communications, Motorola Solutions
Read MoreWhat we discovered at this year's Motorola Channel Partner Expo
It was a momentous year at the Motorola roadshow in Las Vegas. Our yearly trek to understand products, goals and networking with colleagues really put a vision in our minds. As a follow up to my notes on the Public Safety (Future of the DBlock) aspect of the Motorola Expo this year, we also looked into the future with Digital Mobile Radio (DMR); and for Motorola this means MOTOTRBO. A technology that lends itself to gain two voice paths for one channel, it effectively doubles the ability of a customer’s radio system for voice traffic. In addition with Application Developers who write software to these radio platforms, we had a chance to review the concepts and systems that allow unique platforms such as GPS, Texting, Personal Location systems and Interoperability to be displayed in one location.
Tags: Motorola Solutions, Interoperability, MOTOTRBO
Read MoreThis video was made by Motorola Solutions, our premier partner in service, for a piece in the Motorola Road Show earlier this week. Chicago Communications was able to lend advice on the process of guiding customers to a system migration plan and how to implement this plan. As our Sales Director Tom Treichler says, "A lot of customers don't know they have the capability to go to the next level and it's up to us to educate them and tell the story of where they can go and show them the benefits of what they can do."
Tags: Motorola Solutions, Wireless Communication
Read More After returning from the IWCE tradeshow in Las Vegas (earlier this year), it appears that radio platforms are starting to have the ability to merge together. At a seminar held by Motorola, they presented the Motorola TEAM product. This product, although specific in application, allows for disparate systems to link together. The intent is to have one number, one voicemail. The concept links an IP based telephone system in your office with your handheld smartphone and your radio system all together.
Tags: Two Way Radios, Motorola Solutions, Tech Talk, Digital Two-Way Radios
Read MoreWouldn't it be nice if there was a simple way to give your employees all the tools they need to do their jobs and stay in touch no matter where they are? Well, now you can! Motorola's new Total Enterprise Access and Mobility (TEAM) product enables businesses to essentially convert their desktop system into a portable, pocket-sized device that their employees can use anytime, anywhere.
By integrating with your existing wireless LAN (WLAN) and PBX systems, the Motorola TEAM offers a single mobile platform for all of your office's voice and data services, including:
Tags: Two Way Radios, Motorola Solutions, Wireless Communication
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