DHS announcement highlights Catalyst Communications Technology Innovations on display at booth 1618 at the premier conference for public safety officials
At the 2018 Association of Public Safety Communications Professionals (APCO) Conference in Las Vegas this week, Catalyst Communications Technologies, a leading provider of dispatch, interoperability and incident command solutions for critical communications, announced that they had been awarded a contract by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate for LMR / LTE Interworking.
Interworking will enable mission critical communications between First Responders using Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems and cellular devices over Long Term Evolution (LTE) Networks with push to talk applications. This contract is the result of an SBIR solicitation won by Catalyst in competition with other businesses. Catalyst’s experience and expertise with Project 25 (P25) technology, Broadband PTT, and interoperability using Internet Protocol makes the company uniquely qualified for the project.
The objective of this three-phase project is to investigate and develop a reliable, secure, and standards-based LMR/P25 – LTE Mission Critical Network (e.g. MCPTT) interworking service for both:
1) The different LMR systems in use today
2) The current LMR systems and new LTE systems being deployed, including FirstNet™
DHS S&T is interested in technology and solutions that take advantage of existing standards in P25 LMR and 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) LTE technologies to create seamless communications between users on these systems. As FirstNet™ continues to advance the schedule for deployment of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN), the need for a feasible Interworking solution between LMR and LTE radio systems is critical. Especially as users discover applications where push-to-talk on a mobile phone or other broadband device may be more practical and less expensive than LMR portable radios, this migration will need interoperability and dispatch systems that can ensure unified and reliable communications between First Responders who are using these different systems.
Catalyst Analytics Engine
Catalyst also announced that they had developed an Analytics Engine for their IP|Console™ and Propulsion™ line of Dispatch solutions that provides insights into dispatch operations to aid first responder dispatch centers. This new tool, included in new installations and for customers upgraded as part of their annual maintenance program, delivers a data and graphs package to help Dispatchers and Dispatch Center managers better understand their environment today, and how it evolves over time.
These powerful controls provide simple visual indications for understanding changes in radio traffic over time. As a tool that tracks call volume over time, this information can help Dispatch Centers load balance their work environment, identify resourceful dispatchers, and provide insight for planning additional (or reduced level) resources. These analytics can highlight radio system degradation before failures shut down communications.
Information about the new DHS Contract for Interworking, the Catalyst Analytics Engine, and a variety of other leading-edge technologies designed to support First Responders in their pursuit of Public Safety, can be seen and demonstrated at Catalyst’s booth 1618 at the APCO Conference Monday and Tuesday, August 6 & 7.
