Sprint and the Firstnet RFP

[bigsnake49]

Does anyone know how this will be done?

 

As in, will just one company win to build the nationwide network, or is it going to be built in geographic sections and multiple companies could win?

 

While states may elect to go it alone, the terms are pretty onerous. So nationwide it is. The RFP is out today.

Edited January 13, 2016 by bigsnake49

[centermedic]

While public safety is moving a lot of data, they arent going to suddenly jump into FirstNet head first and transmit all that data.  The biggest variable to public safety will be the cost.  First, will it even be viable to jump into the system?  If your data costs double or triple, how many are really going to use it?  Secondly, the hardware costs will be astronomical.  The major public safety solution companies like Sierra Wireless/InMotion, Cradlepoint, etc do not even have a FirstNet device out of prototype planning phases.  If the hardware comes out at cost of todays devices, you are looking at 1k per vehicle to adopt this new technology.  Many public safety agencies are still using 10 year old 3G hardware.  If they dont need video transmission or large amounts of wifi sharing, 3G serves most needs adequately.  And most dont need video transmission or more than 1-2 simultaneous data connections.

 

In all that sense, especially when you factor in hardware cost, Verizon certainly is going to have to fight to lose this bid.  They may as well have the deal in hand.  Verizon will have the clout to drive the hardware costs down to a degree if they can reuse them on the public side, and public safety agencies are not going to support a carrier move to anyone besides Verizon or ATT to begin with.

You make some very valid points. However, you over estimate the cost point or even where most public safety agencies are in regards to the level of technology that they field. Most large city agencies are using LTE along with "wifi bubbles" so that devices can wirelessly connect to their mobile system. Mobile data terminals have replaced the radio for a significant amount of communications. On the EMS side, video conferencing with Medical control is being tested as we speak. Finally, some systems use an IP based radio system. The question, in my mind, really is not how much data they are using today but how much they will use in the near future. All of this is going on in my system which serves one million people and fields 40 ambulances a day. Look at a city like New York which fields over 300 ambulances at any given time and suddenly the one or two simultaneous data connections does not seem very realistic. Could you imagine what would happen if law enforcement decides to do video conferencing to magistrates/judges. I really think this is similar to Field of Dreams. If you build it they will come.

[dstar2002]

You make some very valid points. However, you over estimate the cost point or even where most public safety agencies are in regards to the level of technology that they field. Most large city agencies are using LTE along with "wifi bubbles" so that devices can wirelessly connect to their mobile system. Mobile data terminals have replaced the radio for a significant amount of communications. On the EMS side, video conferencing with Medical control is being tested as we speak. Finally, some systems use an IP based radio system. The question, in my mind, really is not how much data they are using today but how much they will use in the near future. All of this is going on in my system which serves one million people and fields 40 ambulances a day. Look at a city like New York which fields over 300 ambulances at any given time and suddenly the one or two simultaneous data connections does not seem very realistic. Could you imagine what would happen if law enforcement decides to do video conferencing to magistrates/judges. I really think this is similar to Field of Dreams. If you build it they will come.

 

Full disclaimer, I am an active fire medic and also a product manager for a public safety software solution that utilizes in vehicle hardware for a variety of items, mainly avl/gps and CAD integration.  (You can PM me if you want to chat more).  I am extremely up to date on all this tech stuff in our underpaid/overworked world of public safety.  (I am sure you can relate)

 

That being said, I am referencing current hardware as PinPoint Airlink and Sierra MP series 3G modems (Sierra bought PinPoint).  Right now, a GX450 (4G) modem with antenna will run $900 at wholesale cost, typically MSRP going over $1000.  InMotion boxes, Rocket devices and Cradlepoints will garner double that.

 

There are very few services still using IP over radio connections, so I am discarding that, they are upgrading regardless.  Its the ones who already run late 3G hardware and 4G hardware now that will not jump into FirstNet.  It will be cost prohibitive.  I have a few clients that are well over 100 ambulances daily, some over 200.  They arent going to dump $200k into getting new modems unless FirstNet access is so cheap that the hardware pays for itself.  Everything is indicating that FirstNet access will be more expensive then traditional carriers for at least a few years, since it wont be a heavily used system (less users, higher cost, theoretically).  

 

I do think you are dead on, build it, they will come.  But, I think we are talking about a turtle pace just to get the system setup, and at least 3-5 years there after for main stream adoption.  With municipalities tightening all budgets and Obamacare knocking down ambulance reimbursement so badly on the medicare/medicaid front, these companies just dont have the cash to make big technology grabs like they did pre recession.

[centermedic]

Full disclaimer, I am an active fire medic and also a product manager for a public safety software solution that utilizes in vehicle hardware for a variety of items, mainly avl/gps and CAD integration.  (You can PM me if you want to chat more).  I am extremely up to date on all this tech stuff in our underpaid/overworked world of public safety.  (I am sure you can relate)

 

That being said, I am referencing current hardware as PinPoint Airlink and Sierra MP series 3G modems (Sierra bought PinPoint).  Right now, a GX450 (4G) modem with antenna will run $900 at wholesale cost, typically MSRP going over $1000.  InMotion boxes, Rocket devices and Cradlepoints will garner double that.

 

There are very few services still using IP over radio connections, so I am discarding that, they are upgrading regardless.  Its the ones who already run late 3G hardware and 4G hardware now that will not jump into FirstNet.  It will be cost prohibitive.  I have a few clients that are well over 100 ambulances daily, some over 200.  They arent going to dump $200k into getting new modems unless FirstNet access is so cheap that the hardware pays for itself.  Everything is indicating that FirstNet access will be more expensive then traditional carriers for at least a few years, since it wont be a heavily used system (less users, higher cost, theoretically).  

 

I do think you are dead on, build it, they will come.  But, I think we are talking about a turtle pace just to get the system setup, and at least 3-5 years there after for main stream adoption.  With municipalities tightening all budgets and Obamacare knocking down ambulance reimbursement so badly on the medicare/medicaid front, these companies just dont have the cash to make big technology grabs like they did pre recession.

I would love to talk to you about InMotion boxes. I should have added to my original post that I have no idea how much data these services are pushing presently. However, as we have both acknowledged, it is bound to increase. I think the push will be and always have been from the municipal providers. I am not quite sure why they have been so insistent about a national broadband setup (other than the new and shiny affliction). I have a meeting in the coming days that hopefully will clear it up for me.

I certainly see your point about it being more expensive than traditional carriers for the first few years. I am sure there will be a couple of municipal  test beds or maybe even AMR. Additionally, as Public Safety Departments outgrow their current service provider they may very well jump on board. Thats why I think, at least in the urban markets, there may not be much spectrum left over for the wireless provider.

[mhammett]

I don't foresee the carrier that builds FirstNet (if a carrier builds FIrstNet) using their own gear for it. I believe it will be a 100% dedicated network with the private sector sharing being facilitated through something similar to Clear\Sprint LTE sharing or RRPP sharing. It'll be native and the carrier will be jockeying data around, but there will be separate RAD centers, antennas, RRUs, backhaul, cores, etc.

[bigsnake49]

I don't foresee the carrier that builds FirstNet (if a carrier builds FIrstNet) using their own gear for it. I believe it will be a 100% dedicated network with the private sector sharing being facilitated through something similar to Clear\Sprint LTE sharing or RRPP sharing. It'll be native and the carrier will be jockeying data around, but there will be separate RAD centers, antennas, RRUs, backhaul, cores, etc.

 

I do believe that a carrier or a tower company in conjunction with a network vendor will build Firstnet. I do think that it will be a shared network at least in the beginning. I also think that if a carrier wins it, it will include an attractive offer to Firstnet to share the carrier's bandwidth in cases of overflow.

[bigsnake49]

Here's a great summary of the RFP:

 

http://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2016/firstnet-rfp-hits-the-streets-with-a-low-end-6-75-billion-price-tag/

[bigsnake49]

While LA RICS will not be part of the RFP, here was a small scale test of the system:

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/story/la-rics-declares-success-testing-public-safety-network/2016-01-18

 

It seems that both Motorola Solutions and Harris will be bidding.

[mhammett]

While LA RICS will not be part of the RFP, here was a small scale test of the system:

 

http://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/story/la-rics-declares-success-testing-public-safety-network/2016-01-18

 

It seems that both Motorola Solutions and Harris will be bidding.

Those companies live almost completely on government contracts. It would make total sense for them to bid.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[bigsnake49]

A pretty good critique of the FRP by Andrew Seybold:

 

http://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2016/the-firstnet-request-for-proposal-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

Edited February 11, 2016 by bigsnake49