Motorola, San Francisco to build LTE public-safety network

Motorola Inc. and the city of San Francisco plan to build out a public-safety network at 700 MHz using LTE technology under a $50.6 million government grant. The award marks the first time the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has given money to fund a public-safety network.
The network will use an experimental license at 700 MHz to connect first responders throughout the greater San Francisco Bay area using new LTE equipment that will be backward compatible with Project 25 equipment used by public safety workers today. As part of the award, Motorola will contribute another $21.9 million in in-kind funding. The project will build upon Project Cornerstone, an LTE demonstration project in the Bay Area that includes almost 200 pre-existing sites. The network will also provide public access to schools, hospitals, libraries and community colleges, Motorola said, in addition to creating an estimated 1,315 jobs.
The project likely will be closely watched at the federal level as the Federal Communications Commission and Congress try to figure out the best way to equip first responders with mobile broadband access. Earlier this month, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) introduced the the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act. The bill would authorize the FCC to hold incentive auctions, allowing broadcasters financial incentive to return unused spectrum, similar to the FCC’s plans, which were part of the National Broadband Plan presented to Congress earlier this year.
“Motorola is proud to participate in one of the first projects for public safety funded by the NTIA,” said Greg Brown, CEO, Motorola Solutions. “The BayWEB project will directly address the many challenges that public safety faces in the Bay Area by providing first responders with a hardened public safety network that will be available in emergencies, natural disasters and catastrophic events, while also providing community anchor institutions, business and residential end users with affordable Internet access services.”