Technology evolves rapidly — and so do the challenges facing those operating mission-critical applications, particularly those in the power and utilities industries. These challenges include financial and legal constraints, varying regional laws, wireless spectrum limitations, equipment obsolescence and ongoing supply chain disruptions. For these organizations, keeping pace with technology trends and future-proofing their networks and devices is just as important as the businesses they run.
According to James Potter, director of strategic solutions at L3Harris Technologies, the company’s new MCX (Mission-Critical Services) portfolio, branded Two47, revolutionizes mission-critical communications by seamlessly converging voice, video and data on a secure, standards-based platform. A key feature is its ability to integrate legacy Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems with modern LTE networks, ensuring smooth transitions and sustained interoperability as technologies evolve.
For example, operators currently using LMR networks and considering a transition to private LTE can benefit significantly from L3Harris’ MCX solutions, which are designed to streamline this shift while maintaining full interoperability. These solutions enable organizations to implement advanced capabilities such as real-time GPS updates for asset tracking and high-quality video streaming without disrupting essential operations. By prioritizing mission-critical traffic over LTE networks, L3Harris’ solutions ensures reliable, high-performance delivery of voice, video and data, even during emergencies or periods of network congestion.
Additionally, the comprehensive integration of LMR and LTE networks creates a unified platform that connects radios, smartphones, tablets and PCs. This allows for smooth transitions and highly coordinated operations, ensuring all teams remain aligned and fully operational throughout the migration process. With this approach, organizations can achieve greater efficiency and adaptability while maintaining the strength of their existing communication systems.
“Leveraging this next generation in broadband systems, and convergence between the narrowband and broadband at the network level as well as the device level puts us and our customers in the perfect position to leverage the best of both worlds going forward,” said Potter.
Beyond convergence, the Two47 portfolio includes powerful components such as the Two47 Base Station — a compact, software-defined, cloud-enabled platform that integrates seamlessly with existing systems — and the Two47 Incident Command system, which delivers real-time situational awareness and automated alerts to enable informed decision-making during critical events.
Together, these solutions empower utilities and other mission-critical sectors to maintain robust, secure communications — even in the most demanding environments.
But, as Potter pointed out, the underlying technology alone isn’t enough to run mission-critical operations effectively. “Different agencies may find that one solution works better than another for their day-to-day operations,” he said, adding that these decisions are based on things like scale, capacity, regulatory environments and internal IT — and that’s why starting with open standards is so important. Doing so provides seamless integration, allowing different systems to connect and communicate effectively. Open standards enable seamless integration, allowing different systems to connect and communicate effectively. They also support flexible deployments, whether through ready-to-use turnkey setups or custom environments tailored to your operational landscape.
“Being a standards-based company ensures that we can connect these systems together,” he said, adding that full interoperability is achieved because the features are shared across the network.
Furthermore, system management is simplified, with intuitive tools that make multi-organization provisioning and end-user onboarding easier than ever. Coupled with an expandable infrastructure that grows with your operational needs—from local first responders to large-scale, multi-agency networks—these solutions provide a solid foundation for the adaptability and reliability that mission-critical operations demand.
That’s why Two47 solutions are designed to be open, adaptable and forward-compatible. By integrating easily with existing systems and offering modular, standards-based flexibility, L3Harris helps organizations build customized, scalable communications frameworks — ones that evolve with their operational and technological needs.
