LightSquared announced a plan to ensure the nation’s public safety community continues to have Push-to-Talk and other critical communications features that it has come to depend on as LightSquared moves to next generation satellite services.
LightSquared’s satellite network has played a critical role in federal, state and local public safety communications in emergencies dating back to 1996, including Hurricane Katrina and the recent series of devastating tornadoes that swept through Joplin, Missouri.
LightSquared’s next generation satellite service will continue to ensure seamless communications among multiple law enforcement and public safety agencies at the federal, state, tribal and local levels. These agencies have come to depend on the reliable interoperable communications capabilities that LightSquared provides.
As part of this plan, LightSquared will:
- Replace the current LightSquared public safety devices at no cost and continue to support older devices through 2014.
- Work with the public safety community to design next generation LightSquared devices that meet the rugged standards demanded by public safety workers who work in a wide range of hostile conditions and environments.
- Continue to support the Satellite Mutual Aid Radio Talkgroup (SMART) program on which public safety agencies nationwide rely to communicate.
LightSquared’s next generation satellite communications service will continue to have full interoperability with multiple public safety networks around the nation, a critical tool in national and local emergencies. Ubiquitous interoperable communications has been a goal of the public safety community for many years and was highlighted immediately after the 2001 terror attacks when first responders were hindered in their ability to coordinate with each other because they used incompatible communications systems.
