The Importance of Emergency Communications

Law enforcement agencies rely on seamless communications, so much so that the users themselves may at times take that connectivity for granted. When the technology does fail, what can be done to fix or replace it, and what steps can be taken to prevent similar outages in the future? During APCO 2025 in Baltimore this summer, James Clevenger, Director of Government Sales with Hughes Network Systems, which connects public safety agencies through its converged satellite-terrestrial 5G network, spoke about the importance of connectivity for public safety agencies and new technologies that will make it easier to communicate during an emergency.

“What makes it an emergency is that you don’t have access to the things you need. Power, communication, cell towers — because it’s been knocked out either by an act of God or a man-made situation,” he says. “But either way, you’ve got to react very quickly to replace it because first responders need to communicate, and the devices they use are getting better and are expected to do more.”

Planning for the worst

Clevenger says that one of the biggest things all agencies must do before they are presented with an emergency is “prepare, prepare, prepare,” noting that when it comes to public safety, he realizes he’s preaching to the choir. “You guys know that better than anyone. In all of your environments, both satellite and cellular are must haves,” he says. “One of the most important things is whoever your provider is, trust them and engage them early and often in your planning. It’s so important that we know your requirements and that you know our capabilities.” He stressed that the worst thing that could happen is for an emergency to occur and then have to communicate with a provider for backup service without a plan in place.

He also spoke about the emergence of ruggedized satellite transport cases that work off solar and give public safety agencies the ability to quickly bring satellite communications to a scene. “You can take it out to an environment and turn it on, and you’ve got everything you need.”

Emerging technology

Public and private 5G networks bring a lot to the table and are easily deployable, they’re low latency and they’re getting better in terms of video, according to Clevenger. “There are all types of use cases and they continue to become more and more popular and needed as we go on.”

He says existing technology, coupled with LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite has become a gamechanger. “It wasn’t that long ago that everyone was asking, what is this LEO stuff?” He says that the benefits of LEO are right in the name. “It’s just that. It’s closer to the Earth. The satellites are much closer to the Earth, and clusters of satellites are always moving. There will be many clusters, and the ability to go between them will become more important. People are using it for everything from primary networks, to backup, to mission-critical applications.”

He says that the difference between LEO satellites and traditional GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) satellites is that GEO provides a beam over a defined area of service and that LEO satellites provide worldwide coverage since the clusters will be moving around the globe constantly, giving users access no matter where they are.

A question Clevenger gets asked is how agencies can take advantage of the technology. “There’s unique hardware and software, and you need both to work together to make these satellite communications talk with 5G communications,” he says. “Whether it’s a private or public environment, these devices bond these technologies.”