Current cellular mobility systems are designed and built for traditional terrestrial use. Public Safety however, responds using a variety of resources, including missions where airborne (manned and unmanned) and water assets are required to meet mission objectives. Public Safety aviation and maritime assets have used the existing broadband terrestrial coverage for many years, to the extent possible, to provide solutions in support of mission requirements. Yet traditionally, cellular mobility connectivity in these areas is based on best effort and not optimized for aerial and maritime use cases.

Recently, the FirstNet Authority began an extensive engagement effort with public safety to better understand the critical importance of leveraging the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (FirstNet), cutting edge industry technology and solutions to meet their aviation and maritime operational requirements. The case study is to capture and analyze Public Safety's experience in these challenging environments and make recommendations on how to best enhance the FirstNet experience to meet their operational requirements.

This panel will review the case study findings including feedback provided by Public Safety during recent engagements. It will outline the complexities of Public Safety's operational requirements today and their operational expectations for tomorrow's FirstNet suite of services and coverage. Additionally, the panel will discuss potential solutions to the issues and problems identified in the case study to highlight the efforts to work on next generation solutions for the aviation and maritime environments.