As broadband technology continues to evolve as a primary form of public safety communications, a number of challenging situations have emerged that have limited access to reliable, end-to-end communications. The evolving role of satellite and high power devices offer significant improvements in challenging situations, but do not address the most challenging of environments such as in-building, heavily wooded, mountainous, vast rural and areas in which wireless networks may have been rendered inoperable. Sidelink technologies have been standardized within the 3GPP standards body to provide device-to-device capabilities in areas that lack network coverage, in areas where networks may have become inoperative, and in areas where satellite access may not be available. In addition to basic connectivity, public safety responders operating in areas without network coverage, there is a critical need for the ability to share data that will allow for the provision of a complete common operating picture. This session will focus on sidelink's non-proprietary, network agnostic and interoperable capabilities. This panel of nationally recognized experts will address the value of sidelink capabilities within the user community and the underlying technical features of the technology.

Takeaway

Filling the critical gap in broadband communications
Current standards efforts to facilitate sidelink
Spectrum related issues related to sidelink