How It Works Public safety and emergency response personnel have historically relied primarily on wireless communication systems which, in many cases, have proven to be inadequate due to reliability and limits on the amount and type of information supported by the communication mechanisms.
Communication methods utilized by public safety agencies and first responders are deficient in three primary areas: interoperability, capacity, and functionality.
- Interoperability – Interoperability is hampered by the use of multiple frequency bands, incompatible radio equipment, and a lack of standardization in repeater spacing and transmission formats.
- Capacity – The radio frequencies allocated for Public Safety use have become highly congested in many areas.
- Functionality – The amount and type of data that can be shared through communication mediums is limited with current solutions.
The West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation believes the WiMAX standard provides a means to address current problems with effective communications between first responders. The purpose of the RespondComm project is to research, define, design, develop, implement and test a WiMAX wireless network. This project will evaluate WiMAX technology as a stationary or deployable communications infrastructure for first responders.