Radio over IP promises effective solution for emergency communications

Few topics have garnered more attention in the wake of 9/11 and Katrina than emergency communication, and investors should regard this is a field fertile for investment. One example: Representatives from emergency response agencies across the United States championed the use of Internet Protocol (IP)-based voice emergency communication interoperability solutions, citing faster deployment, reduced costs, and dynamic compatibility with any communications system as the primary advantages. These expressions of enthusiasm for IP-based radio were voiced by emergency response representatives who convened for four separate panel discussions hosted by the Washington, D.C.-based COMCARE in May and June.

Government Technology reports that Radio-over-Internet Protocol, or RoIP, is already being implemented by the U.S. military and other government agencies to link disparate radio and telephone systems to allow for seamless communications. There are a number of competitive solutions, but they all convert the different over-the-air and wired communications protocols into the common language of Voice over IP, or VoIP, and then manage connections and call groups dynamically depending on the emergency.

“There are a number of sophisticated RoIP solutions available today that can solve local interoperability problems, and because they are all based on international Voice over IP standards it is relatively simple to connect these local systems together when the emergencies are larger,” said David Aylward, COMCARE director. “We hope the various government grant programs, including the special $1 billion plan this year for interoperability controlled by the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security, will adjust to this new technology”, he added. Aylward added: “Today we’re talking primarily about voice interoperability, but we can use the same transport, technology, and core services to enhance situational awareness using data sources as well as enabling voice conversations. And we can get this done in the near future.”

Most of the attention has been focused on communication interoperability, with less attention being paid to an equally important issues: Communication survivabilty and continuity. We will offer a detailed discussion of communication continuity in next Wdnesday’s issue, we will discuss an innovative solution from Rockville, Maryland-based TeleContinuity.