Public Safety Networks from LTE to 5G

3Public Safety Communication Evolution

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 Public Safety Network and Emergency Communication Networks

Contemporary societies are constantly grappling with public safety issues such as terrorism and violence, as well as disasters within their communities. As such, law enforcement agencies and other first responder agencies are keen to establish communication networks that will aid in fast response to contain the public safety problem at hand as soon as is possible. To achieve this, most agencies have adopted public safety networks (PSNs), which are communication networks used in situations where a fast response is required due to an incident that risks the public safety of Americans. With the technological advancement today, the public safety agencies have upgraded their communications network to include gadgets such as hand‐held computers and mobiles that have an internet connection, equipping responders with personal devices for fast communication, as well as video cameras, among other things. To delve deeper into this concept, this chapter will explore the gradual change in PSNs from the traditional approaches to communications, and examine the new technologies that have permeated this realm, as well as their advantages.

As mentioned before, society is changing, perhaps proportionately with the technological advancement today. In the PSNs and emergency communications discourse, there have also been significant and visible changes. Before the internet era, ...