WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2021) California first responders, including the National Guard and seasonal firefighters, will be issued 5G communication devices in a year-long trial of equipment that could later be deployed throughout the US, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) said on Thursday.
"The project has the potential to have emergency responders show up to any site with personal or government issued mobile devices and use networked applications such as push-to-talk voice, geolocation and live maps of their surroundings - all while outside the range of existing cellular networks," DIU Cyber and Telecommunications Director Jeff Kleck said in a press release explaining the project.
The first to arrive can simply bring the private network with them using a vehicle-mounted, backpack, hand carried or wearable node, the release said.
Radios are becoming obsolete and getting everyone a satellite phone is just impractical because of the expense involved, the release added.
DIU is partnering with the California Military Department to procure commercially available equipment for the project. If the year-long prototyping period proves successful, the system could be used for first responders nationwide and scaled to serve other Defense Department organizations, according to the release.
