The IWCE 2020 conference featured 48 breakout sessions on everything from broadband to deployable networks, and even featured keynote speakers such as former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. In his keynote address, Fugate addressed hundreds of virtual attendees on an area of critical communications emergency management agencies often overlook: interoperability with

Dismounted warfighters and first responders carry all of the communications and situational awareness tools they need to coordinate activities with their teammates and superiors, request for assistance when in trouble, and maintain knowledge of what’s happening in their area of operations and location.  As communications technology becomes more and more

Mobile mesh networks provide device-to-device connectivity when centralized infrastructure is either unreliable or unavailable. Whether each network “node” is mobile or not, the defining features of mesh networks — decentralized, infrastructure-less, routing over multiple “hops” — have manifested themselves over the last several decades in different forms, for different applications,

The Last Mile Podcast features in-depth interviews with operators on the front lines of remote and austere missions around the world. Rafael Bobe, owner of LCG Holdings in Puerto Rico, knows the value of reliable and resilient communications networks. He was on the ground during Hurricanes Irma and Maria in

Tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters cause frequent damage to centralized cell, wifi, and RF communications networks. No matter the mission, response teams still need to find a way to communicate and maintain situational awareness in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Watch leading UAS training organization Granite Defense

COVID-19 presents an immediate challenge to emergency management organizations responding to secondary disasters like hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. As ventilators, tests, and personal protective equipment flood our newsfeeds, we can’t forget the basic need underlying any disaster response: communications. With threats from cybersecurity to climate change, communications challenges were mounting

Wildfires are proving to be more deadly and destructive than ever, making real-time situational awareness and communications increasingly critical for wildland fire crews. Recent federal legislation passed in the United States even requires new location tracking technology to improve individual firefighters’ safety on the fire line — but what happens

Earlier this month, in an attempt to slow the spread of the COVID-19, the United States and Canada took the unprecedented step of shutting down the border between the two countries. While this sounds like a reasonable and rational step towards stemming the spread of a disease that has —

For this month’s spotlight, we interviewed Raphael Abrams, the lead of hardware engineering at goTenna. As the company’s first employee, he developed goTenna’s two generations of consumer hardware  and has since led the transition to their tactical-grade goTenna Pro line.  Today also happens to be the one year anniversary since

The arrival of dedicated public safety broadband networks like FirstNet means that the adoption of mobile technology can begin in earnest. Nearly 9,000 public safety agencies across the country have already signed on to FirstNet, and more than 750,000 mobile devices are now connected to these networks. With smartphones and