In a win for police against the mobile industry, a parliamentary committee has recommended that public safety agencies receive a portion of unsold Digital Dividend spectrum in the 700MHz band.
A standards-based approach to IT Service Management (ITSM) adopted by the Queensland Public Safety Network Management Centre has resulted in consistent and reliable delivery of IT to the state’s law enforcement and public safety agencies, according to the centre’s director, John McIntosh.
The Police Federation of Australia believes the departure of communications minister Stephen Conroy bodes well for the police union’s effort to snag 20MHz of the unsold spectrum in the 700MHz band, said Police Federation CEO, Mark Burgess.
A skirmish has broken out between Australian police and the mobile industry over who should have mobile spectrum in the 700MHz band that went unsold in the recent Digital Dividend auction.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has assigned 50 MHz of spectrum in the 4.9GHz band to public safety agencies.
The Queensland government seeks a vendor to provide a wireless network for public safety, according to a request for expression of interest released this week. The wireless project aims to deliver better radio voice and narrowband data communications for police and emergency responders.