New multi-band radio key to interoperable communications, but concerns are raised about price.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: Homeland Security News - US Department of Homeland Security

A world where police, fire, and emergency services can seamlessly communicate with each other over the airwaves has been a dream of the Department of Homeland Security since the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina four years later.

The problem has been local jurisdictions purchased different radio systems from various vendors. Also, different frequencies were allotted as spectrum became more crowded over the last five decades.

The department's science and technology division, working with radio-manufacturer Thales Communications Inc., set out to solve the technological side of the problem by developing a multi-band radio that can work with legacy radios as well as new software-defined digital systems.

The multi-band radio project works on all the public safety bands, as well as two Defense Department and two federal government bands.

Thales approached DHS in 2006 to see if the work being done on the military's software-defined joint tactical radio could be applied to the interoperability problem.

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DHS wanted a radio that had all the necessary encryption, was simple to use, and was rugged enough to work in the extreme climates found in the United States, said Tom Chirhart, the S&T directorate's program manager for multi-band radios. It is also about the same size and weight of current radios, and costs about the same per unit at $4,000 to $6,000. The department is currently carrying out pilot programs to show how the system works.

Thales is one of the first to offer a radio commercially, but it is not a proprietary system. Other manufacturers are coming forward to offer their own compatible radios, Chirhart said. "Our goal at DHS was to encourage manufacturers to do so."

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