Sonim Ultra-rugged, FirstNet-Ready Smartphones To Be Used in Denver-area Demonstration of New Public Safety Network
SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonim Technologies, maker of the world's toughest mobile phones for public safety applications and use in extreme environments, is working with public safety officials and first responders in the Denver area to demonstrate the operation of one of the nation's earliest deployments of a comprehensive broadband wireless emergency communications network.
Sonim is supplying officials in Adams County, in Denver's northern suburbs, its XP7 LTE Android smartphones to show how effective the hardened devices can be in delivering mission-critical communications and mobile applications. The devices will be used in a wide range of scenarios by men and women in police, fire and other public safety and first responder roles whose efforts will eventually be connected by the new nationwide public safety broadband network called FirstNet.
Adams County is one of seven areas that have received federal grants to begin early deployments of a public safety LTE broadband network utilizing the FirstNet-allocated LTE Band Class 14 wireless spectrum.
According to the grant proposal, the Adams County Communications Center aims to deploy a 700 MHz interoperable wireless broadband network. The network will be used by approximately 2,000 first responders from public safety and first response agencies operating within a 1,200-square-mile area that includes Adams County and the Denver International Airport.
"The project proposes to interconnect public safety answering points, municipal governments and school districts in Adams and Jefferson Counties, and the cities of Commerce City,Brighton, Thornton and Northglenn, as well as a large unincorporated region, making the project area a unique mix of urban, suburban, and rural populations," according to the proposal.
The project's first responders aim to use a variety of devices – including Sonim's XP7 -- to access the network for a wide range of data needs including HAZMAT database query and records access, criminal checks, access to the public Internet, airport perimeter security, emergency runway clearance, Automatic Vehicle Location and video-based applications.
Robert Escalle, Sonim's Senior Director of Public Safety and Defense, said placing the company's XP7 smartphones with public safety officials in Adams County will be the latest opportunity to showcase the full-featured performance and ruggedness of Sonim devices.
"We're confident that participants in the Adams County program will demonstrate once again that our smartphones are the most rugged available anywhere," Escalle said. "In particular, we think these officials will find that our XP7 is built tough enough to be the best communications device they need to get their jobs done quickly and reliably, with all the applications, services and tools they require."
Sonim is the first and only Tier One smartphone manufacturer to release a commercially available smartphone platform that enables first responders to get broadband access on both the FirstNet Band Class 14 spectrum and on commercial mobile networks. The XP7's key strengths include its 4,800-milliamp battery, 40 hours of LTE-based talk time, extreme durability in hot, dusty and wet environments, visibility under direct sunlight and support for a wide range of Android applications.
The Sonim smartphones will be running a public safety communications application developed by Mutualink. Mutualink's technology will serve as the interoperable communications platform for the project, enabling secure, real-time sharing of radio, voice, text, video, data and location information between first responders and other critical infrastructure entities. Mutualink serves as a gateway to bridge disparate systems so that all parties responding to an emergency can communicate and collaborate in real time.
"This project at Adams County is another proof-point of FirstNet's mission for delivering nationwide broadband capability for public safety, and further evidence that the future is now when it comes to next-generation technologies for first responders and emergency personnel," said Mike Wengrovitz, Mutualink's Vice President of Innovation.
ABOUT SONIM TECHNOLOGIES:
Sonim Technologies (http://www.sonimtech.com) is the provider of mission-critical solutions designed specifically for workers in extreme, hazardous and isolated environments. The Sonim solution includes ultra-rugged mobile phones, business-process applications and a suite of industrial-grade accessories, collectively designed to increase worker productivity, accountability and safety on the job site. Sonim's industry-leading, 3-year comprehensive warranty has redefined customer expectations of rugged technology. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., and offers its products with mobile operators around the world.
ABOUT MUTUALINK:
Mutualink, Inc. (http://www.mutualink.net) has developed an interoperable communications platform that enables community-wide multimedia sharing of radio, voice, text, video, data files and telephone communications in a secure environment. Mutualink's system is currently deployed by hundreds of public and private entities worldwide, including homeland security and defense installations, NATO Special Operations Forces, police and fire departments, schools, transit authorities, hospitals, shopping malls, casinos, and more. Mutualink is a privately-held company headquartered in Wallingford, Conn., with R&D facilities in Westford, Mass. and Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and Defense Services office nearby Washington, D.C.
