State and local governments to invest $5.5 billion in public safety interoperability by 2012

RESTON, Va., 5 Sept. 2007.Input forecasts that the state and local public safety interoperable communications marketplace will grow to $5.5 billion by 2012, including $3.4 billion from various federal funding sources.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration issued the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) grant program, which will provide nearly $1 billion for agencies and jurisdictions to improve public safety communications to get these systems closer to where first responders need them to be.

With Project 25, the standards for public safety digital equipment and systems are set to be complete by the end of 2008 at the earliest - - they will not be finished in time to guarantee interoperability with this latest wave of funding. However, the Strategic Technology Reserve requires states to have an interoperable solution in place while they continue to achieve their long-term goal of having interoperability plans that will be guided by the upcoming standards. As a result, additional opportunities will continue to be created for vendors well into the next decade.

Input's Public Safety Interoperable Communications – $5.5 Billion Invested Nationwide from 2007-2012 Input/Output report is available to INPUT Network members.