Expanding Wireless Broadband for Emergency Responders
How it Works
Signaling Protocols and Architecture

In addition to the emerging physical network technologies being deployed, RespondComm is looking into ways of leveraging emerging signaling protocols and architectures to enhance public safety and emergency communications.

As the cellular networks continue to evolve and incorporate more multimedia content, the signaling protocols have evolved to keep pace. Now that higher bandwidth third generation (3G) networks are being deployed and carriers are looking toward 4G networks, the core signaling protocol that has gained a strong foothold is Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). While SIP meets the needs of the cellular multimedia industry, it can also provide a light-weight, robust signaling protocol for development of enhanced public safety and emergency communications applications.

As 4G networks roll out over the next few years, the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) will be used as the architecture to enable rich IP-based applications. The capabilities of IMS can be leveraged to deliver enhanced applications for public safety and emergency response as well.

Both SIP and IMS will be incorporated in the RespondComm applications development efforts.