Beyond Redundancy: How Integrating Land Mobile Radio and FirstNet Creates a Resilient Future for Public Safety Communications

By Anthony DeFilippo

Abstract

In the era of digital transformation, public safety communication is undergoing a profound shift. The once-unquestioned dominance of Land Mobile Radio (LMR) is now accompanied by the rapid expansion of broadband networks like FirstNet, Verizon Frontline, and T-Mobile Connecting Heroes. These broadband platforms promise rich media capabilities, nationwide reach, and scalable data services. But in the rush to adopt new technologies, a critical question arises: should LMR be phased out, or can it be reinvented as part of a more comprehensive system? Drawing from research, policy frameworks, and real-world case studies, this article contends that the most resilient future lies not in replacing LMR, but in integrating it with broadband to form a hybrid communications ecosystem. The result is a more reliable, data-rich, and mission-ready network for emergency services.

The Fork in the Road: Reliability or Innovation?

Emergency communications systems have always been built on a singular principle: reliability in the face of chaos. For decades, LMR systems have delivered just that — a hardened infrastructure for voice communications that persists when power grids collapse and networks fail. Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and utility crews have all relied on LMR to relay critical commands in high-noise, high-stress environments.

Then came FirstNet.

Launched as a public-private partnership between the U.S. government and AT&T, FirstNet aimed to create the nation’s first dedicated broadband network for first responders. It brought with it the promise of LTE and 5G speeds, real-time video streaming, geolocation, drone feeds, and access to medical records from the field. For the first time, first responders could see as well as hear. It wasn’t long before Verizon and T-Mobile followed suit, launching their own public safety broadband offerings.

Amid these advancements, LMR began to look like a relic of the past. But declaring it obsolete misses a crucial point.

The Resilient Backbone of LMR

LMR’s value is most evident not when everything is working — but when everything isn’t. During natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria, and the California wildfires, cellular infrastructure collapsed under pressure or was rendered useless by power outages. LMR, however, endured.

Because LMR operates on independent frequency bands and supports direct mode operation (radio-to-radio without relying on towers), it becomes a lifeline when infrastructure fails. It doesn’t rely on cloud servers, SIM cards, or software-defined networks. It is what communications engineers call physically resilient — not just fault-tolerant, but failure-resistant.

In those critical first 72 hours after a disaster, when decisions need to be made in seconds, LMR is often the only system left standing. (Kumbhar & Güvenç (2015); DHS SAFECOM (2020))

Broadband’s Rise: A New Dimension of Communication

Yet broadband is not merely an upgrade — it’s a different layer of communication. It allows first responders to:

• Access floor plans before entering a burning building

• Monitor drone footage from a forest fire

• Pull up criminal databases from a patrol vehicle

• Conduct telemedicine consults from a remote trauma scene

FirstNet also offers priority and preemption, ensuring that emergency personnel maintain bandwidth during network congestion. Verizon and T-Mobile’s systems offer similar enhancements, making them increasingly viable for daily operations.

However, these networks rely on commercial infrastructure. Towers must stay online. Power must remain available. Backhaul must remain intact. When disaster strikes — the very moment communication is most critical — broadband systems can falter without LMR as a fallback.

(Gallagher (2018); Zahid et al. (2019); NIST PSCR (2022))

Beyond Redundancy: A Strategy for Integration

So the question is not: “Which system should we choose?” It is: “How can we make both work better together?”

Integration begins with interoperability:

• Dual-mode radios like the Motorola APX NEXT or Harris XL-200P combine LMR and LTE in a single device.

• Interoperability gateways allow LMR users and broadband users to speak across systems in real time.

• Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT) over LTE continues to evolve as a potential voice standard, but it’s not yet a proven LMR replacement.

Training also matters. Agencies must prepare responders to transition seamlessly between systems, and to understand each platform’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, during a rural wildfire, a crew might use LMR for tactical field communication while command uses broadband for aerial drone feeds and GIS mapping. (Kruger (2017); Yarali (2020))

Lessons from the Field: When Integration Saves Lives

Hurricane Harvey (2017)

In Houston, floodwaters knocked out cellular coverage across swaths of the city. LMR remained the core voice tool for rescue crews coordinating boat rescues. Meanwhile, broadband-enabled teams used FirstNet to share aerial mapping from drones, identifying impassable streets in real time.

Boston Marathon Bombing (2013)

Police SWAT teams and federal agents relied on encrypted LMR for secure voice channels. Simultaneously, emergency medical services used broadband to coordinate hospital intake, track injuries, and share live triage data from the scene.

California Wildfires (2020)

While fire crews communicated in the field using LMR, command posts received continuous updates via broadband: weather shifts, terrain analytics, and live drone imagery. The integrated network enabled simultaneous micro and macro decision-making. (Hollywood et al. (2016); RAND RR1462; DHS SAFECOM)

Building the Future: Policy, Procurement, and Preparedness

The integration of LMR and broadband doesn’t just happen — it requires deliberate policy and funding choices.

Federal Support

Grants through DHS and FEMA must continue to support dual-system architectures, not systems that cannibalize one another. Broadband expansion should not come at the cost of dismantling existing LMR infrastructure.

Interoperability Mandates

Vendors must be required to offer standards-based solutions that allow cross-network communication. Proprietary silos weaken operational resilience.

National Coordination

Agencies must align with federal bodies like NIST, SAFECOM, and the FirstNet Authority to ensure that their implementations reflect tested, scalable best practices.

Training and Exercises

Field drills must include both LMR and broadband, with emphasis on failover scenarios, cross-training, and situational adaptability. (DHS SAFECOM (2020); NIST PSCR; FirstNet Authority Reports)

Conclusion: Convergence, Not Competition

Technological evolution doesn’t always mean replacement. Sometimes, it means enhancement. This is precisely the case with LMR and broadband. Together, they form a communication ecosystem where one’s strengths mitigate the other’s weaknesses.

In an era of rising climate disasters, increasing urban complexity, and digital threats, public safety agencies cannot afford a fragmented approach to communication. They need redundancy, resilience, and adaptability — the very things a hybrid model of LMR and broadband can offer.

The road ahead isn’t paved with one signal — but with many. It’s time we listen to all of them.

References

1.   Kumbhar, A., & Güvenç, I. (2015). A Comparative Study of Land Mobile Radio and LTE-Based Public Safety Communications. IEEE SoutheastCon.

2.    Gallagher, J.C. (2018). The First Responder Network (FirstNet) and Next-Generation Communications. Congressional Research Service.

3.    Hollywood, J.S., et al. (2016). Using Future Broadband Communications to Strengthen Law Enforcement. RAND Corporation.

4.    Kruger, L. (2017). FirstNet and Next-Gen Comms for Public Safety. Congressional Research Service.

5.    Yarali, A. (2020). Public Safety Networks from LTE to 5G. Springer.

6.    Zahid, J.I., et al. (2019). Integrating FirstNet, Edge Computing, and IoT. IEEE Transactions on Mobile Communication.

7.    DHS SAFECOM. (2020). Public Safety Communications Evolution Guide.

8.    NIST PSCR. (2022). Voice Over LTE Testing Results.