A component of AT&T’s FirstNet contract, NetMotion’s Mobility software is a mobile virtual private network (VPN) and quality-of-service (QoS) solution that the company claims optimises and makes highly secure all application traffic on a FirstNet user’s device. This NetMotion app is FirstNet Certified and available in the new App Catalog for FirstNet.
“We’re pleased that NetMotion is an active member of the FirstNet ecosystem,” said Scott Agnew, assistant vice president, AT&T, FirstNet Program. “NetMotion’s software provides a critical link to enhance public safety’s access to applications they need to achieve their missions. NetMotion has a well-established relationship with the public safety community and longstanding partnership with AT&T. As a FirstNet Certified application, first responders can be confident that NetMotion’s software is a trusted solution that meets FirstNet standards for relevancy, security and performance.”
“NetMotion has proudly supported the public safety community for over 15 years and we are pleased to continue that support through the FirstNet initiative,” said Christopher Kenessey, CEO at NetMotion. “More than 500,000 first responders use our software every day to provide continuous, highly secure access to mission-critical mobile applications. We look forward to delivering this reliability to the broader public safety and first responder community moving toward FirstNet adoption.
Harris County, Texas, the third largest county in the US, behind only Cook and Los Angeles Counties relies on NetMotion Mobility to provide it with what the company describes as highly secure, reliable access to applications on FirstNet.
“Mobility provides our first responders an optimised, resilient connection to the new public safety broadband network from wherever a call takes them,” said Shing Lin, director of public safety technology services for Harris County Central Technology Services. “NetMotion’s software prioritises our applications, so that we always have access, even when we’re in rural areas. Ultimately this helps deliver the information our officers need to stay focused on protecting and serving the public.”
[For more information on Harris' County's use of NetMotion's software, read Critical Communications Today’s article on the subject here – Ed]
According to a blog by Bob Sloan, chief operating officer, FirstNet at AT&T, that was also published today, other heavily vetted apps that have been added to the FirstNet App Catalog include:
Explorer for ArcGIS – a mapping app and data viewer supplied by Esri. First responders can use it to create, markup and interact with their maps, even while offline.
Intrepid Response – an app designed to enhance situational awareness by providing near real-time location data on a feature-rich map, and rapid media sharing among team members.
PulsePoint –This app helps allows CPR-trained citizens to view alerts about nearby cardiac emergencies.
SceneDoc – a mobile platform to allow investigators to manage digital evidence and collect data while in the field.
He wrote that FirstNet offers a new category of app, FirstNet Listed, and that FirstNet Listed apps still have the same security, relevance and data privacy as those in the previous FirstNet Reviewed category, but the security scans are completed during the review process at no added cost to the developer.
Sloan added that AT&T will hold a FirstNet hackathon at the Illinois Institute of Technology on 19-20 October to bring developers and Chicago law enforcement, firefighters and paramedics together to create apps that help those in public safety do their jobs more effectively and better connect with theirt communities. Teams will compete for a an $11,000 purse, featuring prizes from top sponsors Fleet Complete, IBM, Next Gen Global and Orion Labs.
