After the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the standard on Common Channel Naming in January 2017, the Working Group went on hiatus.  With the advent of FirstNet, the Working Group will reactivate to develop common names for nationwide LTE interoperability talkgroups.  Mission Critical Push to Talk will include LTE talkgroups that will function in a similar fashion to LMR interoperability channels.  FirstNet will enable nationwide interoperability, allowing first responders to travel across the U.S. and still use their devices and applications.  Issues the Working Group will examine include:

How many nationwide interoperable LTE talkgroups should be reserved for initial and ongoing operations?

How to coordinate flexible geographic coverage areas for these interoperability talkgroups?

What naming sequence should be used for nationwide interoperable LTE talkgroups?  Should they follow the current ANSI naming process?

Should these interoperability talkgroups be allocated only for Calling and Tactical assignments (allowing local flexibility) vs. more detailed assignments for LAW, FIRE, MED, and GEN (found in 700 MHz narrowband channels)?

The NPSTC Governing Board realized that a national framework for these talkgroups should be established quickly.  Local and state agencies will begin using FirstNet Push to Talk services by the end of the year (prior to availability of Mission Critical PTT).  Those agencies may start creating LTE talkgroups to support local, regional, and statewide interoperability, and those talkgroup names may conflict with a preferred nationwide naming scheme.

The Common Channel Naming Working Group is scheduled to hold its first meeting in November.  If you are interested in joining this group, please sign up by clicking on the NPSTC Participant form.