Friday fragments - comms news from around the web for 20 June 2014

A round-up of the week's critical communications and public safety radio news for Friday, 20 June 2014.

Tait wins Christchurch campus award. Tait Communications' new high-tech campus in Christchurch, New Zealand, has been recognised by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) at its annual awards ceremony. Tait took out the Energy Champion award, with the judges saying: “An ambitious, whole campus-led sustainability project. As a complex anywhere it would be advanced and worthy of admiration. In the context of Christchurch it has potential to be a positive touchstone for a re-emerging city, both economically and environmentally."

FirstNet approaches vary by state. If you want to catch up on how each of the US states is planning for the rollout of the FirstNet wireless broadband network, a report by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has all the information you need. “It provides a first look at the approaches being employed for engagement with local stakeholders, the federal FirstNet Authority and even other states. The data also shows a significant distribution in the maturity of state planning, ongoing outreach and governance strategies."

Tri-band LTE-A trials in Korea. Word is that three mobile phone carriers in Korea are in a competition to achieve the world's first tri-band LTE-A service. Commercial operations could begin as soon as the end of June.

ZTE and Marvel aggregate. China's ZTE Corp and Marvell Technology Group say they have achieved the world's first 40 MHz uplink carrier aggregation on a TD-LTE network.

Tetrapol used for D-Day celebrations. A Cassidian Tetrapol system was used by 12,000 French police and military personnel during the D-Day landing anniversary celebrations earlier this month.

US boosting allies' Africa satcoms. SES Government Solutions has been given a US$8.2m contract to enhance satellite communications for allies in North Africa and the Sahel