Friday fragments - comms news from around the web for 25 October 2013

A weekly round-up of critical communications and public safety radio for Friday, 25 October 2013.

Citizens to vote on public safety radio. Chesterfield County in Virginia, USA, is facing the block obsolescence of around 3000 Motorola radios and dispatch equipment used by the emergency services. Come 2017, Motorola will no longer support the equipment, so replacements will need to be procured. In a unique initiative, a 5 November referendum that aims to seek extra funding for school improvements will also ask voters to approve the issuance of US$49 million in bonds to raise money to replace the county's 20-year-old emergency communications system.

Naval review comms well planned. In his October communique, NSW Telco Authority chairperson Rod Gilmour outlined the proactive steps taken to ensure smooth communications during the recent International Fleet Review on Sydney Harbour. The authority worked with key user agencies to ensure risk management and contingency plans were put in place, and pre-emptive site inspections conducted to deal with any issues before they arose.

Spectrum sharing. The US Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will co-host an Innovative Spectrum Sharing Technology Day on Tuesday, 5 November 2013. The public event will showcase advances in spectrum sharing technologies and other innovations and initiatives aimed at satisfying the nation's surging demand for wireless services, devices and applications.

Hytera turns 20. Founded in Shenzhen, China, in 1993, global communications company Hytera has this month celebrated its 20th birthday. Officials and guests gathered at the company's headquarters to celebrate the event. Congratulations Hytera!