FirstNet-Ready Smartphones Make The Grade At New Mexico Public Events

The New Mexico State Fair and the Balloon Fiesta, both held in Albuquerque, are the largest annual events in the state. Drawing hundreds of thousands, these events can prove challenging for public safety agencies. To facilitate communication during the events, Sonim Technologies was chosen to provide first responders with ultra-rugged smartphones.

Personnel from Albuquerque Police, Fire, and EMS; the state’s Department of Public Safety, Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services; and state fair and balloon fiesta security used Sonim’s XP7 LTE Android smartphones as part of the 2015 pilot program.

Sonim’s XP7 smartphones were equipped with the ESChat application from SLA Corporation and STING police technology from Intrepid Networks. ESChat operating on the XP7 phone provided the secure communication platform required to meet the needs for mission critical push-to-talk (PTT) operations.

The STING app created a digital Common Operating Picture that helped operators and commanders visually communicate to ensure they were coordinated and informed. At the New Mexico State Fair, STING assisted officers in locating several missing children in less than 10 minutes.

“The big benefit Sonim brings is improving safety at events like these through situational awareness, as well as having the ability to move pictures and data quickly to all the officers across the field,” says Jacque Miller, Deputy Chief Information Officer for New Mexico. “This is a much-needed solution for public safety nationwide. We didn’t have that before, but we do now.”

The pilot program was a success and the agencies involved are considering Sonim’s XP7 for future use.