Narrowband  |   Broadband  |  2023-08-31

Sandra Wendelken Joins TAIT Communications as Markets Insights Manager

Source: TAIT Communications
Curated by: Gert Jan Wolf - Editor-in Chief for The Critical Communications Review

Sandra Wendelken joined Tait in July 2023 after working for three years at market research firm IDC as senior research analyst covering mobile and IoT services. For 15 years, she was editor of ‘MissionCritical Communications’ and ‘RadioResource International’ magazines covering the public safety, critical communications and LMR industry.

In my her role as market insights manager at Tait, she recently attended APCO 2023 in Nashville in early August. Wendelken had not been to APCO since 2019 because of a three-year hiatus from the two-way radio industry to work in market research analyzing wireless topics such as business and consumer wireless services, IoT cellular connectivity, and private 4G/5G networks. So, for her, APCO was the perfect place to catch up on the latest technology and innovations in the U.S. public safety communications market.

In her Blog on the website of TAIT communications Wendelken describes the fact that P25 Standards continue to address user needs and she summs up a list of updated or new TIA TR-8 standards around the P25 standards:

  • New recommendations for mobile/portable receiver interference rejection because of interference from band 14 and band 17 cellular networks
  • Improving noise for coverage 
  • New emergency alarm indication for trunking/conventional
  • New user alias download features for trunking
  • New location on PTT feature for trunking 
  • New NIST-approved over the air rekeying (OTAR) message authentication method
  • New P25 link layer (air interface) encryption service protecting all air interface signaling
  • Control of “group regrouping” across ISSI and CSSI
  • New interoperability and conformance tests for ISSI and CSSI
  • Modifications to ISSI, CSSI, and DFSI to enable future interworking with broadband cellular public-safety systems

Wendelken said that she is impressed with the strides the industry has made in the past few years. she said:

Industry experts are ensuring mission-critical communications customers’ immediate needs are being met, while also looking to the future with innovation and vision that will further the mission of first responders.