Faced with a need to upgrade the department’s aging, stovepiped tactical communications networks while reducing costs, the Department of Homeland Security is considering a “game changing approach” by using emerging commercial and public safety networks on a subscription basis.

“Use of a subscription model reduces the ownership and operating costs by sharing the network ownership costs across a wider user base,” DHS said in announcing a program for developing prototype networks.

The DHS Science and Technology Directorate is soliciting proposals from government, private sector and academic research and development facilities for prototype public safety networks. It expects to award up to $8 million to fund developing and testing. Read the full article here.