By Police1 Staff
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Last week, Verizon Frontline launched a prototype of its latest public safety communication project: a Chevy Tahoe with integrated network connectivity.
The Mobile Utility Technology Transport (MUTT) is “a reimagined police cruiser capable of leveraging the network and technology of Verizon Frontline,” said a company press release.
Verizon Frontline’s MUTT is designed to give first responders access to many connectivity options, including 4G LTE, 5G Nationwide and 5G Ultra Wideband connectivity to Mission Critical Push To Talk (MCPTT), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and Land Mobile Radio (LMR) communications capabilities.
The vehicle can serve as its own mobile, private network to always provide responders with a reliable network connection, the release said. The MUTT also features two laptops, an onboard server, a printer, a smartphone and a tablet.
The MUTT also has a built-in ability to deploy a drone and stream video in near-real time to an Emergency Operations Center, the release said. The MUTT will feature two routers, unlike many cruisers which only have one. Agencies can dedicate one router to heavy data usage from video, like drones, and the second router to other communication needs, like Computer Aided Dispatch.
Verizon Frontline is a cellular network built to meet the needs of first responders, according to the company.