By: Robert Johnson
In 2021, public safety answering points (PSAPs) fielded an estimated 240 million 9-1-1 calls annually, with more than 80 percent originating from mobile phones. These combined with non-emergency calls and other public safety requests means the need for technology that can keep up with calls and ensure field communications are received clearly and in real time is more important than ever.
New networks, cloud software and data-rich channels have transitioned dispatchers from voice-only consoles to real-time information hubs—yet the underlying mission—getting help to the caller as quickly as possible—remains unchanged. To keep pace, agencies are turning to mission critical services (MCX) that extend from the communications center into the field, featuring encrypted push-to-talk (PTT), live video situational awareness, data and more.
Broadband and the Proliferation of FirstNet
Ten years ago, many centers could only accept voice calls and only communicate with responders via Land Mobile Radio (LMR). Today, roughly 57 percent of U.S. PSAPs can receive text-to-911 messages and while LMR still anchors voice, Broadband PTT has become a daily tool.
FirstNet, the nationwide public safety LTE network built in partnership with AT&T—passed seven million device connections in March 2025. Dispatch consoles that link LMR and LTE now allow telecommunicators to patch a patrol officer on a handheld radio directly to a paramedic carrying a FirstNet-enabled smartphone, without requiring engineering support. The additional bandwidth also supports situational mapping, drone video and automatic crash data uploads from connected vehicles, providing telecommunicators with greater context during incidents.
Why Mission Critical Services Matter in Public Safety
Momentum around 3GPP mission critical services is gaining tangible traction, from FirstNet subscribers, to private LTE deployments for public safety, rail operators, utilities, airports and others. As MCX expands to accommodate different types of communication formats, public safety communications center solutions must adapt to receive the various types of incoming communications.
Use of MCX gives telecommunicators access to richer means of communications. With ACOM Command & Control a dispatcher can pull live video, encrypted PTT, text and voice into one talk group, then bridge it to legacy LMR users in seconds. This type of communication bridge is not only a lifeline to users in the field, but the resulting ability to quickly manage on-scene operations with clear communication in real time allows for better situational awareness in public safety response.
MCX and Zetron’s ACOM Command & Control: What’s New?
Zetron’s ACOM Command & Control (ACOM) has MCX built into its core architecture, allowing us to integrate seamlessly with any MCX compliant core and subscriber. This allows ACOM to partner with Nokia GC while continuing to develop with other MCX core services solutions. ACOM’s ability to support Mission Critical (MC) Push-to-Talk (MCPTT), MC Video and MC Data makes the ACOM solution the next step for public safety communications centers with the latest MCX architecture.
ACOM consolidates radio, telephony and MCPTT, MC Video, and MC Data onto a single intuitive user interface, allowing telecommunicators to follow video, such as a drone feed, without losing track of radio traffic and telephony callers. Back-end capacity increases also mean public safety communications centers can adopt MCX incrementally and at their own pace. The same backend architecture can add capacity and improvements as it progresses, protecting public safety’s investment as ACOM can extend into hybrid LMR/MCX deployments or full-MCX only deployments. This flexibility not only boosts service life and reliability but also accommodates growth in the communications center and technological changes.
Futureproof Your Communications Center with Zetron’s ACOM Command & Control
Zetron’s ACOM delivers MCX capability without forcing agencies to abandon proven and familiar workflows. Its MCX native architecture lets operators blend voice, encrypted PTT, live video and data on a single screen while patching those channels to legacy LMR users. ACOM can scale from a two-position PSAP to a statewide fusion center and integrates directly with carrier cores such as Nokia GC. Public safety communications leaders can modernize at their own pace and still track the 3GPP roadmap. MCX is no longer a horizon upgrade – it is the bandwidth, security and scale expected today. The time is here for your agency to move to the next level with mission critical services, and the shortest path to a resilient, growth-ready communications center starts with a conversation with Zetron’s ACOM and MCX experts.
Discover how Zetron’s ACOM Command & Control can help your agency’s MCX communications.
