The Department of Homeland Security said one of its top strategic plans for information technology development includes provisions to expand mobile solutions, AOL Government reported.
Mobile applications and devices including tablets, smartphones and border processing systems are currently being studied by various government organizations for possible adoption.
According to AOL, DHS will work to modernize more than 176,000 land mobile radios that cost the agency around $1 billion annually.
Congress recently set aside a chunk of telecommunications spectrum known as the “D block” for use by public safety agencies.
DHS is exploring mobile devices that could that run off of fourth generation wireless networks and be used to access video, voice and data applications.
Another possibility is introducing a hybrid device which enables users to talk via very high frequency waves and has the multimedia capabilities of a smart phone, AOL reported.
Most commercial carriers do not offer government security grade services and may make it difficult for DHS to purchase mobile products, according to AOL.
