Twitter: @hchan888

How do you upgrade your critical public safety backhaul network in a way that will assure the effectiveness of your first responders and the safety of your citizens – now and for decades to come? You may want to look to the State of Michigan for a great example of how it is done.

There’s no doubt that a reliable, mission-critical public safety backhaul network must be resilient in order to ensure uninterrupted radio communications for first responders in the face of severe storms, floods, terrorism and any type of unexpected emergencies. It also must be fully interoperable between agencies, and ready to handle the increasing volumes of voice, video and data traffic that place substantial demands on older networks as land mobile (LMR) systems are upgraded.

Coming up short in time critical scenarios is not an option for first responders. So, in 2014, Michigan’s Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS) began working with Nokia to upgrade its legacy LMR backhaul infrastructure. It was a statewide project. Covering 59,415 square miles, with 245 radio towers and more than 80,000 radios, MPSCS’s network serves local, state, federal, tribal and private first responders with 700/800 MHz mutual aid land mobile radio (LMR), simulcast systems and Inter-zone statewide communications.

The overall goal was a broadband backhaul network carrying critical voice and enhanced data communications. To meet the stringent resiliency and quality of service requirements, cutting-edge Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (IP/MPLS) and packet microwave systems would be deployed in the network to reliably securely support the P25-based public safety digital radio with integrated voice and data capability.  Adding to the challenge, Michigan and Nokia needed to gracefully transition all legacy time division multiplexing (TDM)-based LMR traffic to the IP/MPLS network without interruptions to radio users. Therefore, the new network also had to support flexible multi-service requirements (Ethernet, IP and TDM), with  deterministic QoS, along with unified end-to-end service management of network resources, and extensive microwave link monitoring and control via automatic event collection, as well as alarm, status and performance data.

Michigan’s new IP/MPLS network is already live, providing high-capacity connections between hundreds of public safety facilities. A multi-ring network topology powered by IP/MPLS provides multiple dynamic paths over which critical traffic can be routed, even after multiple disruptive events. This ensures superior resiliency in the event of attacks or failures from weather, fires, cyberattacks and other emergencies, while preserving essential communications for response, recovery and operational continuity.

True to spec, the new backhaul network offers greatly simplified management, along with a highly scalable and reliable foundation for more advanced public safety communications capabilities in the future – for the near term, possibly incorporating security video or SCADA, as well as using the backhaul capability for state police aviation, and enhanced partnerships with rural first-responder agencies, power companies and entities in the U.S. such as FirstNet, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

By upgrading its critical LMR backhaul infrastructure, Michigan has successfully created a reliable, secure and flexible public safety backhaul network for today and tomorrow.

Download this Nokia case study for more details, particularly if you’re planning your own migration to the new generation of public safety communications. and visit our dedicated Nokia Backhaul Portfolio Page and Nokia Public Safety Solutions webpage

Share your thoughts on this topic by replying below – or join the Twitter discussion with @nokianetworks using #publicsafety #missioncritical

The post Michigan transforms its public safety communications appeared first on Blog | Nokia.

Source: Nokia Networks
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If you’ve had a recent bereavement, or there’s someone in the family suffering from a critical illness, we know that worrying about phone bills is the last thing on your mind. That’s why we want the process of contacting us about it to be as simple, quick and painless as possible – so that when you do get in touch, there’ll be one less thing to worry about.

Want to know what you should do if the worst should happen? We’ve been speaking to Tom Brammer, Customer Relations Team Leader at Vodafone UK, to find out…

What should I do following a bereavement?

“There are a number of ways that customers can contact us for a bereavement,” Tom Says. “If they want to contact us by phone, any of our agents will have the skill and knowledge to record all the relevant information for you.

“So if you dial 191 from a Vodafone phone you can speak to anyone about bereavement, but there’s also a dedicated line for bereavement and for critical illness: 03333 048050.”

Don’t feel like talking? No problem. “There’s also an online form here, which should be able to let you input all the information you need. Sometimes we’ll need to call you back, but we don’t want to be harassing people during a difficult time so we do try and keep everything as simple as we can.

“The operating hours that we advise our customers to contact us on is nine to five, Monday to Saturday, however the team here are available from 8am up until 9pm.”

What information do I need to hand?

“For a bereavement,” Tom explains, “there are a couple of different scenarios to consider. If you’ve got a UK-based death certificate, we’ll only require the death certificate reference – we don’t require a copy of the certificate itself.

“If the customer has died abroad then we would require a copy of the death certificate, in which case we’ll give you a postal address to send it to, or an email address, which is monitored throughout the day.”

Do I have to pay any outstanding bills?

“Once notified, we’ll remove any outstanding debts, so if a customer had been unable to pay, we’ll remove that from their account at the point of contact. However; if money has already been coming out of the account, we’ll only be able to disconnect the account from the time we get notified.”

“One thing we do differently to some of the other networks – we’ll cancel the line free of charge and allow people to keep any devices or hardware that are associated with that – whether that’s a phone, dongle, Wi-Fi router or anything else.”

Can I transfer their account to keep the number active?

“Some people ask to use the deceased’s phone for a while after the fact, and in that case, we can certainly transfer a Pay monthly account over to a family member, after going through all the necessary checks.

“That way they can still use the number; we don’t want to interrupt that service unnecessarily because we know people might want to keep a certain voicemail, while some friends and family members may still try to contact the deceased if they’ve not been informed.”

How does Critical illness work?

“Critical illness works similarly,” Tom explains. “You can call on the same number (03333 048050) and it doesn’t matter if you’re not the account holder, but if you’re calling on their behalf. You’ll need to have their personal details to hand for us to help and we require documentation stating what the illness it is, and based on that we’ll follow a similar process.”

“Overall, Tom says in closing, “we want things to be as simple as possible all round, and we’re currently in a process of trying to make the process even smoother.”

What should you do if your phone is lost or stolen? Find out who to call and what happens next.

Where to next?

Show me what to do if I lose my phone

Show me the bereavement form on Vodafone.co.uk

The post Vodafone UK basics: What to do following a bereavement or critical illness appeared first on Vodafone Social.

Source: Official Vodafone Blog
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UMIDIGI S2 online game battery test! Let’s to see with UMIDIGI S2 how longer we can play online game.
You can buy this phone on gearbest: https://goo.gl/qz7285
Aliexpress: https://goo.gl/3u8y9b

The live broadcast almost started from 14:00 beijing time.
14:00 — 100%
15:06 — 89%

Source: Umi Mobile Youtube
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Technical features of UMIDIGI S2

Screen : 6.0 ” HD+ SHARP TDDI In-cell with 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4 glass
CPU : MediaTek Helio P20 at 2.3GHz
GPU : Mali-T880 MP2 900MHz
RAM : 4 GB
Internal memory : 64 GB expandable (with microSD up to 256 GB)
Rear camera : Dual-camera SONY IMX 258 13 + 5 MP
Front camera : 5 MP
Connectivity : Dual SIM (nanoSIM + nanoSIM / microSD), 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, USB Type-C, Type-C Jack, OTG
Battery : 5100 mAh with Quick Charge PE+ 2.0
Dimensions : 158.1 x 74.6 x 8.8mm
Weight : 186 g
Other : FM radio, gravity sensors, proximity, brightness, fingerprint reader, notification LEDs
Colors : Black, Red
Learn more: https://umidigi.com/page-umidigi_s2_overview.html

Source: Umi Mobile Youtube
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Today, the Halo Livestream unleashed a torrent of news bits, updates, and insight on a pretty diverse range of topics near and dear to a Halo fan’s heart – including Halo 5: Guardians’ November content “Overtime” update, important Halo esports info and news on Halo: The Master Chief Collection. There’s a lot to unpack – check out Halo Waypoint for full details and below for a quick rundown of all the amazing Halo news today.

Halo Esports Updates
One of the prime highlights of the stream was brand new information and updates on the immediate future of Halo esports – from upcoming championships, to local competitions, and new ways to support some of your favorite squads.

• Halo World Championship 2018. Halo’s world stage is back, and better than ever. With open qualifiers in four different regions and the best Halo players and teams across the world vying for glory, the Halo World Championship 2018 aims to unleash a heroic new chapter in an already-legendary legacy.
• HCS Fall 2017 Finals. The HCS Fall 2017 Finals at DreamHack Denver are this weekend! The action is going to be incredibly intense, and you aren’t going to want to miss a moment of it – catch it all streamed live on Mixer.com/Halo& Twitch.tv/Halo! For all the latest information, as well as predictions from our experts in the booth, make sure to check out our full HCS Fall 2017 Finals Preview.
• Team Skins are Coming to Halo 5: Guardians. Beginning with Halo 5:Guardians’ Overtime update (more on this below), you’ll begin to see some new weapon skins arrive in Halo 5: Guardians over the next several months, including new liveries for Luminosity, Str8 Rippin and defending HCS Pro League champions, Splyce, and more; stay tuned for more info on individual skin availability in the future!
• Microsoft Store Tournament Program. We’re excited to announce an expanded Microsoft Store Halo 5: Guardians tournament program that sees the slate grow from three months to five, and from 53 stores to 83 – meaning every Microsoft Store on the planet will be hosting Halo 5: Guardians tournaments beginning next month! The action kicks off on Monday Nov 6 and runs through March 2018, so make sure you find your nearest location and register online now to be part of all the action!

Halo Recruit
Speaking of awesome stuff going on, beginning today all Microsoft Stores will be featuring the recently announced Halo Recruit on Windows 10 Mixed Reality devices, letting you experience your favorite universe in a way you’ve never done before. Also, if you’ve got a Windows Mixed Reality device at home, you can download Halo Recruit and try it out for yourself on your own machine! Trust us, you should give it a look. And for more information on the Halo Recruit project, you can check out our official announcement here.

Halo 5: Guardians Overtime Content Release
The Halo 5: Guardians Overtime content release brings a host of tweaks, adjustments and other goodies all designed to improve overall player experience. Let’s a closer look at the big-ticket items we’ve got in store.

• 4K Upgrades. The team at 343 Industries has been working closely with Skybox Labs (longtime Halo development partners on various projects including Halo 5: Forge for Windows 10) on enhancements to Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One X. This update takes advantage of the extra power of Xbox One X to deliver higher visual fidelity for players who have compatible hardware.
• Oddball. Oddball is back in Halo 5: Guardians, with a full suite of mode-specific medals, new VO and a return of the ballyhooed and beloved skull as “the ball.” This fan-favorite mode looks to give players yet another way to have a blast with fellow Spartans on the battlefield.
• Local Server app. With this new app, players can host a local server on a Windows 10 PC connected to the same network as Xbox One consoles to enjoy easy, low-latency Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer matches – perfect for basement brawls or running your own tournament – big or small.
• Weapon Tuning Update. Last month 343 Industries conducted a public test of these newly tuned weapons in a special matchmaking playlist which you can read all about right here. Over the course of the test we received an enormous amount of feedback via our Halo Waypoint forums and official surveys which, along with a plethora of game data, have helped the team assess and refine these weapons before they get released in the November update. Check out Halo Waypoint for a breakdown of what to expect.

Relief & Recovery REQ Pack
Last week, 343 Industries introduced the Relief & Recovery REQ Pack in Halo 5: Guardians in response to the seemingly unending string of challenges reality has thrown humanity’s way recently. With 100 percent of the proceeds from the Relief & Recovery REQ Pack going to GlobalGiving, Spartans have stepped up in a big way. You can grab the pack from Oct. 12-23 both in the Halo 5: Guardians in-game REQ Store or in the Xbox Live Store for $9.99 USD.

Halo Wars 2
It’s no secret that Halo Wars 2 is also getting enhanced for Xbox One X with visual upgrades that will also take advantage of what the newest console has to offer. But perhaps what’s even more exciting for Halo Wars 2 players are the two other additions coming to game – for everyone, on all platforms – with this next update.

• Xbox Arena. We’re excited to be rolling out support for Xbox Arena which will let players organize and conduct their own online tournaments in Halo Wars 2. Xbox Arena on Xbox Live officially launched in May and the 343 team has been working closely with our partners at Creative Assembly and on the Xbox platform team to bring this great feature to Halo Wars 2.
• Crossplay for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. As an Xbox Play Anywhere title, players have the ability to enjoy Halo Wars 2 on their console or PC, but up until now that has not included cross-platform online play. The team has worked hard to deliver this feature and final testing indicates it’s ready for release into the wild. Cross-play and Arena support and the Xbox One X visual enhancements are all targeted for release in late October.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Fans of classic Halo games also have a lot to look forward to with today’s announcement that Halo: The Master Chief Collection will receive enhancements for Xbox One X, as well as fixes, improvements and upgrades to the core game to help bring it forward and modernize many of the game’s systems to take advantage of Xbox platform advancements since its original launch. To help facilitate this process, 343 Industries is planning to roll out a public “flighting” program for Halo: The Master Chief Collection to allow for iterative patches and updates while testing in the wild at large scale. Right now, 343 Industries is targeting kicking this off next spring and when the time comes, we’ll need the support of our community to help test and provide feedback at large scale as we work to update and improve Halo: The Master Chief Collection. We’ll share additional details and timing as plans are locked.

Xbox One S Ultimate Halo Bundle
Now’s an incredible time to experience the Master Chief’s epic journey across five Halo games The Master Chief Collection, featuring Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4, as well as Halo 5: Guardians, which delivers epic multiplayer experiences that span multiple modes, full-featured level building tools, and the most dramatic Halo story to date. With an MSRP of $279 and available exclusively at Walmart in the US, this amazing offer includes one free month of Xbox Game Pass – instant access to more than 100 great games and a 14-day Xbox Live gold trial.

We hope that with all the exciting news and events outlined in today’s livestream, you’ll agree that it’s a pretty awesome time to be a Halo fan. Be sure to stay tuned to Xbox Wire and Halo Waypoint for all the latest Halo news.

See the rest of the story on Xbox Wire

Related:
Choose How You Game with Four New Xbox One S Bundles
Watch the New Esports Reality Series Beyond the Sticks on Mixer Today
Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare Now Available on Xbox One and Windows 10 PC

Source: Xbox Blog
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There is so much that is put into the hardware of Alienware computers. When you look at getting a gaming rig, you’re probably looking at just the best names that pop out at you and the $ sign next to it.

We have optimized and delivered the best experience possible at all hardware tiers and here’s that deep dive story you might not learn or realize looking at our web page until you experience the systems for yourself…

Take your gaming to areas previously unreachable.
Alienware 15 https://dell.to/2d3NlIQ
Alienware 17 https://dell.to/2d3xkEF
Alienware Desktops https://dell.to/2m4rinM

Follow me! Let’s talk!
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aw_umar
TwitchTV: https://www.twitch.tv/alienware
Alienware Services YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Alienwareservices
Alienware Arena: https://goo.gl/HnzHTg

Source: Alienware YouTube
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Hand of the Gods: SMITE Tactics comes to Closed Beta on Xbox! Command the Gods and unleash divine powers to defeat your foes in the new turn-based strategy card game from the makers of SMITE!

Source: XBOX YouTube
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