The Ligado MSAT network delivers reliability and interoperability. Satellite service is available when cell towers and landlines are congested or damaged and is accessible from remote areas not served by terrestrial communications networks. The mobility of Ligado satellite radios ensures that public safety officials can communicate during the most difficult emergency situations. In addition, Ligado’s dispatch-style, Push-to-Talk (PTT) technology is familiar to first responders and ideal for command and control. A SMART™ talkgroup provides significant interoperability in addition to other MSAT talkgroups a Ligado customer may already be using locally.

The management of SMART™ rests entirely in the hands of the people who know public safety best. Each SMART™ talkgroup is managed and monitored by a different federal, state, or local public safety entity, ensuring design, control, and management by public safety officials through multiple public-private partnerships with Ligado. To reduce financial barriers, Ligado offers the SMART™ talkgroups free of charge to any MSAT PTT service subscriber.

Pioneered by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), SMART™ enables critical and interoperable communications among homeland security officials, law enforcement, emergency responders, and public safety officials from various departments and agencies across the United States.

The SMART™ program provides access to nationwide talkgroups and regional talkgroups for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, enabling public safety personnel enrolled in one region to quickly join regions outside their normal jurisdiction.