20251024 – still under development – I’m making this page available while I’m still writing it as at least one company is offering a deal for free lifetime subscription if you purchase before the end of the month.
Where I’ve not received a response to my email to the company I’ve included as much information as I can gleam from their website. That information is in italics.
As of writing there are eight companies that I’ve found that offer LTE radios (in no particular order):
- Rapid Radio
- POCLink Radio
- Echo Radio
- Talk2Me USA
- Two Way Direct
- Herda Radio
- PeakPTT
- QuickTel
- FreedomLink Plus
Service/Subscription Fees
Some companies use what I’ll call “bait” advertising – like “no monthly fees.” In reality some may charge an annual fee or call it a subscription or other term. Look at it this way, the company has to pay some kind of fee to the cell companies for using their networks, that gets passed onto the consumer, you. For consistency in this article I’ll use the term service fee.
Tracking
Some companies provide tracking, mostly because their market target are companies that want to track their employees, like trucking companies, or for employee safety. You can log into a dashboard and see where each radio in your group is. It can only be viewed by the account owner or someone authorized.
This might be something useful in a disaster, such as a hurricane or tornado, in helping to locate someone. In the event of the black sky event (aka TEOTWAWKI) it would not compromise your location as they probably won’t work and the internet wouldn’t be available to look it up anyway.
Contracts
None of the companies require a contract, unlike most cell phone companies.
Contacts
A contact is an individual radio. In most radios it is possible to select a specific contact and talk directly to them without anyone else that may be part of a group listening.
Groups
Groups are where individual radios can be added to. When transmitting in a group everyone in the group can hear you. Depending on the company you may have to be in that group to hear the conversation. Some allow you to set the radio so you hear any conversation in any group.
Some allow you to create your own groups, either through a dashboard or Bluetooth. In most cases you cannot add a radio owned by someone else to your group unless you can connect them with Bluetooth.
Bluetooth
At least one model has Bluetooth. Bluetooth allows radios to be brought together to create a new group even if they are not from the same account.
Models
Some companies offer different models with different features. As best as possible the differences have been included below.
WiFi
At least one radio has WiFi. This means that the radio can connect to a WiFi network when it can’t find a cellular network. This means that it will connect to Starlink and therefore will be able to communicate.
Interchangeable SIM Cards
One of the questions I asked was if you took the SIM card from one brand could you use it in a different brand to then get it to work on their network. They all responded no. However when I acquire radios some another provider I will test this as I’ve tested my existing radios (Rapid Radio) and swapped the SIM card from a FirstNet device and they still worked.
Analog RF Capability
Some radios also have RF capability. They have the Family Radio Service (FRS) frequencies. So when there is no cell service you have limited range direct radio-to-radio.
Cost
All the companies offer discounts the large number of radios purchased. If you have a group, aka mutual assistance group (MAG), then it makes sense to do one bulk purchase. The company will set up an initial group then you can set up additional “sub-groups” as needed. This way you are all connected right out of the box and you get a better price. For purposes of comparison I’ve listed the price for 2 radios.
In addition to looking at their website and advertising I contacted each with the same questions.
Rapid Radios
Cost & Service
The initial purchase includes service for 1 year. As you approach the end of that year you will get reminders that your radios (they list each) will expire in x-days. I think I got three or four reminders. You can also sign into your dashboard and see the expiration dates. After the first year it is $50 per radio.
GPS Tracking
NO: the devices cannot be tracked on a dashboard.
Group Management
You can create your own additional groups and move any of your radios into them using the dashboard at manage.rapidradios.com. You cannot add a radio that someone else owns into a group you create, it requires an email to the company to add them. It has been my experience they usually respond within 24-hours as we have created the Swamp Rat group on Rapid Radios.
Coverage
As they come they are enabled for use anywhere in the U.S. If you want to use them in other countries there is an additional $100 per radio fee.
WiFi Capability
No
Analog RF Capability
No
Customer Service
These were one of the first companies to market these radios and when I wrote the initial article responses to questions were slow and somewhat vague. However, as I’ve been dealing with them to create and add people to the Swamp Rat group we created they now usually respond in a day.
Cost
POCLink Radio
Cost & Service
Our current promotion includes lifetime network service at no additional cost. This is a limited-time offer and ends 31 Oct. If you purchase now, your devices will stay connected for life with no monthly or annual fees. Once the lifetime offer ends, the standard plan will be $29 per year per device to stay connected to the network.
GPS Tracking
Yes, GPS tracking is supported and can be viewed directly on the map inside the Poclink App. You can see the live location of all radios linked to your account. Only the account owner and authorized members can access this map.
Group Management
You can create and manage your own talk groups anytime through the Poclink App. You can invite radios from your team by sharing a group code or QR invite, and manage everything directly in the app.
Coverage
Poclink Radios work globally, as long as the device can connect to a 4G network. Each radio includes a free Standard Global Plan that supports coverage in 35 countries. You can check the full list here: https://poclink.com/products/sim-card-plan/.
Compatibility & SIM Cards
Our radios use a custom SIM configuration tied to the Poclink network, so they are not compatible with SIM cards or networks from other brands.
WiFi Capability
No
Analog RF capability
Yes, only our POC-1 Ultra model supports analog RF (FRS band) in addition to LTE.
You can switch between PoC and analog directly on the radio, and within the analog mode, you can manually select the channel and privacy code (CTCSS/DCS) — just like a traditional FRS radio.
Customer Service
They were very quick to respond to my inquiries, within an hour.
Cost
Echo Radio
Cost & Service
The first year of use is completely free. After the first year, there is a $20 annual renewal fee per radio to maintain cellular connectivity.
GPS Tracking
No
Group Management
Yes, additional groups can be created. Kindly note that we have a software for radio configuration. We take full responsibility for grouping and configuration completely free of charge. But we can also create an account for you if it is really needed. We understand that some clients prefer to configure the radios themselves. That said, if a customer messes up the configuration of the radios, the support from us will be more limited in that case, as we might not be able to fix it after.
Coverage
The radios have 2 types: US enabled and globally enabled. The US enabled radios only work within the Unites States. The global versions work internationally as long as there is cellular infrastructure in the area. The price of both versions is the same. They made a point to note that their radios work even with very poor cell signal, in situations where a cell phone won’t work.
Compatibility & SIM Cards
Echo Radios can only communicate with other Echo Radios within the same group. They cannot connect with radios of other brands.
WiFi Capability
No
Analog RF capability
No
Customer Service
They responded within 24-hours.
Cost
Talk2Me USA
Two Way Direct
Cost & Service
The purchase includes 1 year of service. After that, it’s $50/year per radio. No other monthly fees, contracts, or subscriptions.
GPS Tracking
Our TWD50 and TWD100M models have GPS and SOS enabled. Our TWD25 does not. To view GPS location, use our Web Dispatcher or Smartphone App to view locations. Each smartphone app or web dispatcher license is $50/ea one-time fee.
Group Management
Groups and users can be managed in the admin portal at manage.twowaydirect.com or we can help you make changes. Certain users can be assigned to as many groups as you choose. So you can limit certain channels for certain users if you want. Also, you can have a priority all call channel as well. This means, if anyone goes to the priority all call channel and transmits, the other radios will hear it no matter what channel they’re on.
Coverage
Service right now includes the US and about 100 other countries/territories. A complete list can be found here and we have a secondary sim option for even more countries.
WiFi Capability
Our TWD50 model has LTE + WiFi. So if you have Starlink for example, you can connect your TWD50 to that WiFi network and use it all carrier networks are down. It does not use FRS, UHF, or VHF frequencies.
Analog RF capability
No
Customer Service
They responded the same day to my inquiries and promptly answered follow-up questions.
Cost
Herda Radio
PeakPTT
QuickTel
FreedomLink Plus