Unfortunately as 902 said most management doesn't know the difference between a cell phone and a 2-way radio they just see it as a communication device, and they don't care as long as it does what the salesman said it would(we know how that goes). Cell phones are not and very likely will never be hardened and have built in redundantcy, as they are CONSUMER items. Home or office phones were never hardened years back unless you paid Ma Bell for it, and most consumers(under 30 crowd) just want to text, tweet,send pictures and don't care if they get there now, today, or next week. Verizon tried a Nextel style 2-way some years back and it was a dismal failure. I see this application, which means it isn't even built into the hardware going the same route. I did notice that the phones's flyer didn't state Public Safety on it, just enterprise which is business.
Management is always looking for the cheapest least labor intensive and dumbest way to do things. Part of the problem is training, why train some one to properly use a 2-way for the area you are in and who you need to contact when you can get a smart phone(which is in itself dumb the infrastructure is the smart part) to do what you need. It also goes to the quality of the employee, sure anybody can work a smart phone, but give most people a 2-way and they freeze up not knowing what to do.
I have had the same argument brought up by Firemen and Police as to why can't my radio work like a smartphone, well because the radio isn't. It's made to withstand much more abuse, and made to talk to a specific group, not the whole world.
Hopefully this project will fail and you will hear the radio systems come back to life.
