Subject: [NEXTEL-1] M/A-COM's NetworkFirst Selected to Provide Interoperable Public Safety Comm.

From: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 13:23:30 -0500

M/A-COM's NetworkFirst Selected to Provide Interoperable Public Safety Communications for Maryland's Eastern Shore 

  $5.6 Million Project Will Connect Local, State and Federal Agencies Across
                   Nine Counties on the Delmarva Peninsula

    LOWELL, Mass., March 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/-- M/A-COM, Inc., a business
unit of Tyco Electronics and a leading manufacturer of critical radio systems
deployed around the world, today was awarded a $5.6 million contract from
Worcester County, Maryland to provide public safety communications
connectivity for the Maryland Eastern Shore Inter-Operability Network.
(MESIN). MESIN is a network that will serve the first responders on the
Eastern Shore of Maryland.  M/A-COM will implement its NetworkFirst solution
to connect state, county, and municipal law enforcement, fire, emergency
medical services and the Coast Guard active along Maryland's coastline.

Maryland's Eastern Shore encompasses nine counties including Worcester
County, which is host to one of the state's largest tourist areas, Ocean City,
and takes in more than 3,000,000 visitors between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Public safety officials must keep close watch over this traveling population
and be ready to respond to fires, traffic accidents, and other tourism-related
mishaps in addition to local emergencies. In addition, the Eastern Shore's
proximity to the city of Baltimore and Washington D.C. means that responders
must also be prepared to handle threats or large-scale disasters affecting the
Baltimore metropolitan area and the National Capital Region.

    "To face widely-varied emergency situations on the Eastern Shore, public
safety personnel from multiple agencies, on various disparate systems, must be
able to communicate effectively," said Teresa Owens, Director, Department of
Emergency Services, Worcester County. "With M/A-COM's NetworkFirst, we're
getting a very powerful tool that will lead to better communications and
improved effectiveness for Maryland Eastern Shore public safety
organizations."

    NetworkFirst links together disparate radio system types that use
different frequency bands by converting audio signals into digital packets of
data that can then be easily transported over a wide area IP packet-switched
network.  Gateways, routers and a fully redundant switch will be integrated
with existing Eastern Shore county, municipal, state and federal area
communications systems to enable immediate interoperability between different
radios systems used in the area. With the new M/A-COM system, law enforcement,
fire and emergency medical services officers and various state and federal
agencies will finally be able to communicate seamlessly, while still using
their existing radios.

    Maryland relies on a large and varied contingency of public safety
personnel, including law enforcement, and emergency response providers; all of
whom must be able to communicate in times of crisis. Because the region
currently has four different communications systems in place across the nine
counties, interoperability between radios and tracking equipment has been a
major issue. To facilitate real-time communications between the various local,
state and federal agencies on the Eastern Shore, the MESIN project will employ
NetworkFirst to provide interoperability across the entire region.

    "Public safety agencies today constantly wrestle with communications
incompatibility, and vital personnel simply can't reach each other during
crisis situations," says Jane Wargo, Regional Sales Manager, M/A-COM.
"Worcester County has asked us to solve this very problem, and NetworkFirst
will be the solution."

    About M/A-COM
    M/A-COM, Inc., a business unit of Tyco Electronics, is a leading supplier
of critical communications systems and equipment for public safety, utility,
federal and select commercial markets.  Products range from some of the most
advanced IP-based voice and data networks to traditional wireless systems to
offer customers the highest levels of reliability, interoperability,
scalability and security.  M/A-COM is also a recognized leader in the design
and manufacture of radio frequency (RF), microwave and millimeter wave
solutions for the commercial wireless telecommunications, aerospace and
defense industries. Headquartered in Lowell, MA, M/A-COM has offices and
manufacturing facilities worldwide.  Information about M/A-COM can be found on
the Web at http://www.macom.com or http://www.macom-wireless.com.

    About Tyco Electronics
    Tyco Electronics is one of the major business segments of Tyco
International Ltd. (NYSE: TYC, LSE: TYI, BSX: TYC).  Tyco Electronics is the
world's largest passive electronic components manufacturer; a world leader in
cutting-edge wireless, active fiber optic and complete power systems
technologies; and is also rapidly developing extensive networking and building
technology installation services. Tyco Electronics provides advanced
technology products from over forty well-known and respected brands, including
Agastat, Alcoswitch, AMP, AMP NETCONNECT, Buchanan, CII, CoEv, Critchley,
Elcon, Elo TouchSystems, M/A-COM, Madison Cable, OEG, OneSource Building
Technologies, Potter & Brumfield, Raychem, Schrack, Simel and TDI Batteries.

M/A-COM, Tyco and NetworkFirst are trademarks.
Other products, logos and Company names mentioned herein may be trademarks
of their respective owners.

    For sales information, please contact:
     M/A-COM, Inc.
     1011 Pawtucket Blvd.
     Lowell, MA 01853
     United States - 1.800.528.7711
     Canada - 1.800.368.3277
     Middle East/Africa -- +1.434.455.9229
     Asia/Pacific -- +1.434.455.9238
     Europe -- +1.434.455.9238
     Latin America -- +1.434.455.9236

    Editorial Contact:
     Dave Hutcheson
     M/A-COM, Inc.
     978/442-4047
     [email-masked]

     Mike Ratcliff
     Tyco Electronics
     717-592-2316
     [email-masked]

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