Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Western States Contracting Alliance-Chooses NetworkFirst, an Internet Protocol-based system designed by M/A-Com Inc

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 21:06:59 -0500

Posted on Tue, Mar. 16, 2004

Lowell, Mass.-Based Public Safety Network
Design Firm Lands 16-State Contract

By Rebecca Lipchitz, The Sun, Lowell, Mass. Knight Ridder/Tribune
Business News

Mar. 15--LOWELL, Mass. - A local manufacturer of Internet networks that
connect public safety communications systems has landed a 16-state
contract potentially worth $500 million.

NetworkFirst, an Internet Protocol-based system designed by M/A-Com
Inc., was chosen by the Western States Contracting Alliance (WSCA) as a
preferred supplier.

What that means is that once or if any of WSCA's member states choose to
connect the communications for their police, fire or other public safety
departments, M/A-Com will be there to provide it.

"The problem of interoperability has been around for a long time," said
M/A-Com spokesman David Hutcheson, referring to fact that most fire and
police departments, even within the same community, operate on different
radio frequencies.
But the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks put new focus on homeland
security. The NetworkFirst system is now under contract to be available
in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Michigan, Hutcheson said.

More states have seen the system at work since M/A-Com, a unit of Tyco
Electronics, took it on a nationwide tour from September 2002 to
November 2003.

"We traveled through 41 states, and I don't know how many cities,
demonstrating the technology," Hutcheson said. The traveling van is
being updated, and is scheduled to hit the road again next month.

The number of contracts won due to the traveling technology campaign is
unclear, but Hutcheson said the tour "established a brand name for
NetworkFirst." The number of actual networks to be installed for the
WSCA is not yet determined, and several vendors are involved, Hutcheson
said.

Steve Valandra, a spokesman for the WSCA, said the contract would
provide for radio antennae, power supply systems and equipment.

"It's a big deal for state highway patrol in Washington, and even for
our own agency," he said.  "Since the terrorist attacks, we found that
the walkie-talkies, radios and cell phones didn't all match in their
communication systems, which we needed in times of emergency." The
networks would likely be installed by in-state workers rather than
M/A-Com, Hutcheson said. M/A-Com will provide hardware, infrastructure
and engineering support.

The WSCA is a group of 16 states that has banned together to create
negotiating power for better prices on such contracts. Member states
include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah,
Washington and Wyoming.

Lowell public safety departments considered using NetworkFirst, but
decided against it after evaluating the system two years ago, said Fire
Chief William Desrosiers.

"It's designed for a big system, not a single city. We had a grant for
$100,000, and it wasn't going to come close," he said.
Instead, Lowell public safety and utility departments chose an
"interoperability channel" that connects radios on a single channel that
is also available to state agencies, Desrosiers said.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/8201111.htm

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