HSTX awarded contract to build Anchorage public safety network.
Harris Stratex Networks Announces New Multi-Phase Award to Provide Communications Systems for Anchorage Public Safety Network
Tuesday October 9, 9:00 am ET
- Complete Turnkey Solution Includes TRuepoint(R) and Constellation(R) Digital Microwave Radios -
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harris Stratex Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSTX - News), the leading independent supplier of turnkey wireless transmission solutions, today announced a deal with the Municipality of Anchorage and Municipal Light and Power (ML&P). Under the award, Harris Stratex Networks will provide state-of the-art TRuepoint® and Constellation® radios to upgrade the Anchorage Wide Area Radio Network (AWARN), used for fire, police, medical and emergency services communications.
Harris Stratex Networks will deliver a turnkey backbone system as part of the second phase of a three-phase Municipality of Anchorage program. Phase 2 consists of an upgrade to all of the 12 sites that were installed during Phase 1. Outdoor construction is due for completion by mid-October, and the system will be turned on by late 2007. Phase 3 is set to begin in 2008.
The initial phase of the project includes funding from ML&P in a joint effort to improve communications and cooperation between the two municipal entities and create taxpayer value for the residents of Anchorage. The upgraded system provides greater interoperability between agencies and is designed to enhance voice and data services for first responders.
"The goal of the AWARN project is to develop a single radio system that will provide increased coverage, better clarity and complete interoperability for Anchorage first responders and other municipal agencies," said Trygve Erickson, manager of telecommunications for the Municipality of Anchorage. "This upgrade will enable our systems to talk to each other during daily operations -- especially in extraordinary situations."
"Our objective in working with the Municipality of Anchorage is to provide the most robust, cost-effective technology available to meet their emerging emergency services communications requirements," said Jayne Leighton, vice president, North American Sales and Services, Harris Stratex Networks. "Constellation continues to demonstrate its value through its scalability and reliability, allowing customers to grow as they need to expand their systems."
AWARN consists of a ring of microwave radio sites outfitted with Constellation radios. Spurs built with both the Constellation and TRuepoint radios will link various population centers in and around Anchorage to the main radio ring. The Constellation radios will quadruple the municipality's capacity, allowing the agencies greater bandwidth for the voice, video and data services critical for communication among police, fire and public safety personnel. The full turnkey deployment includes site preparation, tower construction, antenna placement, integration and test, installation, licensing and regulatory filing. ML&P share many of the same towers with the Municipality of Anchorage; the two projects will be implemented simultaneously to save cost for local taxpayers.
The AWARN project represents the latest in several significant turnkey network programs in the public safety sector led by Harris Stratex Networks. In June, the company announced its contract to upgrade the Kentucky Emergency Warning System (KEWS) for statewide public safety communications interoperability.
About Anchorage Municipal Light and Power
Anchorage Municipal Light and Power (ML&P) provides electric service to approximately 30,000 residential and commercial customers in a 19.9 square- mile area of the Municipality of Anchorage. ML&P also provides power to Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson and sells electricity for resale to other Railbelt utilities outside its service area. ML&P is subject to economic regulation by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA). RCA regulations encompass service area definition, tariff rules and regulations, service quality criteria and establishment of recurring rates and charges. ML&P is also advised by the ML&P Electric Commission, which is composed of seven members appointed to staggered three year terms by the Mayor with the approval of the Anchorage Assembly. Visit www.mlandp.com for more information. |
