Tyco Electronics’ M/A-COM Awarded $9.4 Million Contract To Provide Tampa, Florida With Multi-Mode Mobile And Portable Radio Equipment

New Equipment Will Allow Tampa Police Department to Connect with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Radio System and Facilitate Interoperable Communications with Florida’s Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS)
LOWELL, Mass. June 2008 - Tyco Electronics’ M/A-COM business, a worldwide leader of critical radio communication systems, today announced it has been awarded a $9.4 million contract by the City of Tampa, Florida to provide Project 25 (P25) Phase I ready and Phase II capable, multi-mode mobile and portable radios to the Tampa Police Department. The Tampa Police will connect to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office radio system to allow for direct interoperability with the county and surrounding counties and municipalities, including Pasco County, Manatee County, the City of Clearwater as well as any communication network in the state via Florida’s Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS). Tampa’s police officers will also be able to use the P25-compliant equipment to communicate directly with any future P25 700 MHz or 800 MHz local system or regional mutual aid network. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office radio system will also allow for future expansion to accommodate Tampa Fire Rescue radio communications requirements.

“Our primary objective is to achieve interoperability among all of our radio system users, with the ancillary goal of realizing interoperable communications with adjacent city, county, state and federal agencies,” said Assistant Chief Jane Castor, Tampa (FL) Police Department. ”The M/A-COM technology will provide our police officers with the communication tools they need to collaborate and coordinate with other first responders in the event of any kind of disaster. We’re confident that this technology will vastly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our police department. We look forward to moving Tampa Fire Rescue personnel to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office network as soon as possible.”

The Tampa Police Department will join the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s existing M/A-COM EDACS radio system, which consists of two 15-channel simulcast systems across 13 tower sites. Tampa’s police officers will utilize M/A-COM P7200 portable and M7300 mobile multi-mode radios capable of operating on both EDACS and P25 radio networks. Upon completion, the new equipment will provide the Tampa Police Department with 95 percent coverage within the city. When the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office decides to migrate the county system to P25, all radios will simply require a programming change for use on the network.

“The decision by the City of Tampa to join Hillsborough County’s EDACS radio network further validates the importance of interoperable communications at the city, county, state and federal level, while also demonstrating the value and success of our SLERS installation throughout Florida,” said Chuck Lang, director of Florida Sales, Tyco Electronics. ”In the event of an emergency, Tampa��™s first responders must have the ability to coordinate so they can work together to save lives. SLERS and Tyco Electronics provides these responders with the ideal network and right equipment to properly communicate so the men and women of the State’s public safety agencies can do their jobs the best they can.”

SLERS is a single, unified radio network that meets the radio voice communications needs of state law enforcement officers and agencies throughout the state of Florida. The SLERS system is the result of a unique public-private partnership between Tyco Electronics’ M/A-COM and the state of Florida and accommodates more than 6,500 users with 14,000 radios in patrol cars, boats, motorcycles and aircraft wherever they are in the state. SLERS consists of an all-digital radio network covering 60,000 square miles, including 25 miles offshore. Hillsborough County is a SLERS member enjoying full radio communications interoperability with each of the state’s agencies.

Tyco Electronics’ M/A-COM business is a leading supplier of critical communications systems and equipment for public safety, utility, federal and select commercial markets. M/A-COM products range from some of the most advanced IP-based voice and data networks, to traditional wireless systems that offer customers the highest levels of reliability, interoperability, scalability and security. More information about M/A-COM solutions can be found on the Web at www.macom-wireless.com.