Thursday December 16, 11:48 am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

State of Connecticut Celebrates Installation of New Voice, Data Communications Systems

BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Gov. John G. Rowland, Dr. Henry C. Lee, Commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Public Safety, and other state officials today joined in a special ceremony to celebrate official activation of the state's new $47 million Motorola 800 MHz digital ASTRO® SmartZone(TM) voice and Private DataTAC(TM) 19.2 RD-LAP wireless data communications systems.

The event also marked completion of the first phase of the system's installation that will provide communications support for Connecticut State Police Troops G, A and I in the southwestern portion of the state. The state and Motorola project installation for the remaining eight state police troops will be completed and ready for coverage testing by mid-2000.

The state police used two vehicles at the ceremony to demonstrate the operation of the new mobile and portable radios, the laptop computers that will be used in the wireless mobile data system, and the state's new global positioning system.

``Connecticut has led the way in developing public-safety communications through the use of high technology, initially in the 1940s as the first state in the nation to install a statewide communications system,'' said Gov. Rowland. ``This system will enable us to deliver the critical public-safety services residents need more efficiently than ever before. It is a model others will imitate.''

Motorola is the system integrator as well as supplier of the voice and data systems. Integraph Public Safety, a system sub-contractor, is providing the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD), Records Management System (RMS) and mobile data software. The Connecticut State Police will be the primary users of both systems.

``This is another new approach to bring Connecticut law enforcement into the forefront as a leader in fighting crime with high-technology tools,'' said Commissioner Lee. ``I would like to thank everyone involved for making this project a success. With the addition of this new 800 MHz radio system, including the mobile data terminals, the safety of our troopers in the field will be enhanced and service to the public will improve as we enter the 21st century.''

The voice system includes 1,200 Motorola ASTRO XTS 3000(TM) portable radios, 1,200 Motorola Spectra® mobile radios and equipment for the system's 12 dispatch centers. The dispatch center equipment includes Motorola CENTRACOM(TM) Gold Elite(TM) consoles for the state's 12 dispatch centers. The voice system uses 41 tower sites and simulcast technology to provide 98 percent system mobile radio coverage statewide in all seasonal conditions as measured on a troop by troop basis. This allows officers to roam throughout the state's 5,000 square miles and maintain their communications capability. Simulcast technology ensures radio users automatically receive the strongest signal available since the system broadcasts each transmission from all of the system's tower sites. The voice radio system also complies with the Project 25 Common Air Interface (CAI) standard for digital radio communications systems.

The system uses the existing state-owned microwave system network to connect the 41 RF sites and 12 dispatch centers on the state's currently licensed radio frequencies.

The voice system also incorporates trunking technology to automatically select an available channel for each transmission, and then re-uses the same channel for another transmission once the first is completed. This efficient use of the state's available frequencies enables the system to accommodate a high volume of calls.

The Motorola Private DataTAC data communications system will provide troopers for the first time instantaneous access in the field to mission- critical information and supports inquiries into the Connecticut On-line Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (COLLECT) and the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The data system also supports optional Computer- Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System (RMS) applications. Vehicles will be equipped with laptop computers and high-speed modems to access these public-safety databases and other information. The data system operates on frequencies separate from those used for the voice radio system. The wireless mobile data system will be installed by mid-2000.

``The design and installation of these new digital voice and wireless data communications systems reflects tremendous commitment and considerable hard work by everyone involved in the team effort-state police and other state employees, Motorola and others who have supplied critical components of the system,'' said Lt. Col. Marjorie J. Kolpa, administrative services, Connecticut State Police, and the system project director for the state. ``We are working diligently to ensure that we meet our projected installation timetable.''

In 1939, the Connecticut State Police installed the nation's first statewide two-way radio communications system. It was the first in the world to use FM technology in a two-way radio communications system. Daniel E. Noble, a Connecticut professor who designed the system, later became the vice- chairman of Motorola and founded the company's semiconductor business.

``We are proud to have had the opportunity to work with the state of Connecticut to design and implement these sophisticated digital voice and data communications systems,'' said Ken Denslow, Motorola corporate vice president and general manager of sales for the northern division. ``We also are proud of our long relationship with the state of Connecticut and look forward to working closely with you in the future to meet your continually changing public-safety communications needs.''

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT - news) is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions. Sales in 1998 were $29.4 billion.

SOURCE: Motorola

Contents © 2008 by David Schoenberger