City of Norman to Accept New Motorola Communications System

NORMAN, Okla., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Norman at 12:30 p.m. today will formally accept a new Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT - news) 800 MHz SMARTNET® analog communications system which will connect the City with the State of Oklahoma's existing Motorola trunked communications system.

John Gresiel, with Trott Communications Inc. provided consulting services for the citywide communication project. ``Mr. Gresiel was very instrumental in the success of this project,'' Fire Chief John Dutch said.

The $3.3 million system will give the City of Norman autonomous operation. It will also enable the City's police, fire and public works departments, as well as the University of Oklahoma, for the first time, to communicate directly with the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, including the Highway Patrol, Department of Corrections and the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office.

``The Norman system's interoperability with the State of Oklahoma's system will enable us to quickly and efficiently coordinate communications,'' said Major Russell Graham, Project Manager for the City of Norman. ``For instance, the technology will be invaluable in helping monitor communications between the highway patrol and our City's public-safety personnel, including Norman's hospital-based ambulance system. This is particularly important at major events, such as university football games, that invariably require multiple agencies to respond.''

``Equally important, if not more important, is the ability of our non- public safety departments to communicate effectively. In the past, communications for those departments was less than satisfactory. With the new communication system, the City can provide a better and more timely response to all categories of service requests by the citizens of Norman,'' Major Graham said.

City officials say the University of Oklahoma's Westheimer Airport will also be added to the system.

Norman, with a population of nearly 100,000 people, is the county seat of Cleveland County and is located 17 miles south of the state capitol, Oklahoma City. The neighboring cities of Edmond and Shawnee also have purchased similar Motorola 800 MHz communications systems, which area officials say have further enhanced communications interoperability among area cities and state agencies.

Norman's two-site system will include 10 channels and use simulcast technology to further enhance communications coverage throughout the City. The system's simulcast feature means it will transmit each message at the same time from both sites.

A total of 750 mobile and portable radios are included in the City system, with an additional 74 mobile and portable units used by the University of Oklahoma's public-safety department. The system also includes a four-position Motorola CENTRACOM Gold Series(TM) Elite console installed in Norman's newly renovated main dispatch center, plus two additional back-up stations at the University of Oklahoma's dispatch center. Installation of the system was completed in December.

``The City of Norman's new Motorola 800 MHz communication system is a sophisticated solution that will enable the City to enhance communications coverage throughout Norman and connect to the State's radio system to be able to talk with agencies throughout Oklahoma,'' said Larry Olson, Motorola area vice president. ``But perhaps the system's greatest feature may be its flexibility to accommodate future enhancements to meet changing communication needs for many years to come.''

SOURCE: Motorola, Inc.

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