MaSSSoftech

Maine's Office of Information Technology (OIT) Selects Harris' Hybrid P25 System to Extend and Unite the States's Public Safety Communications

LAS VEGAS and BOSTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS), an international communications and information technology company, announced that the State of Maine Office of Information Technology (OIT) has selected the company's Public Safety and Professional Communications business to deploy MSCommNet, a hybrid Project 25 (P25) VHF statewide digital radio system, based on the company's VIDA(R) (Voice, Interoperability, Data, Access) Network technology. Designed to meet the unique needs of Maine's law enforcement, public safety, and public service first responders, the P25 VHF system is fully compliant with Phase 1 of the federal P25 standard and will include 40 sites throughout Maine, providing mobile coverage across 95 percent of the state. Supporting suppliers on the Harris winning bid include Jacobs Telecommunications, Radio Communications Management and Alcatel-Lucent.

"We are pleased to announce that as a result of receiving our panel's highest score, the Office of Information Technology has contracted with Harris," said Richard Thompson, Chief Information Officer (CIO), State of Maine Office of Information Technology. "Following a lengthy, open and comprehensive bid process, the hybrid system proposal was selected for a number of reasons, including a rapid, low-risk implementation plan, a proven, state-of-the art technology platform and a cost-effective approach that will utilize and consolidate our existing resources and systems. The Harris proposal provides the State with a clear roadmap to future technologies and growth, avoiding stranded costs."

The State of Maine's system will join Nevada, Florida, Delaware and Pennsylvania in adopting statewide radio systems based on Harris proven VIDA Network technology. The VIDA Network is a cost-effective, Internet Protocal (IP)-based interoperable radio communications technology that fully supports analog and digital radio communications systems, including the P25 Phase 1 and Phase 2 standards. VIDA also supports communications between new and legacy systems to provide seamless interoperability with other agencies, regardless of frequency band, radio brand or operating mode. The system is P25 Phase 1-compliant and software upgradeable to the new P25 Phase 2 standard.

"We are confident that Maine's public safety and public service users will receive a reliable, robust interoperable communications system from Harris that will provide the support they need to focus on the tasks they do best - protecting and assisting the residents of Maine," said Dana Mehnert, group president, Harris RF Communications. "The flexibility and depth of the VIDA Network will enable the State of Maine to deploy a hybrid trunked/conventional VHF radio system that meets and exceeds all the requirements of the P25 standard. Powered by VIDA's superior technology, the system will provide the State with a clear migration path for future expansion, extending the life of the system to provide Maine's public safety agencies and officials with necessary communications capabilities while keeping the costs to Maine's citizens reasonable."

Description of the MSCommNet System:

The hybrid system will provide P25 trunking technology with advanced feature sets and capacity efficiencies, while the P25 conventional component of the system will reduce the power requirements at remote sites that will utilize solar energy systems. Additionally the hybrid trunked/conventional P25 system will provide critical features including group, individual and emergency call functionality. The upgrade to the system will insure that the State of Maine is compliant with the Federal Communications Commission requirements for non-Federal public safety agencies to be narrowband compliant prior to January 1, 2013.

The VIDA Network will enable Maine to select the most efficient and cost-effective radio equipment to connect analog and digital systems throughout Maine through the Harris NetworkFirst(R), an innovative IP network switching architecture. NetworkFirst has been designated as a Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology under the Department of Homeland Security's SAFETY Act.

The MSCommNet system will provide the State of Maine with an advanced set of features including:

* Interoperability: The VIDA-based system allows interoperability at three levels:
o Standards: The radios will operate on VHF, P25 and legacy analog networks
o Radio: Any vendor's P25-compliant radio will operate on the system
o Network: VIDA will interoperate with any system regardless of brand or frequency band
* Statewide Agency Communication: Designated users will have the ability to communicate to any other user no matter the site, region or agency - with no dispatcher intervention.
* Agency Autonomy: All of the State's public safety agencies will realize the advantages of a shared network but can remain autonomous within the system. Each agency will have independent secure partitioning, secure assigned talkgroups and configuration clients allowing local control.

Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications is a leading supplier of assured communications(R) systems and equipment for public safety, federal, utility, commercial and transportation markets, with products ranging from the most advanced IP voice and data networks, to industry leading multiband, multimode radios, to public safety-grade broadband video and data solutions. With more than 80 years of experience, Harris supports over 500 systems around the world.

About Harris Corporation

Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of annual revenue and 15,000 employees - including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications((R)) products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.


SOURCE Harris Corporation