LOWELL, Mass.-M/A-Com, a division of Tyco International Ltd., will build a unified public-safety communications system for the State of New York in a $2 billion 20-year contract.
The system, being built with General Dynamics Corp. and Alcatel Corp., will allow for 700/800 MHz integrated voice and data, four times the capacity per frequency and in-building coverage. It will use low-profile tower sites and will connect 65,000 state and local government users once it is fully operational in less than five years.
The M/A-Com system also is used in Florida and Pennsylvania and incorporates Internet Protocol to be backward compatible with current technologies.
“Team M/A-Com’s solution for New York State will change the face of critical communications and will ensure that the state is well equipped to face the public-safety communications challenges of today and tomorrow-including the critical requirement for communications interoperability,” said John Vaughan, M/A-Com Wireless Systems vice president and general manager.
The Boston Business Journal reported that M/A Com was forced to defend its contract, which initially was awarded a year ago after a legislative inquiry was launched. M/A Com beat Motorola Inc. for the project, said the Boston Business Journal.
