Canton first Ohio city to get Motorola system

Motorola Inc. has won a $5.8 million contract to provide Canton, Ohio, with a new communications system, the company announced March 4.

Canton is the first city in the Buckeye State to use the company's new integrated radio dispatch and 911 call-handling solution, Motorola said.

Under the contract, Motorola of Schaumburg, Ill., will install a mixed-mode communications systems that merges 911 call handling and radio dispatch call handling into a single system. A mixed-mode system is capable of handling both analog and digital communications.

The communications system also will include two simulcast sites connected by microwave links and six channels for voice communications, the company said.

The system integrates an advanced, computer-based telephony system from Plant Equipment Inc. of Temecula, Calif., with a console for public dispatchers from Motorola.

In addition, the city will purchase about 400 new digital radios for its police and fire departments, the company said. The purchase includes both portable radios and control stations.

Motorola is a provider of integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. The company has more than 147,000 employees and had revenue of $30 billion in fiscal 2001.