Motorola lands radio deals from Md., N.C. counties

Motorola Inc. has won two contracts totaling $44.6 million to provide public safety communications systems to large county governments in Maryland and North Carolina, the company announced Aug. 29.


Motorola of Schaumburg, Ill., won a $23 million contract to provide a digital communications system that will tie together the county's police, fire and ambulance crews in Harford County, Md.



Under the contract, Motorola will upgrade voice communications, install computers in vehicles, install an automatic locator subsystem and connect various siren systems for sounding general alarms to the citizens of Harford County.



The system is expected to be fully operational by 2005, the company said.



Motorola also won a $21.6 million contract from Wake County, N.C., to provide a mixed mode voice and computer-aided dispatch communications solution.



The system will expand the existing North Carolina Highway Patrol System. This will improve interoperability among all public safety agencies within the county, the company said.



The new system will provide wide area coverage throughout Wake County's 12 municipalities, including the state capital of Raleigh.



The computer-aided dispatch system's seven trunked radio frequency sites will contain 14 channels operating in a simulcast mode. The system will use 533 dash mount mobiles, 194 trunk-mount mobiles, 884 portable radios, 235 control stations and 270 remote control units.



The system also will enable the county to take advantage of its coordinate-based geographic information system data and further facilitate its wireless 911 project.



Motorola has more than 111,000 employees and annual revenue of $30 billion.