Northumbria Police was at the forefront of the roll out of TETRA in the UK, and has been using Motorola TETRA terminals since 2002. The decision to migrate to the Motorola
MTP850 TETRA terminals means Northumbria once again leads the way for other UK forces in the deployment of baseline terminals. Users will also benefit from many other new features such as integrated GPS for enhanced user safety and efficient resource allocation and a WAP browser which enables officers to access local and national information databases while in the field. All features are delivered through a familiar, user friendly interface designed to meet the needs of mission critical users.
“Motorola has been a trusted supplier for many years and have a proven track record in public safety communication. To maintain the level of security for the information our officers send and receive, we needed to achieve CESG accreditation. After an open tender process, it was clear that upgrading our TETRA terminals to the Motorola MTP850 would meet our needs both today and in the future,” said John Meldrum, Airwave & maintenance manager, Northumbria Police.
Northumbria is one of the UK’s largest forces and operates over a large geographical area, so carrying out any kind of technology roll out in this area can be a complex procedure. The migration itself was carried out in two phases, with the deployment of the MTP850 radios carried out late 2007, followed by a software upgrade to the latest CESG baseline approved software in early summer 2008. Motorola worked closely with Northumbria Police to develop and implement a comprehensive migration programme which included the radio swap-out, programming and training of officers as well as the secure disposal of old radios. To ensure alignment with the deployment of new functionality on the Airwave infrastructure, Motorola carried out field-based upgrades to the CESG Baseline software, causing minimal disruption to officers and enabling the migration of Northumbria’s fleet of TETRA terminals in just three weeks, significantly beating the force’s expectations of three months.
Iain Clarke, sales vice president, Western Europe for Motorola’s Government & Public Safety business said: “Motorola is continually investing in the development of both network and terminal technology, enabling public safety teams to maintain the highest level of security and safety for the community. Being selected by Northumbria to help them achieve the first UK CESG force-wide accreditation further demonstrates our leadership position in mission critical communication.”
Notes to editorTETRA terminals operating on the Airwave network must be CESG compliant by September 2009, and all new radios delivered from 1 September 2008 must already be CESG Baseline approved.
Motorola’s installed base of Airwave TETRA terminals can meet CESG requirements through a software upgrade, which is being deployed in line with customer requirements.
About MotorolaMotorola is known around the world for innovation in communications. The company develops technologies, products and services that make mobile experiences possible. Our portfolio includes communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility solutions, digital set-tops, cable modems, mobile devices and Bluetooth accessories. Motorola is committed to delivering next generation communication solutions to people, businesses and governments. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $36.6 billion in 2007. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit
http://www.motorola.com.
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Media Contact:Stephanie Forrest
Motorola
+ 44 7739 884452
stephanie.forrest@motorola.com
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