Nextel inks 10-year deal with Tennessee Valley Authority
Nextel Communications announced it has been awarded a 10-year contract from the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility, to provide in-building wireless coverage and outdoor site coverage to 15 TVA facilities across three states. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nextel said it was chosen by the TVA to replace the utility’s legacy wireless communications systems in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s narrowband mandate for two-way LMR systems. When the project is complete, more than 3000 TVA handsets will be active on Nextel’s network, the carrier said, adding that the network would provide interoperable communications not only across TVA’s facilities, but also with police, fire and other government agencies in the three-state region.