Padcom, Tropos partner in Oklahoma City project
Padcom and Tropos Networks last month announced a joint marketing agreement and sub-contracts to provide key aspects of a broadband data network that is designed to provide Oklahoma City first responders seamless connectivity between the new network and the city’s existing 800 MHz system.
Padcom’s software connectivity solution will be used to let Oklahoma City police officers and firefighters access headquarters’ databases via the Wi-Fi network being built in the downtown area by Tropos. When first responders travel outside the range of Tropos’ network, their data connections will be switched automatically to the M/A-COM EDACS wide area network that blankets Oklahoma City.
“Meeting the connectivity needs of over 850 vehicles in a 620 square-mile jurisdiction requires a wireless infrastructure that addresses speed and coverage while maintaining usability,” said Kerry Wagnon, Oklahoma City’s program director in the public-safety project office. He added that the new wireless data system will meet these needs by leveraging a Tropos mesh network to provide high-speed connectivity in the metro area, EDACS to provide a wide area coverage umbrella, and the Padcom TotalRoam software to help it all work together by letting officers and firefighters move between networks without losing their connection.
