Motorola Solutions announces migration deal with Charlotte
Charlotte has migrated its public-safety agencies—as well as other partner entities in the region—from a SmartNet 4.1 system to a Motorola Solution P25 system, ASTRO 25, Miller said. The MAP arrangement includes plans for a redundant prime site and maintenance on complex core technology; the city’s in-house staff will do maintenance work with shelters and generators, although those elements could be included in other MAP arrangements, he said.
Another key for Charlotte officials is that more channels are needed on the P25 network to handle other government users that will access the system in the future. With this in mind, the agreement calls for an upgrade to TDMA P25 Phase 2, which is scheduled to be implemented from 2016 through 2018, Miller said.
Charlotte was the first announced MAP deal last week, but Motorola today announced another MAP agreement with the city of Greensboro, N.C., during the company’s quarterly earnings call. In addition, there are other completed MAP deals that have not been announced yet, and Motorola Solutions is “expecting many more this coming year,” Miller said.
According to Motorola Solutions officials, a MAP customer may experience a 10% cost savings over the course of the program, as well as getting much-needed financial visibility during an era of tight budgets. The MAP arrangement also provides financial visibility to Motorola Solutions, as well, Miller said.
“I’m no finance expert, but I’m sure the market would like us to have a nice, healthy backlog of predictable money that we know is going to come in the future,” he said. “So, it’s certainly not a bad deal for us.”