Harris declares plan to protest Florida intent to award large P25 contract to Motorola Solutions
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- Harris declares plan to protest Florida intent to award large P25 contract to Motorola Solutions
- Harris declares plan to protest Florida intent to award large P25 contract to Motorola Solutions
- Harris declares plan to protest Florida intent to award large P25 contract to Motorola Solutions
- Harris declares plan to protest Florida intent to award large P25 contract to Motorola Solutions
Harris declares plan to protest Florida intent to award large P25 contract to Motorola Solutions
Under the current SLERS deal, all sites and network infrastructure assets are owned by Harris. The existing contract gives the state of Florida the option to purchase the EDACS system when the contract expires in June 2021, Marcella said.
“The state has the option to purchase the existing system at the end of June 2021,” she said. “When our contract ends, the state has the option to purchase the network. [To purchase SLERS] any time before then would require legislative approval and appropriation through the legislature.”
In terms of facilitating a smooth transition to the proposed P25 network, Harris is the only vendor that has the right to access existing SLERS sites to install P25 equipment at the towers before the SLERS contract expires, Marcella said. The state would be allowed access to the sites, if it wanted to build, operate and maintain the new P25 system itself, she said. However, if the state plans to have a non-Harris vendor like Motorola build, operate and maintain the system—as the SLERS arrangement is handled—the vendor currently has no early-access rights to the sites.
“The state itself can utilize some of those sites at no charge, but our competitor cannot,” Marcella said.
Harris hopes to win the P25 contract after filing its protest, but company officials acknowledge that it is possible that the SLERS network could be sold to the state or that it might need to shutter the SLERS assets when it ceases having the spectrum rights to operate. In addition, there is a possibility that the state of Florida might seek an extension of the SLERS contract beyond 2021, if the proposed P25 network is not operational when he SLERS contract expires.
“We are open to discussing it,” Marcella said of the extension scenario.
With the SLERS contract set to expire in June 2021, Florida state officials have a lot to consider, Marcell said.
“They have lots of options,” she said. “They can buy the network. They can keep the network until 2021, just the way the contract is. If the state is not ready to cut over at the end of June 2021, then they have to look at extending our existing contract, and [state officials have to consider] ‘What does that cost? How long does that take?’ and the fact that it has to be legislatively approved and funded.
“They have a hard date that’s going to be a challenge.”
Complicating the decision-making process further are developments at FirstNet, which has contracted AT&T to build a nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN). By the end of this year, FirstNet is scheduled to begin offering mission-critical-push-to-talk (MCPTT) services to its public-safety subscribers.
I love how the author is
I love how the author is espousing that first responders are anticipated to flock to firstnet. The good news is most in public safety know better and will not fall for the line of BS and will not trust mission critical communications to a cell phone network and teenager designed cell phone devices. The good news is I was at IWCE this year, and the sediment was pro LMR networks and a whole lot of apprehension about firstnet.. and rightfully so. Firstnet is a data network, plain and simple. It provides nothing more than what is currently available by any cell phone vendor, except that it is funded on the backs of the taxpayers.
“Firstnet is a data network,
“Firstnet is a data network, plain and simple. It provides nothing more than what is currently available ” Oh wow this is fake news! Why are so may LMR techs scared of technological advances?
No one even mentioned the
No one even mentioned the State system used to be a Motorola system and the State threw them out for failure to meet contract obligations and wanting to charge an astronomical amount of money to fix their mistakes.
A lot of this is more about
A lot of this is more about politics than performance!
This is simply turn-about is
This is simply turn-about is fair play. M/A-Com (Now Harris) system was developed as they were building out the state with MANY, MANY do overs. The Simulcast coverage was horrible and interference issues because they all the flux in ownership and little money at the time it was being installed. The state is frustrated from M/A-Com’s original project where they proposed only 137 sites to cover the entire state (mobile coverage to 95%) with some portable coverage in metros. The users should have the most input as to what is needed and not the vendor. I know this to be the case.
Keep in mind because Harris
Keep in mind because Harris has a proprietary system it is not the national standard P-25. That means repalcement radios/equipment can’t be put out to bid. The state MUST buy from Harris because the system is proprietary.
Because of the Harris system
Because of the Harris system in Pa I’m not surprised Flordia is bailing out.
P25, the biggest gravy train
P25, the biggest gravy train in Public Safety going in the western world for the last 10-15 years and unjustifiably so. Look at DMR with it’s thriving app developer community and faster to market movement in terms of innovation and feature development. What’s the latest to come from the P25 standards people? TDMA control channels? From a coverage perspective there is little separating the two technologies yet a belief that only P25 will do for Public Safety. All LMR vendors are shaking in their boots at the prospect of their over priced handset and system business being cannibalised by LTE. It’s simply an evolution to another radio technology, nothing more nothing less. Current issues and roadblocks such as direct mode will be solved because that’s what humans do, they solve problems once they’re fully understood. It’s only a matter of time folks. We should embrace and move unless we’re keen on another Kodak moment.