SCHAUMBURG, Ill. - 22 May 2006 - Motorola, Inc.
(NYSE:MOT) has been selected by Xcel Energy to design and install three
wireless trunked radio networks covering service territories in Minneapolis/St.
Paul, West Texas, and the Denver/Boulder area, representing a coverage area of
approximately 56,000 square miles. The new multi-million dollar systems will
enhance Xcel Energy’s current private radio system capabilities, help increase
operational efficiencies, and help improve internal interoperability.
“The new Motorola digital radio systems will significantly enhance our coverage
footprint, audio quality, dispatch functionality and system reliability in each
of the regions we serve,” said Michael Carlson, Xcel Energy’s chief information
officer. “We are committed to providing our customers with exceptional service
and investing in our communications infrastructure is paramount to achieving
that goal.”
Critical infrastructure components of Xcel Energy’s Minneapolis/St.Paul eight
site, 800 MHz analogue SMARTNET Simulcast trunked network system will be
upgraded and enhanced with leading dispatch, simulcast and system control
equipment designed to improve system performance and reliability.
In West Texas, the company’s existing system will be upgraded to Motorola's
ASTRO® 25 SmartZone® digital trunking solution, operating in the 800 MHz
frequency band and utilizing Motorola's newest Frequency Division Multiple
Access (FDMA) narrowband 12.5 kHz digital trunked network technology. The new
system will consist of 31 sites and utilize 600 XTL 2500 mobile subscribers and
150 XTS 2500 portables.
In the Denver/Boulder service area, Motorola will upgrade the existing radio
system to an ASTRO 25 digital Simulcast system designed to provide coverage to
seven sites and the entire Denver/Boulder metropolitan area. The new system
will support 688 XTL 2500 mobile subscribers and 470 XTS 2500 portable radios.
“The ASTRO 25 platform will deliver numerous operational efficiencies along
with critical communications interoperability across the company, which is an
increasingly important capability in the event of a natural disaster or
emergency,” said Carlson.
The system will be implemented in three phases beginning in May of 2006.
Source: Motorola press release
