The City of Charlotte Council announced its
contract with Alcatel-Lucent to deploy a LTE Public Safety Network in the
dedicated Public Safety 700 MHz frequency spectrum.
The broadband network will increase the reliability
of critical incident management data for all first responders in Mecklenburg
County and improve the ability of networks supporting area first responders in
communicating with other local and national law enforcement and emergency
response agencies.
“We are excited about our partnership with
Alcatel-Lucent and what this technology will mean to the citizens of Charlotte
and Mecklenburg County,” said Charles Robinson, Key Business Executive for
the City’s Business Support Services.
Alcatel-Lucent was awarded the contract because of their proven experience in implementation,
operations and support of cellular infrastructure technology. They will provide
a complete end-to-end LTE solution to the City.
“Charlotte will be among the very first cities
in the world to officially deploy the most advanced wireless broadband technology
for Public Safety communications, which means that local emergency workers will
be quicker to respond in critical situations, and better able to save
lives,” said Robert Vrij, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s Americas Region.
The 4G LTE Public Safety Network will be funded
primarily by the $16.7 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant
which was awarded to the City in August 2010 by the U.S. Department of
Commerce. The City expects to complete deployment of the network by July 2013.
By Telecomlead.com Team
editor@telecomlead.com
