Raytheon [RTN] yesterday said it has received an $8.7 million award through a federal communications program to provide a locality in Colorado with a next-generation public safety network, marking the first competitive Public Safety Long Term Evolution (LTE) contract in the country.
The award is also first under the Broadband Technology Opportunities program, which is administered by the Commerce Department using Recovery Act funds to in part, deploy broadband infrastructure to connect public safety facilities.
Raytheon will provide Adams County and the adjacent Denver community with a 15-site fourth-generation LTE communications system that delivers public safety user access to such capabilities as streaming video, remote data access and information sharing. The system will become part of the nationwide public safety LTE network that will provide broadband data services to all levels of first responders throughout the country.
“Raytheon took the time with our team up front to determine exactly what our needs were and proposed an LTE solution that was tailored to our unique situation that incorporates both public safety and critical infrastructure,” Brian Shepherd, deputy director, Adams County Communications Center, said in a statement. “Raytheon’s solution allows our 1,500 diversified users to efficiently communicate during both normal operations and emergency solutions.”
The new system will be installed during the next 21 months.