USA: Anne Arundel County awards $48.4m public safety radio contract to Motorola Solutions

​Anne Arundel County, Maryland, has announced a $48.4 million capital construction contract with Motorola Solutions to replace and improve its public safety radio system.

“Three years ago, Anne Arundel County began undertaking the largest public safety infrastructure upgrade in its history,” said Anne Arundel County executive Steve Schuh, in a press release dated 9 January. “This public safety radio system upgrade is crucial to those efforts. In any emergency, effective communications between first responders is critical.”

The project will replace all first responder mobile, portable and network radio equipment and will comply with P25 public safety radio industry standards, and the County expects that this will provide improved interoperability between it and its neighboring jurisdictions.

The new radio system will also address many current system radio coverage issues and will provide improved radio coverage inside of structures throughout Anne Arundel County. Once the project begins, the County anticipates the system will be built in 36 months.

In addition to improvements to voice dispatch radio performance, the new system will include technology to enhance the safety and efficiency of Anne Arundel County’s first responders, including real-time GPS location of first responders when they are away from their vehicles.

The contract with Motorola Solutions requires guaranteed reliable in-building portable radio coverage inside of 196 critical buildings throughout Anne Arundel County, including schools, hospitals, police stations, fire stations, and government buildings.