The award comes after New York in May announced two pilot projects to test the technology. Motorola and Northrop were both given the nod for the pilots, but Northrop won out in the end. Under the contract, the company will outfit the city’s existing wireless network with high-speed data and video features and wireless applications for first responders and transportation workers.
The upgraded network will connect responders from New York’s police and fire departments, as well as other government agencies, with data including anti-crime and anti-terrorist databases, maps, and streaming video. The network will also support other non-emergency city services, such as mobile access for city field workers and traffic monitoring and management. Northrop will use wireless technology from vendor IPWireless for the network, according to a Northrop release.
Over the next three months Northrop will design the system and establish an implementation and operations plan. A release from the office New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday states that field and network equipment will be installed in the following 18 months. The entire network is scheduled to go online in Lower Manhattan in January 2007 and then citywide by the spring of 2008.
After the five-year term, New York can renew the deal for 10 more years. The city will put some $20m in federal homeland security funding for the project and plans to continue to look for additional federal funds.
