City of Montréal Signs 15-year Contract with Cassidian Communications for P25 Land Mobile Radio System

• COR^P25 radio solution consolidates communications for police, fire and public works within the cities constituting the Urban Agglomeration of Montréal
• Standards-based COR^P25 system interoperates with other mission-critical P25 networks
• IP-based COR^P25 network enables simple and cost-effective growth

GATINEAU, Quebec--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cassidian Communications, an EADS company, announced today that it has been awarded the SÉRAM (système évolué de radiocommunication de l’agglomération de Montréal) contract by the City of Montréal Agglomeration Council to supply a digital, trunked P25 Land Mobile Radio (LMR) solution in Montréal, Canada.

“The fact that all of our users can be on one system that can talk to other public safety networks and that allows us to choose both equipment and vendors means that all of Montréal’s responders can count on a swift, reliable communications solution provided within budget.”

The simulcast/multicast COR^P25 solution, operating in the 700 MHz frequency band for public safety services and in the 800 MHz band for other services, includes infrastructure, design, engineering, installation, and a 15-year maintenance agreement. It is expected to be fully deployed by 2014 and will replace the communications networks that currently service the SPVM (Service de police de la Ville de Montréal) and SIM (Service des incendies de Montréal) law enforcement and fire agencies, as well as public works services in the cities and boroughs of the Urban Agglomeration of Montréal. The new consolidated network will cover the entire 496 square-kilometer territory of Montréal, and will support over 4,500 police officers, close to 2,000 firefighters, and more than 2,000 public works personnel. Additionally, the fully interoperable COR^P25 system will be able to communicate with other mission-critical P25 networks, including the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport and the Montréal Metro systems.

“We know that the COR^P25 network is the best radio communications system for us,” said Daniel Tetu, director of the SÉRAM project. “The fact that all of our users can be on one system that can talk to other public safety networks and that allows us to choose both equipment and vendors means that all of Montréal’s responders can count on a swift, reliable communications solution provided within budget.”

The industry’s only true non-proprietary P25 solution, the standards-based, COR^P25 system offers interoperability within and between systems, and has an open design that lets agencies select best-in-class radios, consoles, recorders and other network components from a variety of different vendors. This open approach enables competitive purchasing and lets customers build their networks with the best equipment for the best price, ultimately lowering the total cost of network ownership. The IP-based COR^P25 radio solution also enables cost-effective migration to future applications and services.

“The Montréal LMR project is a great fit for us,” said François Begaud, chief operating officer for Land Mobile Radio, Cassidian Communications. “Montréal’s first responders needed a flexible, advanced radio solution that could deliver the performance and reach that is a must for public safety communications and other services, and the Agglomeration Council needed to procure that same solution while staying true to its fiscal responsibilities. The state-of-the-art COR^P25 system meets both requirements. Also, the fact that we have a major R&D facility right next door in Gatineau, Quebec, will only enhance our abilities to support Montréal’s public safety community now and in the long-term.”

About The City Of Montréal Agglomeration Council

The agglomeration council, which came into existence on January 1, 2006, is headed by the mayor of Montréal and consists of 31 elected officials representing all the municipalities on the island of Montréal, specifically: the mayor of Montréal, 15 members of Montréal’s city council, 14 mayors of reconstituted municipalities.

Montréal’s mayor and city councillors hold around 87 per cent of the votes on the agglomeration council, while the mayors of reconstituted cities hold around 13 per cent. These percentages are proportional to the respective demographic weight of each of the cities on the island of Montréal. In regards to shared services, the agglomeration council has the power to adopt by-laws, authorize expenses and impose taxes on the entire island of Montréal.

About CASSIDIAN

Cassidian, an EADS company, is a worldwide leader in global security solutions and systems, providing Lead Systems Integration and value-added products and services to civil and military customers around the globe: air systems (aircraft and unmanned aerial systems), land, naval and joint systems, intelligence and surveillance, cyber security, secure communications, test systems, missiles, services and support solutions. In 2011, Cassidian – with around 28,000 employees – achieved revenues of € 5.8 billion. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2011, the Group – comprising the Divisions Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of € 49.1 billion and employed a workforce of more than 133,000.

About Cassidian Communications

As the largest and most trusted source of mission critical communications solutions, Cassidian Communications, an EADS company, is leading the way in standards-based NG9-1-1 call center applications, notification solutions and services and P25 land mobile radio systems. Cassidian Communications is headquartered in Temecula, Calif., with facilities based in Richardson, Texas, Franklin, Tenn., and Gatineau, Quebec.