The Statewide Wireless Network (SWN) will be the first comprehensive upgrade to many of the state's emergency radio systems in more than 30 years. SWN will be used as a day-to-day public safety radio system, as well as during emergencies. It will provide connectivity to enable on-demand and real-time coordination of police, fire, emergency medical and other necessary response services.
M/A-COM Inc. was selected as the prime contractor to lead the design and construction of the statewide digital land mobile radio network. M/A-COM will be responsible for ongoing operation and maintenance of the new radio network as well. Construction of the complete statewide system will take five years. The New York State Office for Technology is the lead state agency for SWN and will serve as the overall project manager.
Michael McCormack, Director of the state Office for Technology said, "We have negotiated a contract with the prime contractor M/A-COM that has significant financial safeguards to protect the State's investment and that ensures New York State will have a modern and comprehensive emergency radio system for our first responders."
The contract price of the Statewide Wireless Network is $2.005 billion, financed over a 20 year period. Included in the total price is network design, materials, construction, towers, shelters, fixed assets, network equipment and finance charges. In addition, the cost of site leases, operation and maintenance of the network over the twenty year term and future upgrades are included in the cost. The project is funded from the State Wireless Communications Service Surcharge. The contract was constructed to provide strong controls for the state to manage and places liability squarely on M/A-COM. Some of the safeguards established in the contract include designation of M/A-COM as prime contractor with sole liability for contract performance, full risk and capital outlay by the contractor, payments made only with successful performance and acceptance, a $100 million letter of credit, and the state's ability to buy-out the system in whole or part throughout the term of the contract. Further, the state has provided for termination, without cost to the state, should M/A-COM fail to meet the state's rigid acceptance criteria.
"Reliable, timely communication is often cited as the number one factor for first responders to effectively answer the call to an emergency," said New York State Chief Information Officer, James T. Dillon. "Improved collaboration and communication across jurisdictions is the foundation of many of Governor Pataki's successful public safety initiatives and SWN will support those efforts."
Director James W. McMahon of the New York State Office of Homeland Security said, "SWN will provide the vital interoperable communications backbone first responders at the local, State and federal level need to effectively respond to and mitigate any type of hazard including acts of terrorism."
While SWN was initiated to replace aging state agency systems alone, fostering voluntary partnerships with local governments to address their communications needs has become a cornerstone of the SWN Project. Many local agencies have expressed interest in participating in SWN. Partnership will facilitate network development by sharing frequencies and infrastructure as well as providing access to end user equipment procurement contracts.
Dillon said, "Across the state, I encourage all local governments to explore the benefits that partnership in this essential project can bring."
Considering the scope and complexity of this statewide initiative, SWN will be phased in through a series of regional implementations. The initial region will test the performance, compatibility and interoperability among a wide variety of existing radio systems. The build-outs are scheduled to begin in Erie and Chautauqua Counties, and with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The M/A-COM technology approach is environmentally friendly and allows the state to maximize existing tower infrastructure and minimize construction of new radio towers. M/A-COM created a design philosophy for their OpenSky technology to deal with the realities facing 800 MHz public safety radio systems. OpenSky uses traditional "high-profile" wide-area coverage sites to achieve approximately 90 percent radio coverage required. Coverage gaps will be filled using low-profile sites to cover small geographic areas and serve relatively small numbers of users. Under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, the state Office for Technology (OFT) has considered the potential environmental impacts and has completed a statewide Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) review. One of the most important aspects of the review process was to address concerns regarding potential environmental impact. Thirty-two hearings were held at 16 locations statewide. More than 1,800 copies of the findings were distributed for review and comment. The SEQRA process and final GEIS is posted on the OFT web site.
