Mobile Data Communications Network for Shreveport, Louisiana

CalAmp Corp. has announced that its Dataradio operating unit has signed a contract with the City of Shreveport, Louisiana to construct a mobile data network to be used by first responders within the surrounding Caddo Parish. The contract is initially valued at approximately $2.4 million. Work on the project is expected to begin immediately with system acceptance scheduled for late-2008.The new Dataradio G3 Agile Dual Band (ADB) 800/700MHz IP platform will operate at 64K Kbps, and is capable of being upgraded to support higher speeds in the future. The system allows dispatchers to securely and accurately relay information to field personnel and allows first responders to access information without the need for back-office support. The system will initially support approximately 500 first responders with opportunities to further expand the system in the near future.

"We are pleased to be selected to build and expand the mobile data network for the City of Shreveport and Caddo Parish," remarked Dataradio's VP/general manager Gilles LaPierre. "The City of Shreveport's trust in our company reaffirms the commitment we've made to providing innovative solutions that are highly reliable and cost effective. Dataradio's platform offers the increased data speed that is required by the customer while minimizing infrastructure costs. More importantly, this system provides the functionality needed today, along with a platform that will make system expansion easy in the future."

"The Shreveport Police Department and the Caddo Parish 9-1-1 District are very excited about the partnership between our agencies and CalAmp in the development of a parish-wide mobile data system that will enable all of the public safety agencies in Caddo Parish to communicate and share data across one common data network, thus achieving true voice and data interoperability in our area. We believe that using the new Dataradio G3 ADB 800/700MHz IP platform will provide flexibility for our agencies as we plan for future expansion," said Caddo Parish 9-1-1 administrator, Martha Carter.