Florida First to Use MOTOBRIDGE IP

Florida State Technology Office First to Award Motorola Contract for a State-Wide Interoperable Solution Enabling First Responders on Disparate Networks to Communicate With Each Other





A breakthrough in wireless communications technology may mean that public safety agencies will no longer wonder whether they will be able to talk to each other when they arrive at an emergency scene.

"MOTOBRIDGE IP is a huge step for Florida's homeland security efforts," said State Chief Information Officer Simone Marstiller. "By connecting users and allowing them to communicate in ways not possible before, the system will strengthen Florida’s security."

With Motorola’s (NYSE:MOT) new soft switch technology, MOTOBRIDGE IP, agencies at any government level will have the ability to talk with one another regardless of the type of systems or frequencies they normally use. Because of its advanced IP-based design, users also can access many of the additional features they regularly depend on such as Emergency Unit Identification.

"MOTOBRIDGE redefines the concept of the gateway switch," said Mark Moon vice president and general manager, for Motorola. "Until now, the issue was having to accept the limitations of a specific switch. This soft switch technology erases most of those limitations and bridges the communications gap. It responds to the two key concerns of public safety agencies everywhere—capability and cost."

Historically, a gateway switch provided a simple, economical way to create a voice link between different communications systems so that personnel at an emergency or large event could talk with one another. The interoperability these gateways created was invaluable, but the limitations also were significant. Gateways typically do not provide advanced calling features such as emergency identification and have few if any system management features. Typical gateways also suffer from having a single control point that would terminate interoperability if a failure occurs at that point.

"MOTOBRIDGE is a feature-rich addition to our Mission Critical IP network portfolio," Moon said. "It delivers the flexibility and interoperability agencies need, plus many of the capabilities they want that are usually found in far more sophisticated and more expensive approaches."

Among its many technological and configuration advantages, MOTOBRIDGE:

* Uses standard IP protocol
* Operates over mission critical and commercial IP networks
* Offers distributed control points to ensure that there is no single point of system failure
* Can be implemented by agencies of any size and can be expanded as needs change
* Provides robust system management tools for administrators to monitor and manage the system

The flexibility and sophistication of MOTOBRIDGE also means agencies have innovative communications options. For example, dispatch centers throughout a network or across different agencies and jurisdictions can be connected quickly, allowing full duplex conversations for better coordination among dispatchers. Also, because the IP-based technology displays the identification of all units operating on the network, dispatchers know instantly which field units are requesting assistance. Agencies using deployable communication vehicles also can be linked to the network while on scene, using standard IP connectivity.

Source: press release





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