Miami-Dade County, Florida, has selected Harris Corp. to upgrade the county’s public safety and public service communications system as part of an overall communications project for the county.

The project will provide the county with a new Harris P25IP (Project 25 to the power of Internet Protocol) 800 MHz radio communications system, and also includes radio terminals for the county to comply with the FCC’s rebanding mandate (FCC 04-168). The new standards-based system will bring the county greater functionality on a flexible system platform.

“When this project is complete, the county will have a modern, standards-based digital radio communications system that will last us well into the future and provide considerable cost-savings,” said Felix Perez, division director, Radio, Enterprise Technology Services Department, Miami-Dade County. “Our current EDACS system has served us well for more than 18 years, but the FCC mandate and the trend towards P25 standard equipment led us to upgrade and modernize our radio communications infrastructure. Harris is the ideal partner for this project because its solution ensures a seamless transition with minimal downtime. Miami-Dade will have a reliable, modern P25 800 MHz radio system that will improve interoperability among our first responders and other radio system users.”

The new Harris P25IP system will serve more than 80 agencies and 31,000 users throughout the county, including the Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, and Miami International Airport. The new system will continue to interoperate with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s conventional UHF system. The P25IP system will operate in parallel with the county’s existing EDACS system, providing a smooth transition for the county’s users during the upgrade to the digital system. The Harris customized migration plan allows for the reuse of existing shelters, towers and generators.

“We are proud that Harris has been a strong partner with Miami-Dade County,” said Dana Mehnert, group president, Harris RF Communications. “Our technology and support has kept their radio system operational with extremely high system reliability. Through this system migration, we will be able to leverage the county’s existing radio assets, providing both advanced capabilities and real cost-savings to Miami-Dade.”