Cassidian Communications Selected by Kenwood USA to Provide County of Hopkins, Ky. With P25 Land Mobile Radio System

RICHARDSON, TX--(Marketwired - Jun 25, 2013) - Cassidian Communications, an EADS North America company, announced today that it has finalized an agreement with Kenwood USA Corporation to supply the Hopkins County (Ky.) Sheriff's Department with a digital, trunked P25 Land Mobile Radio system for public safety communications. Working with prime contractor Kenwood USA, Cassidian Communications will provide the county with a single site, ten-channel UHF CORP25 radio solution that includes hardware, software and staging.

The open, standards-compliant CORP25 network will replace the aging network currently used by the department. It will allow personnel from the Hopkins County Sheriff, Fire and EMS departments to communicate with each other, as well as with responders on other P25 networks in nearby municipalities and counties. Additionally, the COR^P25 system provides the capacity and flexibility to easily accommodate other agencies that may join the network in the future.

"We are excited to bring the Cassidian Communications' COR^P25 network to Hopkins County," said John North, general manager for Kenwood USA Systems Division. "It is an advanced radio solution that will ensure reliable and interoperable communications to all emergency responders, and also offer the flexibility and choice needed to realize the best value in the industry."

In 2004, Hopkins County Sheriff Frank Latham realized the need for a new radio system and that one system would provide operability for all emergency responder departments, improving response times for the approximately 47,000 residents of Hopkins County, Kentucky. Design of the system was sent to the Kentucky Department of Homeland Security and Commonwealth of Kentucky Office of Technology, where it was approved for development and purchase.

"We are pleased that Kenwood USA has selected the COR^P25 system for our Land Mobile Radio services," said Sheriff Frank Latham of Hopkins County. "This agreement allows us to benefit from the combined experience of Kenwood USA and Cassidian Communications, and we are confident that our first responders from the Sheriff, EMS and Fire departments will have the quality of communications they need to keep the citizens of Hopkins County safe."

"We feel honored to have been selected by Kenwood USA as the supplier for Hopkins County's P25 network," said Rich Cagle, vice president of sales for Cassidian Communications' Land Mobile Radio & LTE division. "We take great pride in knowing that we have the experience and expertise to deliver a state-of-the-art radio solution that will meet and exceed all of the county's requirements."

The industry's only true non-proprietary P25 solution, the CORP25 system has an open design that supports true choice, allowing public safety agencies to select best-in-class components from a variety of different vendors. This open approach enables competitive purchasing and enables customers to 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.

About Kenwood (www.Kenwoodusa.com)
Kenwood U.S.A. Corporation Communications Sector is a worldwide manufacturer of analog and digital two way radios, including P25 compliant and NEXEDGE^® radios that use the NXDN^® protocol. Kenwood provides complete custom systems, mobiles and portables for critical infrastructure, public safety, government, as well as, business and industry. Founded in the United States in 1961, Kenwood U.S.A. is the largest sales subsidiary of Kenwood Corporation of Japan (founded 1946), which has 11 domestic and 22 subsidiaries around the world serving the needs of communications customers.

About Cassidian Communications (www.CassidianCommunications.com)
Cassidian Communications, an EADS North America company, is a global leader and trusted source for mission-critical communications technologies, including NG9-1-1 call taking systems, emergency notification solutions and services, and P25 land mobile radio networks and LTE. For over four decades, Cassidian Communications has upheld its promise to keep people connected when it matters most, consistently designing solutions with an open mind and creating smarter, more effective ways to ensure communities are safe. For Cassidian Communications, CRITICAL MATTERS™. The company is headquartered in Temecula, Calif., with facilities located in Richardson, Texas, Franklin, Tenn. and Gatineau, Quebec.

About EADS North America (www.eadsnorthamerica.com)
EADS North America is the U.S.-based operation of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense, and related services. EADS contributes more than $14 billion to the U.S. economy annually and supports over 225,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers. EADS North America, headquartered in Herndon, Va., offers a broad array of advanced solutions to meet U.S. military and commercial requirements, including fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, homeland security systems, public safety communications, defense electronics and avionics, and threat detection systems.