Sarasota and Manatee Counties Select Airbus DS Communications' VESTA(TM) Radio for Regional Radio Solution

TEMECULA, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 24, 2015) - Airbus DS Communications, an entity of Airbus Defense and Space, has been selected by Florida's Sarasota and Manatee Counties to design, install and maintain a VESTA™ Radio solution for public safety communications across the two counties. Dubbed the Suncoast Regional Communications System, the land mobile radio (LMR) solution was approved by both County Commissions with unanimous votes and will improve communication among public safety personnel (police, fire, EMS) to better serve the nearly 750,000 people of the two counties.

"We are excited to partner with Sarasota and Manatee Counties to deliver an advanced, 18-tower public P25 radio system that will deliver reliable communications and peace of mind to first responders and the community as a whole," said Bob Freinberg, CEO of Airbus DS Communications. "This shared VESTA system is a model holding many benefits of public safety entities collaborating. Each county will save taxpayers' money -- while also implementing a better system -- and delivering greater interoperability in region-wide emergencies."

The new 800-MHz VESTA Radio solution will cover 1,300 square miles and enable seamless communication between Sarasota's 32 agencies and 4,800 radios and Manatee's 35 agencies and 3,300 radios. As a completely P25 standards compliant radio network, it will provide total user interoperability for improved public safety communications and collaboration throughout the region. The solution will significantly broaden the coverage around the University Parkway Corridor.

"This joint project not only allows us to enhance the quality of law enforcement, fire and emergency medical communications at a more reasonable cost for both counties, it also highlights the effectiveness of collaboration on a regional level," said Sarasota County Administrator, Tom Harmer. "Sarasota and Manatee counties' joint effort maximizes the use of taxpayer dollars and provides a conduit for continued efforts between our counties. We look forward to providing improved public safety in cooperation with Airbus DS Communications and with our counterparts in Manatee County."

The VESTA Radio solution uses a distributed, IP-based architecture that protects against system failures should a single location suffer an outage. For more speed and flexibility in communicating vital information, the system supports multiple frequency bands as well as simulcast and multicast modes of operation. In the case of multiple system failures, the LMR solution is capable of continued communication and dispatch operations over the IP network.

"After a thorough evaluation process, procurement teams from both counties determined that Airbus DS Communication best met the technical requirements for this critical community project," said Manatee County Administrator, Ed Hunzeker. "This technology will greatly improve emergency communications across a nearly 1,300-square mile region in one of the state's fastest growing areas. As we have achieved great cost savings and benefits, I believe other Florida communities will look to our area as the standard model for how to replace and upgrade a public safety radio system."

For more information on Airbus DS Communications, the home of VESTA, visit Airbus-DSComm.com.

About Airbus Defence and Space
Airbus Defence and Space is a division of Airbus Group formed by combining the business activities of Cassidian, Astrium and Airbus Military. The new division is Europe's number one defence and space enterprise, the second largest space business worldwide and among the top ten global defence enterprises. It employs more than 38,000 employees generating revenues of approximately EUR 13 billion per year.

Airbus DS Communications, an Airbus Defense and Space Holdings, Inc. company, is a global leader and trusted source for mission-critical communications technologies. The VESTA^® product suite provides Next Generation 9-1-1 call processing systems, land mobile radio solutions and emergency notification applications, keeping people connected when it matters most.