NAPERVILLE, IL- Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, announced that the City of Naperville, Ill., has contracted for a new Internet Protocol-based (IP) 700/800 MHz OpenSky communication system. Naperville is partnering with the City of Aurora, Illinois, in the purchase of the system, which will provide enhanced in-building and outdoor coverage to provide reliable, interoperable communications between first responders and front-line emergency personnel.

"Both Naperville and Aurora public safety officials have been impressed with the level of dedication shown by Harris Corporation as we move toward implementation of this new system," said Deputy Chief Vince Gortner, Naperville Police Department.  "We are very pleased with the flexibility of the OpenSky system and the many new features that it offers based on the underlying IP network architecture.  This is going to change the way we think about and use voice communication for emergency operations within our agencies and when working with our neighboring agencies."

The Cities of Naperville and Aurora are part of the Northeast Illinois Communications Consortium (NICC), which also includes Grundy County, Will County, the City of Elgin, the Village of Plainfield, the Naperville Park District and the Northwest Central Dispatch Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois.  Naperville and Aurora are the first cities in the NICC to purchase the OpenSky system.  Other NICC members are currently evaluating their radio options.

"The joint purchase by Naperville and Aurora of our OpenSky system will help first responders in both cities coordinate on everything from daily public safety functions to large-scale emergency response," said Chuck Dougherty, president, Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications.  "We believe that this is the first step to provide the region's public safety radio users with a robust, reliable and interoperable communications that will empower them to protect and serve citizens of each community."

The City of Naperville's OpenSky digital communication network will consist of five sites and 10 channels, allowing for 50 simultaneous talkpaths.  The radios that will be used by Naperville's first responders will be Project 25 (P25) Phase II-ready, 700/800 MHz multi-mode radios capable of operating on OpenSky, P25, STARCOM, EDACS® and mutual aid communication networks.  Both the Naperville Police Department and the Aurora Police Department will house 'hot' standby IP switches to provide redundant reliability in the radio system's configuration.  With NetworkFirst®, Naperville will have a cost-effective gateway that provides interoperability with other IP standards-based networks.

 "The OpenSky system will be interoperable with DuPage County's emergency telecommunications network, the State of Illinois' STARCOM 21 digital communication system, and various mutual aid channels for public safety agencies, including police, fire, EMS and emergency management," said Dougherty.

OpenSky offers digital voice and packet data communications using a high-performance IP backbone network.  OpenSky's high quality digital voice trunking capabilities and packet data communications features directly address the needs of both utility and public safety users, and OpenSky is capable of expanding to meet future requirements.  In addition, OpenSky networks are based on the widely-accepted IS-732 protocol to support mobile applications with end-to-end TCP/IP connectivity, simplifying application-to-network integration.

Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications is a leading supplier of assured communications® systems and equipment for public safety, federal, utility, commercial and transportation markets, with products ranging from the most advanced IP voice and data networks, to industry leading multiband, multimode radios, to public safety-grade broadband video and data solutions.  With more than 80 years of experience, Harris supports over 500 systems around the world.  

About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries.  Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of annual revenue and 15,000 employees - including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists.  Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications^® products, systems, and services.  Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.