San Antonio P25 System Radio System Upgrade

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On behalf of the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG), the City of San Antonio, the City of Austin and the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), Televate was retained by the City of San Antonio (COSA) Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) to independently analyze, evaluate and provide recommendations regarding the Project 25 (P-25) radio proposals of Motorola, Inc. and Dailey-Wells Communications (DWC) proposing a Harris, Inc. system.

Project Tasks

Televate performed the evaluation of both proposals that led to the selection of a five (5) site, five (5) channel Harris, Inc. 700 MHz P-25 overlay network that fulfilled the Texas State Communications Interoperability Plan and was funded by the Texas state Public Safety Interoperable Communications (SCIP) grant program. Televate performed the following needs assessment and RFP evaluation tasks in supporting the City:

  • Examined the local, regional and state interoperability needs and system capabilities by conducting an assessment of key COSA/Bexar County stakeholders, Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) executives and the City of Austin
  • Evaluated vendor RFP responses, product roadmaps, features and functions, various switch configuration and sharing options anchored on P25 ISSI based solutions for roaming
  • Provided final recommendations anchored on P25 ISSI based solutions for roaming

In 2013, Televate was again retained by COSA to provide a thorough upgrade analysis of their 13-site legacy Harris EDACS hybrid 800MHz and VHF network and to develop budgetary estimates and migration strategies to an interoperable P25 platform. In support of the City’s vision, Televate:

  • Performed lifecycle evaluation of all system components and ancillary subsystems through reviews of network documentation, interviews with network operators and their-party maintenance contractors
  • Developed various network solutions that addressed the City’s interoperability requirements and coverage gaps, identified associated operational and capital cost impact
  • Identified solutions and migration strategies that maximize and leverage existing City investments on radio network equipment and power systems
  • Developed a detailed RFP to replace the legacy networks in a creative manner that leverages recent investments in P25 system components and fosters vendor competition

Televate is currently supporting the procurement and vendor evaluation phases and will continue to provide subject matter expertise throughout the system deployment phase.