Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Going wireless in emergencies

From: NEXTEL-1
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 2004 14:46:19 -0400

Going wireless in emergencies 
 
City seeks telecom pact
 
By SOO YOUN
DAILY NEWS BUSINESS WRITER 

Officials see citywide system speeding police response time and 
aiding in pursuit of criminals.  
 
If Mayor Bloomberg has his way, police in hot pursuit of a suspect 
could turn all the traffic lights ahead of them green. 
Digital images of terror suspects could be wired to nearby police 
cars, which could automatically be located through a new tracking 
system.

And fire departments could instantly get blueprints of a building, 
improving their ability to attack a fire.

"We want New Yorkers to have the most technologically advanced 
emergency response network," Department of Information Technology 
and Telecommunications Commissioner Gino Menchini, whose agency is 
soliciting bids for a city contract, told the Daily News.

Sprint and Motorola are just two of the firms who want to build such 
a wireless network that could transmit pictures, video, medical 
records, and geographic locations to police, hospitals or control 
centers.

Nextel, Lucent and Verizon Wireless also are considering offering 
their services, sources familiar with the negotiations said. Verizon 
confirmed its interest, while Nextel declined to comment, and Lucent 
was unavailable.

But a host of issues remain that has already twice delayed the 
bidding process and threatens to create as much confusion as it 
solves.

People familiar with the procedure said it's unclear exactly how 
bidders would put together existing technology with new and more 
advanced systems.

The city declined to provide details, and also didn't offer any 
estimate of how much it expects to spend. The bidding deadline, 
which has twice been postponed, is now July 21. Some said that 
reflects the vague nature of the city's request.

Still, at least 150 companies are interested in participating.

The city decided to create a unified system after it realized 
several of its agencies were planning to update their own systems.

"We don't need to have stand-alone silos" of information, Menchini 
said, referring to separate networks that now exist between various 
emergency responders.

Instead the city created an entirely new concept. 

"Right now the Department of Transportation has thousands of street 
corners with phone wires going through. Now they can manipulate 
traffic flow so that in the morning, First Avenue going north is 
cleared up or changed by remote," Menchini said. 

But city officials believe existing telephone wires are slower and 
more expensive. A wireless network would be faster, cheaper and more 
effective, they said. 

Originally published on June 1, 2004 
 http://www.nydailynews.com/business/story/198598p-171499c.html
All contents © 2004 Daily News, L.P

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