Telstra, Moto in lead for $AU450m-plus wireless contract

Telstra and Motorola have been named as the preferred tenderers for a major refresh of the Queensland Government's public safety networks.

Over the 15 year life of the contract, the government expects the network to cost $AU457.3 million, with the first $AU56.7 million allocated this year to get coverage in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Cairns ahead of the G20 meetings the state is hosting in 2014.

The network will then be expanded to cope with the 2018 Commonwealth Games to be held on the Gold Coast.

Telstra will take the lead role in the network, with Queensland treasurer Tim Nicholls saying the carrier will design, build, operate and maintain the network, while Motorola will provide Telstra with managed services in the rollout.

According to The Australian Financial Review, other bidders on the contract included Broadcast Australia Infrastructure Holdings (which included Leighton and Airwave Solutions) and the Queensland Wireless Network Consortium (CSC, Harris and Brookfield Financial).

The government emphasises the higher security needed for emergency service communications with the upcoming G20 meeting.

According to Premier Campbell Newman, “The G20 meetings require a secure communications network to host State and Commonwealth agencies and international security forces.”

The network could eventually be rolled out to the rest of the state, he added.

Other aspects of the network will include interconnectivity between agencies, as well as GPS-enabled duress and “officer down” alarms. ®