Murray State TSM gains national recognition for part in Multi Band Radio Project
During Fall 2009 Murray State University (MSU), along with 13 other organizations, will conduct a pilot for a Multi-Band Radio (MBR) Project funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Murray State is the only university to be selected as a part of this pilot study.
Other agencies across the nation involved include the 2010 Olympic Security Committee, Amtrak, Boise Fire Department, Canadian Interoperability Technology Interest Group, Customs and Border Patrol, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii State Civil Defense, Interagency Communication Interoperability System, Michigan Emergency Medical Services, Phoenix Police Department and Arizona Department of Emergency, Texas National Guard, U.S. Marshals Service, and Washington Metro Area Transit Authority Transit Police.
“Murray State was selected as a player in this project due to its national reputation in Telecommunications Systems Management research. It is not only an honor to take part in the project but to be the only university involved,” commented Jim Gantt, director of MSU’s Center for Telecommunication Systems Management (TSM). The center will be the lead in Murray State’s part of the project, organized through the Program of Distinction in TSM. Projects like this give the university and the TSM program national recognition. Information on the project has already been featured on well-known online news sources, such as Slashdot.
Murray State’s involvement in the MBR project sets it apart from other universities and TSM programs, and provides the opportunity for individuals in the TSM program to participate in cutting edge research. “This opportunity allows the university to have access to the newest emergency communications equipment in the world. Having access to the MBR allows us to impact where emergency communication is headed and provides our students, faculty and staff to be involved with the best and most modern equipment and research,” said Gantt.
The need for the MBR project became necessary when trying to find more efficient ways for emergency response agencies to communicate and swap information. The DHS Science and Technology Directorate awarded $6.2 million contract to Thales Communication to orchestrate a first-ever MBR that allows emergency responders to communicate with partner agencies despite the radio band. Currently, radio bands only function within a specific frequency; the MBR, comparable in size and weight to existing portable radios, provides users with a more modern and efficient means of communication possibilities.
The prototype will be able to access primary public safety bands between 136-174 mega hertz (MHz) and 380-520 MHz as well as in 700MHz and 800 MHZ bands. These capabilities along with others, when authorized, will allow federal agencies to communicate with local, tribal, regional and state counterparts. Priced at approximately $4,000-$6,000 the MBR is comparable to current high-end portable radios and is the first multiband to be designed for government agencies and first responders, according to the DHS.
For more information, visit the Center for TSM website at www.murraystate.edu/tsm/ctsm.
