MELBOURNE, FL/BOSTON, Mass. – Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS) has received a $42 million contract from Chester County, Pennsylvania to deploy and maintain an emergency communications system that will deliver superior coverage, interoperability with surrounding radio systems and the capacity to meet future growth.  Harris, an international communications and information technology company, will install a Project 25 (P25) Phase II system – the most advanced technology available – to meet the county’s needs.

Harris will install remote transmitter and receiver sites and modify the microwave system that connects the remote sites to the 9-1-1 operations center in the county Government Services Center and the South Coatesville Site.  In addition, Harris will replace the county’s 9-1-1 consoles and equipment for the emergency responders, including new mobile radios, portable radios and control stations for emergency responder applications.  Harris also will maintain the new system for eight years after implementation is complete.

The Harris P25 Phase 2 system is part of the VIDA^® network, a unified Internet Protocol-based voice and data communication system based on APCO P25 industry standards.  VIDA delivers full IP management features, including interoperability without intervention of console operators, IP consoles, and other benefits inherent in open IP architecture systems.

“There’s no doubt that the new system will make our emergency responders and our residents safer,” Chester County Commissioners Ryan Costello, Kathi Cozzone and Terence Farrell said in a joint statement.  “Chester County is the fastest growing county in Pennsylvania and we have to ensure our communications capabilities grow as well.  We’re looking forward to working with our first responders, many of whom are volunteers, as we move toward construction of this new system.

“This is a major undertaking for the county and we are pleased with the scope of the Harris proposal and the company’s level of commitment to Chester County,” they added.  Harris’ design exceeded the county’s technology and coverage requirements with guaranteed 97 percent coverage throughout the county.

“We’re looking forward to working with the county and the first responder community,” said Steve Marschilok, president, Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications.  “We’re confident that our system design is the best fit for the county’s current and future needs.”

In public safety and professional communications Harris 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 next-generation, secure public safety-grade LTE (Long-Term Evolution) solutions for voice, video and data applications, to industry leading multiband, multimode radios.  Harris has more than 80 years of experience in public safety and professional communications and 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 125 countries.  Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5.5 billion of annual revenue and about 15,000 employees – including 6,000 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 harris.com.