ATLANTA, Aug. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company
subsidiary Southern Linc has entered into a partnership with the
City of Huntsville and
Madison County Alabama's 911
dispatch center. Southern Linc will add LTE equipment to select
Madison County towers to connect
City and County first responders to Linc's new mission critical LTE
network.
The Huntsville agreement
enables Huntsville and the
Madison County 911 Dispatch Center
(MadCo 911), Alabama's largest
combined dispatch center, to use Southern Linc's mission critical
LTE network for wireless data transmission.
"Southern Linc is a trusted service provider that has supported
the City of Huntsville for more
than 10 years. This new data service agreement is specifically
designed to help our first responders better serve our community,"
stated Bill Steiner, Information
Technology Services Director for the City
of Huntsville.
Public Safety IT Manager Lorenzo
Wright added, "We are extremely excited to begin this new
public/private partnership with Southern Linc. This is a giant
step forward for public safety and first responders in north
Alabama."
MadCo 911 CEO and Director of Radio Infrastructure Ernie Blair has been working with Southern Linc
to bring mission critical wireless data services to his service
area via a public/private network partnership for the last two
years. "We are excited about deploying wireless data service with
Southern Linc because it will bring us a service level that's just
not available from other carriers," he said. "Linc's new
mission critical LTE network is built for reliability and priority,
and our agencies will reap the benefit of priority and pre-emption
of services when critical events occur. That's something we need
and are not getting today," Blair continued.
Mission critical LTE data service is expected to be available in
Huntsville and Madison County in the second quarter of 2018.
Southern Linc is constructing its new 4G LTE Advanced network to
meet the growing mission critical data needs of its largest
customer, Southern Company's electric utilities. The highly
reliable and secure network will serve the most crucial data needs
of area businesses and local government like the City of Huntsville and the MadCo 911
Center.
"Our goal is to provide highly reliable, secure wireless
communications for utilities, public safety and business
customers," stated Southern Linc President and CEO Tami Barron. "Because our most important
customers are utilities and first responders, we designed our new
LTE network to accommodate the need for priority and pre-emption
over normal network traffic when emergencies occur. That means
Huntsville and Madison County first responders will get the
data they need when they really need it--especially when network
usage spikes."
Southern Linc's new 4G LTE Advanced network will offer network
encryption over the air. In addition, the company is strengthening
emergency backup power capabilities with hydrogen fuel cell
technology at key locations and is adding main power and complete
data center redundancy to further increase the reliability of the
new network. Southern Linc plans to begin migrating existing
customers to the new network in 2018.
About Southern Linc
Southern Linc, a Southern Company
(NYSE: SO), is an Atlanta-based
regional wireless carrier with network coverage in the major metro
and rural areas of Alabama,
Georgia, southeast Mississippi and northwest Florida. Southern Linc combines multiple
communication options, including Push To Talk two-way radio (PTT),
cellular service, wireless Internet access, wireless data, and text
and picture messaging, into one hand-held device. Southern Linc is
constructing a new 4G LTE Advanced network to meet the growing
mission-critical data needs of its largest customer, Southern
Company's electric utilities. The highly reliable, secure network
will have the capacity to serve the most crucial data needs of area
businesses and local government as well. For more information,
please call 1-800-818-LINC (5462) or visit
https://www.southernlinc.com/.
Twitter: @southernlinc
Facebook: SouthernLINCWireless
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is
America's premier energy company, with 46,000 megawatts of
generating capacity and 1,500 billion cubic feet of combined
natural gas consumption and throughput volume serving 9 million
customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean,
safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating
companies in four states, natural gas distribution companies in
seven states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale
customers across America and a nationally recognized provider of
customized energy solutions, as well as fiber optics and wireless
communications. Southern Company brands are known for excellent
customer service, high reliability and affordable prices that are
below the national average. Through an industry-leading commitment
to innovation, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are inventing
America's energy future by developing the full portfolio of energy
resources, including carbon-free nuclear, 21st century
coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and creating
new products and services for the benefit of
customers. Southern Company has been named by the U.S.
Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs
magazine as a top military employer, recognized among the Top 50
Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise
magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity and
designated a Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The
company has earned a National Award of Nuclear Science and History
from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for its leadership and
commitment to nuclear development and is continually ranked among
the top energy companies in Fortune's annual World's Most
Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at
www.southerncompany.com.
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SOURCE Southern Linc