Brazilian Police Force Opts For Digital Tait Radios

Brazil's largest police force has opted for an initial tranche of over 1,000 Tait digital radios in a tender which saw the New Zealand company beat world-class competition. The Sao Paulo state police employs over 130,000 personnel making it one of the largest forces in the world.

"This multi-million dollar contract is hugely significant because Tait will have yet another key referral as one more of the world's police forces selects our P25 digital radios," said Michael Chick, Managing Director of Tait Electronics Limited.

"The Sao Paulo Police has reasonably complex and ever-changing needs, so there is definitely potential for this relationship to grow in the years ahead," added Michael.

Worldwide, the market for police and emergency services for digital radio is large and growing.

"Every police force is different - six months ago Tait announced a contract with the City of Kingston in Canada. Sao Paulo couldn't be more different to Kingston, but both police forces need reliable, secure and dependable radio solutions," added Michael.

The radios are encrypted to keep communications secure; an important way of keeping police safe in the face of organised crime. Just as important in this contract, the standards are "open" so that Sao Paulo police are not "locked in" to one particular manufacturer.

The P25 products that are starting to prove so popular across the world came from a sustained research and development effort at Tait.

"As a founding member of New Zealand's national Wireless Research Centre, the company will both benefit from and contribute to the kinds of applied research that will maintain this country's cutting edge competency on the global stage," concluded Michael.

Sao Paulo Police is using both TM9155 50W mobiles and TP9155 portables.

"The fact that these portables and mobiles were sold together is not a coincidence. They were designed so that the user interface is almost identical. Both are also built to take the knocks with reinforced casing, a recessed lens and ultra-strong belt clip and patented, hard-to-dislodge battery fastener," said Hamish Wiig, Business Development Manager for the Latin American region.

The agreement was formed between Sao Paulo Police and a consortium made up of Tait and its valued partner in Brazil, SGM Telecom.