Avtec Inc. and Harris Corporation Announce New Strategic Alliance

Avtec Inc., the leading independent provider of dispatch consoles, and Harris Corporation's Public Safety and Professional Communications (PSPC) business, have signed an agreement giving Harris the ability to resell Avtec Scout consoles in North America. The agreement provides Harris with the opportunity to leverage Avtec technology and provide public safety, energy, government, and business clients with an integrated communications ecosystem.

“This strategic alliance with Harris allows Avtec to respond to increased market demand for Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) technology and gives our client base more choices,” said Avtec President Kevin Williams. “This agreement formalizes our commitment to provide clients with a proven end-to-end communications solution.”

Avtec has a long history of supporting open standards, and was the first console company to join the Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) Association. It is also an active member of the P25 Technology Interest Group (PTIG). Avtec collaborates with leading Land Mobile Radio (LMR) manufacturers on the protocols that define the standards for interfacing with P25 and DMR standards-based networks.

“Investing in dispatch solutions built on open standards such as DMR and P25 provides customers with the freedom to choose the best communications solution for their organization,” said Avtec’s Director of Strategic Partnerships Michael Ridge. “Clients with an Avtec Scout console system can operate legacy analog and digital mobile radios on the same network. This allows them to migrate at their own pace based on budget or timing.”

Leveraging open standards allows Avtec to integrate other technologies such as GPS data, automatic vehicle location (AVL), mapping, and texting into its Scout dispatch console system. The Harris EnableLocation application, powered by Tait, builds on Avtec’s Scout console technology to deliver Radio-over-IP (RoIP) connectivity through Harris trunked networks. “This integrated solution enables public safety and utility professionals to track personnel and vehicle location for faster, more informed decisions in emergency situations,” said Harris’ Systems Infrastructure and Consoles Product Line Manager Jeremy Elder.