Tait supports Victoria's statewide network

Please find attached a media release from Tait Electronics.

Tait supports Victoria's statewide network as disaster strikes

Partnership with Telstra delivered reliable radio network service

3 Mar 2009, Christchurch, New Zealand

Tait has a long-term partnership agreement with Telstra to supply and support the Australian state of Victoria's StateNet Mobile Radio network which was so vital in the efforts to fight February's devastating bushfires. With 118 sites, 565 channels and four switch nodes, this SMR network is based on a TaitNet T1541 MPT 1327 trunked network and TB8100 base stations.

As a system supporting 18,000 radio terminals from a variety of manufacturers, the trunked network handles 300,000 calls per day. The Department of Sustainability and Environment uses the trunked control channel for Automatic Vehicle Location data to track bulldozers, aircraft, water tankers and other vehicles and this jumped up considerably since the start of the fires.

The image below shows the damage to the Mt Stanley site near Wangaratta. The Kinglake site near Melbourne was also destroyed. New racks of Tait equipment were installed as soon as it became safe to attend the scene. Employees at the company are still raising funds for the various appeals which are supporting the victims of the tragedy.

Regional General Manager, Tait Asia Pacific, Brett Smythe said "Our sympathy is with those communities who were so severely affected. The bravery of the fire and emergency services crews who battled that blaze and co-ordinated so many rescues is completely astounding. If the Tait-Telstra partnership played its part in helping these courageous individuals stay in touch when disaster struck, then I am enormously proud."

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