G4S Technology Selected As An Integration Partner By The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative To Design And Construct MassBroadband 123, A Fiber-Optic Network That Will Bridge The Technology Gap In Rural Massachusetts
G4S Technology continues to have a major presence in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through this network that will support long-term economic growth, improve education and healthcare and greatly strengthen public safety
G4S Technology LLC (formerly Adesta), a systems integrator and project management company for communication networks and electronic security systems, has been awarded a $47.2M contract from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) to design and construct an aerial and underground fiber optic network that will connect over 120 communities in western and north central Massachusetts. The project, entitled MassBroadband 123, is led by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), a division of MTC, and is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2013. MassBroadband 123 is the culmination of over a decade of engagement on broadband in the region.
MassBroadband123, which is being primarily funded through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), will help close the digital divide in Massachusetts by bringing the benefits of broadband to these mostly rural, underserved communities. The network will help to solidify the area's economic strength by attracting new businesses. It will also increase the state's educational reach by connecting regional institutions from kindergartens to libraries to community colleges and universities. Healthcare will be streamlined and improved with the addition of broadband, providing area clinics and hospitals the ability to instantly share information with each other and national healthcare registries. The network will provide key upgrades for public safety agencies. Once completed, MassBroadband 123 will provide service significantly faster than what is currently available; a huge improvement for first responders, law enforcement and citizens in need. The network will also benefit businesses and residents by providing new access to competitively priced, world-class, broadband services.
The Massachusetts Broadband Institute is a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), the state's technology economic development agency. MTC has been successfully managing complex public/private programs over the past 28 years, and has greatly aided and influenced economic development. G4S Technology previously worked with the MBI team as the prime systems integrator on the I-91 fiber deployment project that began in 2008. G4S Technology will design, permit and construct the MassBroadband 123 project, which includes over 1,000 miles of newly constructed aerial, buried and underground fiber optic cable, with connections to 24 points of interconnection (POIs) and approximately 1,400 customer anchor institutions (CAIs) at 1,000 unique sites. Additionally the network will utilize 300 miles of dark fiber through MTC executed Indefeasible Right of Use (IRUs) contracts.
"The MBI is excited to partner with G4S Technology to bring affordable, broadband access that will greatly benefit the residents and businesses of western and north central Massachusetts," said Judith Dumont, Director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. "G4S Technology's expertise in successfully designing and building broadband networks will help us complete the MassBroadband 123 network and meet our mission to connect the unconnected."
"The company feels a strong tie to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and has maintained offices there since 2008," said Bob Sommerfeld, President of G4S Technology. "We will continue to partner with important institutions like MTC with their mission to bridge the broadband services gap. We hope to provide new jobs for local contractors while we work diligently to improve communications, education, public safety, healthcare and the overall economic future of the state.
About G4S Technology
G4S Technology (formerly Adesta) brings innovative, flexible and cost-efficient thinking to the design, construction and maintenance of stand-alone or integrated communication networks and security systems. For nearly two decades, G4S Technology has offered commercial, industrial and governmental clients an efficient single point of contact for all their project issues. A trusted partner to customers and suppliers around the world, G4S Technology takes great pride in delivering outstanding technology, superior control and a great return on investment.
G4S Technology has deployed over two million fiber miles in more than 200 rural and metropolitan areas and completed over 1,500 electronic security systems projects in the United States, Europe, Asia, Central America and the Middle East.
Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, G4S Technology is managed by executives from the telecommunications, construction and security industries. The company is a leader in providing innovative, turnkey solutions for advanced communication and security systems.
For more information, visit www.g4stechnology.com
About G4S
G4S is the world's leading security solutions group, which specializes in outsourcing of business processes in sectors where security and safety risks are considered a strategic threat.
G4S is the largest employer quoted on the London Stock Exchange and has an additional stock exchange listing in Copenhagen.
G4S has operations in more than 120 countries and more than 625,000 employees. For more information, visit www.g4s.com or www.g4s.us.
SOURCE: G4S Technology LLC