[Scan-DC] Federal IWN Under Way in National Capital Region Without DHS

[John Nash]

 from  http://mccmag.com/newsArticle.cfm?news_id=6498


Federal IWN Under Way in National Capital Region Without DHS (12/20/10)
By Sandra Wendelken

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is deploying the Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) in the National Capital Region (NCR), including Richmond, Va., and the Baltimore and other Maryland metropolitan areas. The mobile radio system, originally planned to be a collaborative federal nationwide LMR network, is already in use in the Pacific Northwest and San Diego regions. Unlike the previous IWN deployments, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not participating in the IWN network in the NCR region. DHS partnered with DoJ and Treasury on IWN in the western region systems.
“DOJ and DHS have worked collaboratively to deploy and manage the radio systems currently in use in the Pacific Northwest and San Diego regions,” said Gina Talamona, a DOJ spokeswoman. “A new system is also being deployed in the National Capital Region (NCR). Although DHS is not a specific partner in this area, some components of the Department of the Interior (DOI) and Department of Treasury are participating in this system.”;
Talamona said DOJ is performing rigorous testing and evaluation of the NCR system, and officials will begin using the system operationally when the testing is complete, although no firm timeframe was given.
IWN received an appropriation of about $100 million for fiscal year 2010. The conventional and trunked technology meets National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) requirements and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) narrowbanding requirements, as well as requirements for law-enforcement voice communications. Applicable portions of the Project 25 (P25) standard are being deployed, Talamona said.
General Dynamics C4S is the systems integrator, and the primary equipment providers are Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications (PSPC) and Motorola. In January, Harris reported in its quarterly financials that General Dynamics C4 Systems awarded it a four-year contract by with a potential value of $130 million to provide the LMR infrastructure for two regions of the DOJ IWN program. Under the contract, Harris received an initial order of $10 million to begin work in the mid-Atlantic region, the release said.
The following federal agencies are using IWN: Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. Marshals Service (USMS); U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and U.S. Park Police (USPP).
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IWN Network Moves Forward Slowly (11/27)
By Sandra Wendelken
The long-delayed federal Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) is operational in a corridor from Seattle to Portland, Ore., and along the Oregon coast. The Motorola Project 25 (P25) VHF trunked network is a joint project between the U.S. departments of Justice (DoJ), Homeland Security (DHS) and Treasury.
The network currently includes 17 sites, with several more being built to fill in coverage gaps, said James Downes, chief of the federal communications services division of the DHS Office of Emergency Communications (OEC). Specifically, a site is being added to supplement the network at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Coverage at the airport is critical for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials. Sites are also being added along the northern U.S. border to enhance coverage for CBP, Downes said.
Northern California is the next scheduled deployment zone, although fiscal-year 2008 funding will not cover the buildout, and DoJ has requested additional money for the IWN network in 2009, said Robert Zanger, attorney/advisor in the DoJ wireless management office. There are also plans to build out the network in eastern Washington, although a timeframe hasn’t been set, Zanger said.
DHS has spent an estimated $30 million on IWN since the project’s inception, including subscriber units and component-specific requirements, Downes said. In April, DoJ awarded the IWN contract to General Dynamics C4 Systems under a 15-year multibillion-dollar program. The General Dynamics-led team includes General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, General Dynamics Information Technology, IBM, M/A-COM, Nortel Government Solutions and Verizon Wireless.
Motorola equipment is also being used for the network under a DoJ procurement from several years ago, according to Downes. "Motorola’s involvement in the IWN at this point is as the contract provider for the current infrastructure in the Northwest," said Downes. The subscriber units are being purchased under separate contracts from Motorola and other P25 suppliers. Motorola and General Dynamics officials declined to comment on IWN.
The IP-based network is being used primarily for voice, although it includes low-speed data capabilities. The network also has over-the-air-rekeying (OTAR) capability and advanced encryption standard (AES) encryption.
Work on IWN has been ongoing since 2003.