National Communications System (NCS) approved contract award to V...
National Communications System (NCS) approved contract award to VoiceStream Wireless to provide priority access service for Washington and N.Y. metro areas. Approval had been expected since FCC granted VoiceStream temporary waiver earlier this month of its wireless priority access…
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service (PAS) rules for GSM-based system that will provide national security and emergency personnel (NS/EP) access to wireless networks during emergencies. VoiceStream said it expected PAS system to be operational within 60 days. DynCorp, systems integration contractor for NCS’s wireline Govt. Emergency Telecom Service (GETS), awarded contract to VoiceStream. Carrier said agreement allowed its handsets to be provided by govt. to NS/EP users at federal, state and local level. Percentage of NS/EP users on wireless network compared with network’s customer base is expected to be less than 0.1%, VoiceStream said. It hasn’t attached dollar figure to contract, to which 5,000 users will have access in both cities on subscription basis, spokeswoman said. NCS Deputy Mgr. Brent Greene said agency would continue to work with VoiceStream and other wireless carriers toward national solution to wireless NS/EP communications by end of year. He said system would “enable us to balance national security and emergency preparedness needs while minimizing the impact on consumer access to the same wireless infrastructures.” FCC in 2000 issued rules on how NS/EP users could gain access in emergencies to next available wireless channel to originate call without preempting calls already in progress. Commission didn’t require carriers to provide PAS but created uniform operating protocols.