FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MTA AWARDS TRANSIT WIRELESS CONTRACT FOR CRITICAL
CELL PHONE SERVICE AND WI-FI IN SUBWAY STATIONS
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Straphangers Able To Make Calls, Send Text Messages And Use Laptops
NEW YORK, NY (September 26, 2007) - The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board today approved an agreement with Transit Wireless LLC, a consortium set to equip the 277 underground New York City subway stations for cell phone and wireless Internet service.
Wireless voice and data communication will improve safety for commuters, transit workers and emergency responders; provide critical information in case of emergencies and added convenience for straphangers who can use cell phones, computers and other devices.
"Transit Wireless looks forward to working with the MTA to provide critical cell phone and wireless Internet communication for millions of New York City subway riders," said Gary Simpson, a partner in Transit Wireless.
"We know there is a need and a demand for this service and, with MTA board approval, we are eager to get started. This will be a challenging project, but Nab Construction has extensive experience working in the subway system and we understand that the first priority is customer and worker safety, and the need to keep the subways running during installation," said Simpson, who also is president and CEO of Nab Construction Corporation. Transit Technologies, a partner in the Transit Wireless consortium, will be responsible for installation of the network.
One critical component of the system, Simpson explained, is that it can locate the precise source of a cell phone transmission and relay this information to the cellular telephone carrier.
For example, if someone calls for help from the north end of the uptown platform in a large station, the cellular telephone carrier has information that could be provided and used by 9-1-1 communications centers so police and paramedics can respond to the exact location.
Transit Wireless LLC is a partnership between Nab Construction Enterprises/Q-Wireless and Dianet Communications and Transit Technologies LLC, which was created specifically to develop transportation-related wireless projects in New York City. Transit Wireless will design, market, install, own, operate, and maintain a neutral, shared wireless infrastructure to provide seamless, uninterrupted commercial wireless services to New York City subway riders within the 277 underground stations of the subway system.
"This exciting agreement improves commuter safety, allowing them to report crimes and other emergencies from within the subway system," said Dianet President Jeff Just. "First responders also will be better equipped to protect themselves and subway riders.
"And straphangers will finally be able to stay connected and exchange data by sending text messages, emails and using laptops with Wi-Fi.
"Dianet team members have completed over 1,000 in-building distributed antenna system (DAS) networks, totaling over 100 million square feet. Working with our partners, we have the expertise, the experience and the proven technology to get this job done."
Within two years of an order to proceed from the MTA, Transit Wireless must install cell phone and wireless Internet service at six stations; secure at least one major cell phone carrier for the stations and demonstrate the effectiveness of the system.
If it meets those goals, the partnership must complete the remaining stations within four additional years.
Transit Wireless will use the same proven DAS technology employed for years in buildings, airports, tunnels and other locations where tall transmission towers are not feasible. In a DAS system, small antennae are installed throughout a location. The signal is balanced among the antennae and carried by fiber optic cables to another location where the cellular carriers can process the signal into their network. The installation will address any aesthetic concerns, Just said.
Transit Wireless will undertake all installation costs and pay the MTA an estimated $46.8 million over 10 years.
Nab Construction Enterprises is an affiliate of Nab Construction Corporation, a full-service construction firm specializing in infrastructure construction. Nab Construction Corporation, founded in 1954, has built and rehabilitated major subway stations throughout New York City, as well as performed major work on the premier suspension bridges, major highway and rail viaducts and historic structures throughout the Metropolitan Area. In the last 10 years Nab Construction Corporation has successfully completed hundreds of millions of dollars of work for the MTA.
Dianet Communications, Inc. is a full-service, neutral host company specializing in the design, building, and management of shared and single-user Distributed Antenna System ("DAS") networks in buildings, underground and outdoors for wireless carriers. Telecommunications industry veterans formed Dianet in 2003, and its principals and specialists have over thirty years experience maintaining cable, paging, cellular, Wi-Fi, and DAS networks.
Q-Wireless provides software solutions for voice and data service in multi-carrier cellular environments. The proprietary technology developed by Q-Wireless works in consort with central servers to maximize service distribution and consumption of wireless capacity.
Transit Technologies LLC presently is engaged in over $600 million in computer and communications based projects, all for the New York City subway system, including: a computer-based Public Address and Customer Information Sign System; a city-wide token booth emergency communication system; a new subway radio communications command center; and a city-wide fiber-optic-based communication network for the subway stations.
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