Indian Homeland Security News and Updates

HCL, Motorola join hands for radio connectivity projects.

KOLKATA: HCL and Motorola have inked an agreement to jointly bid for next-generation secured radio connectivity projects in India which several of the state government and police departments are now planning to implement. The two companies feel the potential deal pipeline for such projects will be in excess of Rs 1,000 crore over the next two years.

This comes in the wake of the HCL-Motorola combine winning the Rs 100-crore contract to implement a secured radio network for the Delhi government ahead of the up-coming Commonwealth Games. The duo is betting on implementing TETRA (TErrestrial Trunked Radio) communication network, which facilitates swift and secure communication both within a department as well as inter-departments.

Talking to ET , HCL Infosystems executive vice-president George Paul said the agreement with Motorola has just been inked. “HCL and Motorola will combine their respective specialisation in system integration and communication technology. Since such advanced radio communication systems require both the elements, we think this partnership will help us win major deals in the government and police space,” he said.

As part of the strategy, HCL is also planning to increase its product portfolio for such specialised IT communication equipment and hardware. At present, a major chunk of HCL’s system integration revenue flows from the government and the public sector.

Motorola India sales director and country head (enterprise mobility solutions) Subodh Vardhan said both HCL and Motorola has already bid for the tender floated by Daman police and is also in talks with Bangalore police.

“Almost all the big police departments such as Gujarat, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad are now planning to upgrade their communication network. A big business opportunity will soon open up,” said Mr Vardhan.

Mr Vardhan said Motorola globally is implementing a number of TETRA communication systems for governments. ‘TETRA being a digital solution as compared to the existing analogue system, it has its own advantages such as digital sound clarity, much better usage of spectrum and full-data capability. Plus, this can be linked among departments and encrypted,” he said.