A municipal government is responsible for critical public safety communications among police precincts, the fire department, and emergency services. With these mission-critical services supporting the community 24x7x365, reliable data transmission and communication are essential to sustaining a positive quality of life. Here, we’ll walk through how we designed and implemented a microwave and MPLS upgrade for a West Texas municipality.
The Problem:
Our client needed to update their current microwave and network infrastructure to support P25 radio communication, video security, and traffic management. Here’s a breakdown of what pain points the municipality was facing:
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- The client required seamless integration with previously installed equipment while avoiding relying on nearing end-of-life technology.
- A fragmented network management system made monitoring devices difficult and tedious.
- Growing concern about the long-term cost and security of its current infrastructure.
- A requirement for seamless transition from legacy equipment with minimal disruption to live public safety communications.
The Solution:
To support the client’s needs, Scientel Solutions proposed a turnkey end-to-end microwave modernization with Nokia’s Wavence 9500 Microwave Packet Radio (MPR) platform. Here’s a full solution analysis.
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- To maintain high-capacity transport, Scientel engineers used Nokia MPT-HLC transceivers.
- To enable IP/MPLS and seamless TDM-to-IP migration, Nokia’s 7705 Service Aggregation Routers (SARs) were deployed.
- Nokia’s Network Services Platform (NSP) provided unified management, monitoring, and automation.
- The installation of new antennas, waveguides, and other passive components.
- Design, FCC licensing, full staging, engineering, installation, testing, and cutover services.
Key Solution Features:
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- Full interoperability with existing Wavence MPT-HLC and 7705 SAR
- Nokia NSP – single interface for radios, routers, and SNMP devices
- Best-in-class transmit power, adaptive modulation, and path diversity.
- Smaller antennas reduce tower loading; no leased-line fees; predictable capex
- Full system staging before field deployment; detailed cutover plan
The Result:
After deploying Scientel’s solution, the municipality gained a resilient communications ring with unified network management, end-to-end encryption, and a seamless migration from the original legacy hardware, as well as:
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- A resilient, mission-critical microwave ring supporting P25 voice, video, traffic management, and data.
- Operational independence with no reliance on commercial carriers for backhauls.
- Simplified network operations with an NSP dashboard, including real-time alarms, performance analytics, and topology views.
- A clear migration path to 5G and all-IP infrastructure.
- Reduced total cost of ownership compared to leased fiber or continued legacy operation.
Now, the municipality can rest assured knowing that its critical communications are supported and secure while ultimately saving on recurring costs. For any public safety agency facing aging microwave infrastructure, rising carrier costs, or the need for greater security and control, this municipality’s predicament demonstrates the need for microwave modernizations. To learn how to enhance a technology infrastructure, click below to connect with our team.