Big US managed services win for Tait Communications
Tait Communications has won a major contract to manage the critical communications system for Californian utility company Pacific Gas & Electric.
Tait Communications has won a major contract to manage the critical communications system for Californian utility company Pacific Gas & Electric.
Christchurch-based Tait Communications has won a major contract to manage the critical communications system for Californian utility company Pacific Gas & Electric.
The privately held company refuses to give any figures around the deal, but the contract win was in the less crowded but fast-growing market for managed services emerging globally for critical infrastructure, whose owners need greater reliability and more coverage in remote areas from their telecommunications networks than can be provided by everyday telecommunications companies, Tait Communications America executive vice-president for global services, Judd Cain, told BusinessDesk.
"PG&E is one of our largest customers," he said of the utility, which delivers energy to nearly 16 million people in northern and central California and is itself one of the largest suppliers of electricity and gas in the United States, with US utilities "one of the largest market shares for us."
PG&E's radio system is used to deliver voice communications to nearly 7,000 mobile and portable subscriber units across PG&E's territory and is held to 99.99 percent monthly availability.
Cain said the trend to managed services for critical communications was growing and more competitors would catch up with Tait soon.
Parts of the Californian network were similar to New Zealand, with remote and mountainous areas that were uneconomic for telcos to reach.
(BusinessDesk)