Harris Corporation Selects Sprint over Rivals to Provide Integrated Wireline and Wireless Support for First Time Automated Data Collection
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 30, 2009--
Every ten years, the U.S. Census is required by law to collect and count
data in an accurate, timely and efficient manner. To further
boost accuracy and efficiency, Harris Corporation, the system integrator
for the upcoming 2010 Census, has selected Sprint (NYSE:S) as the
exclusive wireless data provider to help automate the process and to
provide wireline and wireless data support to collect the information in
real-time.
“Sprint provides the best value for the government by offering a
cost-effective converged solution for the cellular and landline data
needs of the program, while also leveraging a robust portfolio of
managed services and their secure and reliable Now Network,” said Mike
Murray, Vice President, Harris Census Programs. “As a result of the
combined solutions and technology provided by Sprint and Harris, the
2010 Decennial Census is expected to be the most accurate in U.S.
history.”
Beginning in April 2009, approximately 140,000 field workers carried the
Harris custom-built devices operating on the Sprint network, with the
ability to transmit collected data back to the Census Bureau in near
real-time. In addition to their unique data collection capabilities, all
hand held devices were equipped with GPS capabilities (allowing workers
to verify addresses remotely without relying on printed maps) and
fingerprint ID scanning for added security.
In addition, Sprint is providing several other solutions for this
program, including:
-
Approximately 500 Sprint Global MPLS sites across United States,
allowing local Census offices to connect on a single IP-based network
-
Roughly 1,500 managed devices including routers, switches, firewalls
and Intrusion Detection Service (IDS) for additional security
-
More than 150,000 active telemetry wireless devices that will allow
workers to collect data remotely, resulting in more accurate reporting
and substantially less use of paper
-
About 1,500 mobile broadband connection cards, offering high speed
connectivity on America’s most dependable 3G network*
-
Significant professional services and integration expertise such as
on-site security management, dedicated program management, and data
center hosting services from Sprint, providing the critical
infrastructure “glue” for one of the most complex activities of 2010
In past years, data was collected manually by thousands of field workers
through paper address lists, printed maps and complex work assignments.
The process was time consuming, expensive and often hampered by delays.
To reduce its operational costs and increase efficiency and accuracy,
the U.S. Census Bureau decided to use an automated system to directly
capture data for the address canvassing portion of the 2010 Census.
The Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) database designed and
supported by Harris, will automate the collection and management of
addresses and GPS data, to enable the first virtually paperless conduct
of the address canvassing effort.
“Sprint is honored to play a critical role in this historic evolution of
the Decennial Census program for 2010,” said Bill White, vice president
for Federal Programs at Sprint. “Given our wireless data and IP
leadership and Sprint’s highly dependable Now Network, we offer the most
integrated wireless and wireline solutions in the industry. Our support
will help the program reduce their costs, increase efficiency and
deliver accurate information in real-time.”
It is expected that ongoing system and network integration provided by
Sprint and Harris will allow the FDCA program to ultimately save time
and deliver more accurate results, faster. The network services from
Sprint will also help allow the bureau to meet the security requirements
imposed by Title 13 of the U.S. code.
Sprint serves Harris and the U.S. Census through its newly formed
Business Markets Group (BMG). Composed of more than 4,000 sales,
support, marketing and operations personnel, Sprint’s BMG is dedicated
solely to enterprise, general business and public sector customers. BMG
delivers wireless, wireline and converged solutions for companies,
drawing on the nation’s most dependable 3G mobile broadband network,* 4G
capabilities that are well ahead of Sprint’s competition, the fastest
national push-to-talk network,** and a comprehensive solutions portfolio
of devices and applications. For more information on Sprint business
solutions, visit www.sprint.com/business
or contact your Sprint account team.
To join in the latest discussions and learn more about business
solutions available through wireline convergence, visit the Seamless
Enterprise at www.seamlessenterprise.com
*”Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G
data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the
50 most populous markets, January 2008 – February 2009. Not all
services available on 3G and coverage may default to separate network
when 3G unavailable.
**“Fastest” based on initial call set-up time.
ABOUT SPRINT NEXTEL
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline
communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers,
businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for
developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including
two wireless networks serving more than 49 million customers at the end
of the first quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services;
instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a
global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
Source: Sprint
Media Contact:
Sprint
Sukhi Sahni, 703-592-7779
sukhi.sahni@sprint.com
