Pennsylvania Statewide Radio Network

Overview and Fact Sheet

Initiated by Pennsylvania Legislative Act 148 (1996), providing funding for a
“[c]ommunication and information infrastructure, including approximately 200 sites
located throughout this Commonwealth for transmission of voice and data
communication connected by a digital microwave system to form a statewide mobile radio network…”
Objectives of system development include the following:
 Replace multiple incompatible, aging mobile radio systems in commonwealth government with a single highly flexible, centrally
managed statewide system using the most full-featured, reliable, and effective wireless communications technology available.
 Implement a statewide wireless transport for mobile, hand-held, and fixed-position radios that supports data applications as well
as voice communication.
 Provide system coverage of at least 95% by county throughout Pennsylvania for mobile radio communication.
 Create a framework for interoperable communication among agencies at various levels of government, including
intercommunication with county 9-1-1 centers and Regional Task Forces (RTFs).
 Make any spare system capacity available to county and municipal agencies and commercial organizations providing public
safety support, following full implementation for agencies of commonwealth government.
Funded by Legislative Act 148 (1996) at $179 million and by subsequent additional appropriations of $189 million, for a total to date
of $368 million.
PA-STARNet infrastructure comprises the following:
 High-profile and data communication sites across the state, with compact, unobtrusive microcell stations providing
supplementary coverage.
 System network backbone linking sites through a statewide high-availability microwave network, with secure network access
both at a primary gateway and at a remotely-located alternative gateway.
 Seven Regional Operations Centers and Network Operations Center providing voice and data communications control and
network monitoring and administration; remotely located backup Network Operations Center for recovery and continuity.
System software “public safety ready” in September 2003 with completion of factory acceptance testing and implementation of full-
featured, production-level code; subsequent software releases delivering significant enhancements and additional features.
Technical highlights include the following:
 One of the largest public safety communications systems in North America.
 One of the largest private microwave networks anywhere.
 Voice and data traffic freely mixed in an Internet Protocol (IP)-based statewide intranet.
 800 megahertz (MHz) trunked digital technology, with use of radio frequencies highly optimized by interweaving multiple voice
and data streams over a single channel through sophisticated computer control.
 Radio “personalities” defining how radios communicate with each other, downloaded dynamically from a central database rather
than stored in each radio to allow central management and seamless, real-time application of changes.
 Over-the-air update of subscriber device software and configurations, relieving the need for physical access to radios for indi-
vidual update through cable connections.
 Vehicular Tactical Networking (V-TAC), with a mobile radio functioning as a repeater for extended system coverage, or in Scene
of Incident mode as a mobile base station—for example, in support of operations at an emergency scene.
 Cell on Wheels (COW), a full-featured mobile microcell and communication tower for use at the scene of an emergency or some
other event requiring additional local short-term system coverage.
 Interoperability gateway technology, capable of connecting external radio systems for intercommunication with the OpenSky®
system.
Currently used or planned for use by 19 agencies of commonwealth government, plus business partners and other external
organizations, and organizations under agency sponsorship such as RTFs and county and municipal agencies, serving primarily
dispatch and mobile voice and data communications for public safety and emergency response.
Following are some examples of system use by commonwealth agencies:
 State Police (PSP)—Data communications using personal computers installed in trooper vehicles supporting 4,099,576 CLEAN
or NCIC queries in 2010 along with other state and national database lookups, as well as use of Mobile Office applications such
as messaging, alerts, and e-mail; as of December 17, 2010, all 81 PSP-dispatched stations using PA-STARNet for voice
communication.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Contact: Jack Seefeldt 717.214.9061

Office of Administration www.radio.state.pa.us
Public Safety Radio Services Updated: 4/22/2011
 Statewide Radio Network (PA-STARNet)—Overview and Fact Sheet

 Department of Health—242 fixed-location radios in hospitals and other facilities statewide providing redundancy for the Health
Alert Network, part of Pennsylvania’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Program.
 Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA)—More than 600 mobile, V-TAC, hand-held, and fixed-location radios for
county 9-1-1 center and RTF communication and for emergency response coordination.
 Department of Transportation—Approximately 6,800 mobile, hand-held, and fixed-location radios for routine use including
highway maintenance and snow removal operations, relying on PA-STARNet exclusively in over half of the state.
Participation by county and municipal government agencies includes the following:
 Cumberland County—Countywide use of OpenSky® technology through an independent contract with Harris Corporation,
incorporating intersystem communication with PA-STARNet.
 RTFs statewide—More than 1,000 subscriber units configured for use with PA-STARNet in support of emergency response.
 Huntingdon County Sheriff’s Office—Use of 32 subscriber units with PA-STARNet for dispatching and voice communication,
including intercommunication with PEMA and with other county and municipal public safety agencies.
PA-STARNet business partners, using PA-STARNet in consideration of access to sites and facilities, data communication bandwidth,
800 MHz frequency rights, or some combination of these, include the following:
 FirstEnergy Corporation—Approximately 1,098 subscriber units for radio communication for field technicians in support of utility
maintenance operations.
 Area Transportation Authority of North Central Pennsylvania—180 mobile radios in rural transportation vehicles in support of
public safety services such as emergency evacuation and medical transport.
Subscriber devices available for purchase by public safety organizations authorized for PA-STARNet use at the highly-discounted
rates negotiated by the commonwealth through Department of General Services Contract 4400005698 (formerly 5820-06). A large
percentage supplied to users through a two-year aggregate purchase agreement yielding even deeper price reductions.
Responsibility for development and operation of PA-STARNet includes the following:
 Office of Public Safety Radio Services (OPRS)—Established in 1997 as the Radio Project Office under the Office for Information
Technology in the Governor’s Office of Administration. Provides general oversight, management, and administration for the
design, development, and operation of PA-STARNet, including support for agency transition, use, and fleet management. Now
under the direction of the Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Radio, reporting directly to the Secretary of Administration.
 Public Safety Communications Council (PSCC)—Including executive-level managers from using agencies and agencies respon-
sible for system management and administration, provides direction and policy for development and operation.
 Public Safety Communications Operations Committee—Consisting primarily of operational-level representatives from using
agencies, provides a forum for discussion of PA-STARNet status, features and functions, policy, interoperability, and other key
issues, resulting in guidance for PA-STARNet management and administration as well as information sharing among system
users.
Original principal contractors for system development, selected through competitive procurement, were the following:
 M/A-COM, Inc.—A business unit of AMP, Incorporated (subsequently acquired by Tyco Electronics, Inc., and as of May 29, 2009,
part of Harris Corporation’s RF Communications division and no longer associated with the “M/A-COM” name). Provider of the
OpenSky® wireless communications technology used by PA-STARNet, including software and equipment for network
infrastructure and subscriber devices, as well as site and equipment maintenance services.
 Rohn Industries, Inc.—Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, the original site development contractor responsible for site design,
engineering, construction, and as-built documentation. After bankruptcy declaration in Fall 2003, these services provided by
OPRS staff and by contractors engaged as needed through a competitive award process.
 Alcatel, Inc.—Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, responsible for installation of the microwave backbone network providing data
communication among sites and across regions.
 RCC Consultants—Headquartered in Woodbridge, New Jersey, the principal supporting consultant in PA-STARNet design,
development, and operation.
PA-STARNet status as of March 2011 features the following:
 Tower and communications sites—931 operational: 244 high-profile towers and 687 low-profile microcells.
 Coverage—Mobile radio coverage 97.0% statewide overall, with 96.4% of land mass covered; 60 of 67 counties meeting or
exceeding the target of 95% coverage by county; all 67 counties at 90% or better.
 With the addition of sites targeted or firmly scheduled to become operational: 97.4% coverage statewide, with 97.0% of land
mass covered; 65 of 67 counties meeting or exceeding the target of 95% coverage by county; all 67 counties at 90% or better.
 System use—21,134 subscriber devices authorized for system use, logging an average of 131,203 calls (Push-to-Talks) daily.
 Agency data interface—Firewall and PA-STARNet gateway at two locations providing redundant support for agency applications,
interoperability connection, Virtual Private Networking, and other data connections.
 Agency transition—17 commonwealth agencies and commissions and a number of sponsored organizations and business part-
ners currently using PA-STARNet productively or actively transitioning to productive use.

Office of Administration/Public Safety Radio Services page 2