EDS Chooses Symbol Technologies As Wireless LAN Technology Partner For United Kingdom Prison Service Project

Symbol Technologies, Inc. announced that it has been nominated as the preferred supplier of wireless technology by EDS, as part of a deal worth $300 million (US equivalent) to support the HM Prison Service (United Kingdom) over the next 12 years.

This partnership will provide a launch pad for modernization of the business processes of the Prison Service, and will support the drive by the Prison Service to meet its key performance targets.

The initial phase of the project will deliver Windows®-based computers and applications, including email, across the Prison Service. Symbol will offer its to cover areas where traditional cabling would be inappropriate. A wireless LAN radio frequency (RF) infrastructure can be installed in typically half the time it takes to put in conventional cabling, and provides far greater flexibility in the location of PCs and other mobile computing devices. Spectrum24 will also be available to provide network access in buildings and areas not currently covered by the hard-wired network.

"Symbol's wireless local area networking capabilities were a key element of the EDS bid, and will help lay the foundations for the future deployment of and applications in the Prison Service. With over 137 prison establishments to be covered throughout England and Wales, this project is potentially one of the largest wireless and most exciting network infrastructures in the world," said Michael Wilks, director, Government and Public Sector - EMEA, Symbol Technologies Limited.

"The Quantum Project will provide Prison Service staff members with access to modern IT facilities which are vital to the running of a modern penal system. The project will also provide a platform for further IT based improvements in the future. Symbol's experience in similar implementations made it the obvious choice as our preferred supplier of Radio Frequency products and services for this contract," said Carol Wyatt, director, Civil Government and Healthcare, EDS. Symbol foresees growth in the US market as jail and prison facilities begin to extend existing network infrastructures with wireless LANs to support mobile computing and data management applications. Led by software developer and systems integrator, and its flagship product, JailKeeper, Symbol's mobile computing and wireless infrastructure products have been deployed across Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department correctional facilities. These systems are used for audit trail applications such as tracking inmates, their personal property, their legal records, facility assets and employees.

"Our prisons have a population in excess of two million inmates. Our jails have a turnover rate of over 20 times per year. The effective application of technology is critical to public safety in that it affects officer availability and the communities' financial resources," said, Lindsey Bo Knuth, CEO, Retriever Software. "As the number of jail and prison facilities across the country continues to grow, we see a big wireless information management trend on the horizon."