• Arqiva to provide maintenance service on Grampian's analogue and digital microwave links network
• 365 days-a-year engineering support in a £100,000 managed services contract, to guarantee maximum network uptime
• Full support mechanism for the Fire and Rescue service's own communications engineers

Arqiva today announced that it has been awarded a minimum three-year contract by Grampian Fire and Rescue Service to provide maintenance services on its analogue and digital radio communications network. The contract, which is worth in excess of £100,000 and was won through a competitive tender process, provides 365 days-a-year engineering support on the Fire and Rescue service's microwave links, VHF system and wide area paging network, ensuring maximum uptime for the operation's critical service.

The Grampian Fire and Rescue Service link network is a private radio network, which supplies secure communications to six full-time and 33 part-time fire stations covering a large geographical area in the North East of Scotland (9600 sq km). The network is the prime bearer for all radio communications and paging in the Fire and Rescue service, ensuring public safety across the region, particularly in remote areas where no other forms of communication exist.

The link network is routed through the Fire headquarters in Aberdeen, where Arqiva and the Fire Service communications engineers can action system interrogation, which is integral to testing the performance of the link bearer network. Arqiva also provides a fully outsourced support mechanism for Grampian's own communications engineers to call on whenever assistance is required, enabling them to focus on their key day-to-day activities.

Arqiva engineers servicing the contract are all based locally within the Aberdeenshire area, a key factor in Arqiva winning the contract. Mike Clark, Communications and IT Manager at Grampian Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The fact that the Arqiva team is based locally reassures us of the consistent support we will be receiving. The strength of Arqiva's reputation in the public safety sector confirms that the team working with us will be highly skilled within the fixed and mobile radio arena."

Alastair Davidson, managing director of Arqiva's Public Safety division, said: "Our extensive experience in providing managed services for private radio networks has enabled us to deliver a low risk, cost-effective maintenance package to Grampian Fire and Rescue Service. We are able to deliver the flexibility that enables it to focus on its critical operations while we service the organisation's communications systems. We are confident that the partnership will be an ongoing success and hope that, as the radio and paging services develop, so will our working relationship."

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