Radio System Upgrade to Cost $1.9-Million

An unexpected budget issue has emerged for London City Council.

London Police and Fire radios are quickly becoming out of date, due to numerous software upgrades that have created compatibility issues, and replacing those consoles will cost $1.9-million.

London’s Community and Protective Services committee will deal with the issue Tuesday. The upgrade comes as a surprise at London City Hall as the city wasn’t planning on buying new equipment until closer to 2020.

In the past, emergency and public service radio systems that ran on analogue technologies lasted well in excess of 10 years, or in the case of the London Fire Department, 20 years. That changed about 15 years ago when radio manufacturers transitioned to systems built on an internet protocol.

While the new technology provided enhanced encryption, it also requires periodic updates to operating systems.

City staff says the life cycle of radio systems continues to shorten as a result of the industry moving more to software based solutions. Staff had been told the current P25 digital radio system, which was implemented in 2011, had a service life of 10 years, but learned this year the updates to operating systems have resulted in a need to enhance technological infrastructure, shortening the expected lifespan.

Consoles used by the London Police Service are only five years old, while London Fire Department consoles are approaching seven years old.

Staff warns future budgets for radio systems will have to be adjusted from a ten year lifecycle to five years.

While the $1.9 million price tag could put a strain on budgets, the report suggests there is an opportunity for the city to take advantage of possible “promotional pricing” which could reduce the cost to the city if the upgrades were to happen before the end of this year.

The issue will be debated at Tuesday’s community and protective services committee at 4 p.m.