Arlington, VA – February 23, 2012 – Thales announced today the launch of its new end-to-end integrated and distributed Long Term Evolution (LTE) solution for the US public safety market.

Thales’s LTE solution is the only network with a corresponding push-to-talk smart phone that offers a fully distributed architecture for the public safety and first responder communities. The complete offering consists of a comprehensive network management system using the LTE core broadband network, a push-to-talk smart phone device operating on the LTE network and applications that support first responders in the field.

Thales’s full IP distributed architecture has been designed to provide the public safety and first responder communities with a reliable solution that will improve incident response. The resilience of Thales’s LTE distributed architecture allows dispatchers to successfully communicate messages between several interconnected base stations, towers and first responders even if one of the base stations or towers is out of service. The unique, distributed architecture at the core of the Thales LTE network will also provide users with added security and flexibility by taking away the risk of a single point of failure in the system.

“Thales has invested ten years of research into the development of a unique, full IP distributed architecture which will provide the added resiliency and reliability necessary to alleviate risks of temporary network shut down,” said Allan Cameron, President and CEO of Thales USA. “We look forward to working with system integrators to help public safety officials accomplish their mission in broadband at a time of critical importance.”

As part of its total offering, Thales developed the first push-to-talk smart phone for the public safety market in the US. The device allows micro and macro mobility in a distributed LTE network environment allowing for interoperability with a multitude of agencies on the same frequency. The hand set has the ability to revolutionize public safety response by providing a comprehensive voice, data and video recording and streaming package. These features permit users to quickly cascade critical information in real-time to their teams in the field and to report images and video that address situational awareness.

About Thales
Thales is a global technology leader for the Defence & Security and the Aerospace & Transport markets. In 2011, the company generated revenues of 13 billion euros (equivalent of $18.2 billion) with 68,000 employees in more than 50 countries. With its 22,500 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners. www.thalesgroup.com