News and Product Updates

City of Rockford Poised to Save Nearly $5M From an Analog to IP Migration that Supports the Fire Department’s Mission Critical Communications

IRVINE, Calif. --TC Communications, designer and manufacturer of critical communications solutions that enable integration of legacy devices with modern networks, today announced the City of Rockford is on track to save $5 million over the next five years by migrating emergency radio systems from analog leased lines onto an IP-based network. With this migration, the City of Rockford – the largest city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area – demonstrates that municipalities across the nation can reap significant savings (30%-40%), enabled by a mission critical, public safety-focused design.

Initially relying on a leased 4-wire analog backbone to operate its network of 16 analog repeaters and voters, the City of Rockford was stuck with exorbitant leased line costs, which often increased by 20%-30% multiple times a year, to operate the fire department’s voted radio system. Replacing the radio system would cause downtime and require additional user and maintenance training. The city needed a reliable and swift solution as rates for their analog lines continued to increase.

With support from ClientFirst Technology Consulting, the City of Rockford developed a migration plan to replace the 4-wire analog backhaul with an IP-based network. The analog radios and voters will remain in place with JumboSwitch®, a rugged and versatile Ethernet platform designed to integrate a broad spectrum of communication devices over a single and reliable modern network, created by TC Communications.

"The city’s migration to a commercial IP-based solution while maintaining existing equipment is an excellent financial move that will benefit the entire Rockford community,” said Steve Cragg, vice president of Sales & Marketing, TC Communications. "They will save $1 million each year, covering the cost of the entire project, and these savings can be passed on to purchase emergency equipment or vehicles that might not have otherwise been possible. This is why it’s so important to let other municipalities know about cost-effective IP-based options.”

The migration off copper lines is an important step towards P25 IP capability, which is beneficial to first responders and emergency personnel as it enables interoperable communications that will enhance coordination and response time. Personnel will also find a noticeable improvement in sound quality, all supported by an unchanged network.

Click here to read a case study that highlights how East Shore Radio Network benefited from the same kind of migration and continues to operate leased line-free.

About TC Communications

Established in 1991, TC Communications is a global designer and manufacturer of critical communications solutions that enable integration of legacy devices with modern networks. Built on the mission to provide the most reliable and efficient products, the company serves the utilities, public safety, oil and gas, rail, aviation and government/military industries. TC Communications is the home of JumboSwitch®, a rugged and versatile Ethernet platform with a range of interfaces designed to integrate a broad spectrum of communication devices over a single network. All operations, including engineering, manufacturing and support, are conducted at the headquarters in Irvine, CA. Please visit https://www.tccomm.com/ to learn more or follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube.