SAIC replaces Nokia with Motorola, OTE
US-based research and engineering Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the leader of the consortium that will manage the security infrastructure of the 2004 Athens Olympics, has officially submitted to the government its proposal for the replacement of Nokia by Motorola and Greece’s OTE telecoms in the installation of the Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) wireless system of base stations. The project is part of the 254.9-million-euro contract with the Greek government under which SAIC has undertaken to build security telecommunications and surveillance systems for the Games. Motorola and OTE were initially part of the French-American consortium Thales Raytheon Systems (TRS) that competed unsuccessfully in the tender which SAIC won. Nokia’s withdrawal was linked to bad economic results and reportedly also to unacceptably high risks involved. The SAIC-led consortium also includes Siemens, General Dynamics, Honeywell International and Israel’s Erbit Systems. The contract provides for delivery in March 2004. Government sources said the change in supplier will not affect the contractual terms for the project, but delivery in time will greatly depend on the scheduled completion of other projects.
