Sepura steps in to Macedonia with major contract win

Sepura has won a major order to supply digital TETRA radios to the Police of the Republic of Macedonia, under a contract between its distributor, 3Tech, and the country's Ministry of the Interior.

This order forms part of a large-scale reform of all branches of the police service in the Balkan state including a new TETRA network funded by the European Union.

State police in urban and rural areas and the Border Police will use the radios to give secure, continuous, instant and clear communication.

The landlocked state has encountered problems along its borders where mountainous and sparsely populated terrain has made it a target for illegal immigration and smuggling of drugs, weapons, alcohol and tobacco.

Nearly 4000 radios will be supplied including SRH3800 sGPSâ„¢ handheld radios and SRG3500 vehicle radios which include Gateway functionality to ensure continuous reception in blackspots of network coverage. All handheld and some of the vehicle radios will benefit from GPS to locate each police officer or vehicle using the TETRA radio.

The European Agency for Reconstruction funded the overall TETRA project at a cost of €9 million, where Siemens, in partnership with Rohde and Schwarz, implemented the TETRA network.

Kenneth Hubner, Sepura's Regional Sales Director, said: "This is another major step forward for Sepura and follows other recent sales wins in Eastern Europe including Bulgaria and Hungary."

Zarko Lenardic, of 3Tech, Slovenia, said: "The quality of the radios and the first-class customer support that Sepura offers contributed to winning the order."