Managed Information Technology Services: Providing Advanced Radios to TSA

ARINC has deployed thousands of new, high-security mobile radio systems for airport screeners and the staff of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The new Land Mobile Radio technology was installed nationwide at more than 400 airports and TSA offices under the innovative Information Technology Managed Services contract (ITMS), for which Unisys is the prime contractor.

ARINC deployed more than 7,170 portable digital radios and repeater stations at 420 airports and TSA offices in about four months. The new digital radios are equipped with special encryption technology designed to prevent TSA security messages from being intercepted by outsiders and block intrusive outside transmissions. TSA security screeners and managers will use the system from coast to coast, and it will provide a secure national wireless communications "backbone" for the TSA, linking it with law enforcement agencies nationwide.

Part of the vision of ITMS management is to make the ITMS program the model within the federal government for deployment of managed information technology services. The ITMS program eventually could deliver a wide range of other technologies such as cell phones, pagers, and video surveillance equipment.