Marana Police Department First to Implement Managed 9-1-1 Service Solution

TEMECULA, CA--(Marketwired - May 18, 2017) - Marana Police Department, serving the City of Marana, a suburb of Tucson, is the first public safety answering point (PSAP) in Pima County to cut over to a managed service solution for 9-1-1 emergency calls. The solution is available to the state's PSAPs to upgrade to Next Generation (NG) 9-1-1.

The new service, NG9-1-1 Managed Service Solution is provided by CenturyLink, along with network capabilities, and Airbus DS Communications is providing the VESTA^® 9-1-1 call handling system.

By utilizing a managed service solution, the Marana Police Department now has access to the latest public safety technology and around-the-clock monitoring in a cost efficient and operations-friendly model. The Marana Police Department, a six-position PSAP serving more than 40,000 residents over 127 square miles, won't have to worry about maintaining equipment or keeping up with the ever-evolving pace of technology. Instead, it will have the latest system hardware and software along with 24/7 monitoring and maintenance.

With the VESTA^® system, the Marana Police Department is also outfitted with advanced mapping and analytics capabilities and an intuitive user interface to help Calltakers respond to calls more quickly and efficiently. Once fully enabled, the VESTA 9-1-1 call handling system will allow Calltakers to move between different PSAPs on the same regional system as needed and begin work immediately with a familiar and personalized user interface.

Once Pima County's seven remaining PSAPs migrate to CenturyLink's Managed NG9-1-1 Service Solution, the county will be able to take advantage of cost and operational efficiencies as a single robust regional network.

"We were very eager to be the first PSAP in the county to adopt this new solution and take the first step in becoming next generation ready," said Sheila Blevins, Pima County 9-1-1 Coordinator. "It was by far the easiest cutover I've experienced in my 30 years in public safety. Now, we have peace of mind knowing that Airbus DS Communications and CenturyLink are monitoring and updating our hardware and network 24/7. We have also opened the door to future possibilities such as text-to-9-1-1 and video capabilities."

"Airbus DS Communications is honored to help the Marana Police Department and its fellow PSAPs in Pima County prepare for the next generation," said Mary Wathen, vice president of operations at Airbus DS Communications. "Our VESTA 9-1-1^® system can be tailored to fit PSAPs of any size and offers the flexibility for neighboring agencies to align their public safety efforts. This allows municipalities like Pima County and the state of Arizona to easily deploy regional networks to better protect their communities."

Marana Police Department chose CenturyLink's Managed NG9-1-1 Service Solution because of its reliability and redundancy and the inclusion of the VESTA 9-1-1 advanced emergency call-handling system.

"CenturyLink is excited to support the Marana Police Department and its fellow agencies in Pima County by providing a solution that delivers the latest public safety technology without requiring significant capital investment," said Marty Leavengood, vice president, Government and Education Solutions, CenturyLink. "Our Managed NG9-1-1 Service Solution ensures that Marana Police Department's public safety professionals now have the best tools and the time to do what they do best - save lives."

About Airbus
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016, it generated revenues of EUR 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe's number one space enterprise and the world's second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

Airbus DS Communications, Inc. is a global leader and trusted source for mission-critical communications technologies. The VESTA^® product suite provides Next Generation 9-1-1 call processing systems, land mobile radio solutions and emergency notification applications, creating smarter ways to keep all our communities safe. Airbus DS Communications was awarded the Frost and Sullivan's 2016 Best Practices Award as the NG9-1-1 Company of the Year. www.airbus-dscomm.com

About CenturyLink
CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is a global communications and IT services company focused on connecting its customers to the power of the digital world. CenturyLink offers network and data systems management, big data analytics, managed security services, hosting, cloud, and IT consulting services. The company provides broadband, voice, video, advanced data and managed network services over a robust 265,000-route-mile U.S. fiber network and a 360,000-route-mile international transport network. Visit CenturyLink for more information.