Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. (BGE; Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.), a subsidiary of Constellation Energy, has signed a contract to use Motorola Inc.'s voice and data technology to enhance customer service, improve reliability, manage utility assets more efficiently and reduce operating costs by eliminating leased air-time charges.

BGE will use the integrated communication system for a variety of business critical functions, including improved outage response and restoration, additional remote monitoring and control, and enhanced system reliability.

“BGE was seeking a system that would deliver multiple capabilities, scalability and control, while ensuring the highest level of security and cost efficiency,” said Gregory C. Martin, vice president of BGE's General Services Division.

Motorola's Harmony System is a user-owned wireless voice communications network designed to provide mobile work groups with fast, flexible communication services over 800- and 900-MHz frequencies. The Harmony System provides two-way radio and packet data services while enabling up to six simultaneous transmissions on a single 25-kHz channel using Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) digital technology. Motorola's digital private wireless systems range from large, statewide networks to small, single-site private systems.

The Harmony System will replace BGE's existing analog radio communications infrastructure, a 10-site simulcast system. According to Martin, the Harmony system eliminates the reliance on public wireless networks for BGE's critical communications.