[12 APR 99] MARCONI
COMMUNICATIONS PRESS RELEASE
Bulgaria Military Orders £36 Million System From MarconiThe Bulgarian Ministry of Defence has ordered a fully-integrated
tactical communications package worth £36 million from Marconi Communications, as part of
a programme to make the systems used by its armed forces compatible with those used by
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) members.
The order for Marconi's Field Integrated Communications
Information System (FICIS) breaks new ground as the first in which the Bulgarian ministry
has invited tenders from international suppliers for a major military contract, and was
fiercely contested by leading manufacturers of communications equipment worldwide.
Marconi's successful bid follows interoperability trials
over the last three years, during which Bulgarian armed forces have used the company's
switching equipment to communicate with NATO forces. The country's move towards NATO
compatibility is part of its desire to join the alliance and participate in the NATO
Partnership For Peace initiative.
"We won the order on the basis of competitive price
and our ability to provide Bulgaria with the latest communications technology which has
already proved its effectiveness with military forces in Italy, Germany, Denmark, Norway,
Sweden, Finland, Spain, Turkey and Brazil," said Marconi Communications defence
director Remo Pertica.
"The Bulgarian military will have a system which is
fully interoperable with NATO forces, and increasingly with neighbouring countries in the
region who are in the process of adopting compatible equipment."
The Bulgarian application of Marconi's FICIS equipment will
provide the military with a fully-integrated package of mobile radio equipment, which can
be operated from a variety of hard and soft-skinned vehicles, together with tactical
command and control centres.
Delivery of the turnkey system is scheduled to begin in
September. The first parts of the system will go into service by the end of this year and
it is scheduled to become fully operational in 2001.
Marconi Communications is a world leader in smart broadband
transmission and network integration. Based in the UK and Italy, it has sales to more than
140 countries and is wholly owned by GEC, a global manufacturer of intelligent electronic
systems.
MORE INFORMATION:
Marconi
Communications Press Office 0115 906 4687
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