8 Reasons Utilities are Choosing Tait

Tait has a long history of working with Utility customers – both large and small – around the world. Regardless of size, we work together with them to find the best-fit solution for their needs.

Although large Utility customers like Alliant Energy tend to get more press, Tait can also provide solutions to small and medium sized Utilities. In the words of those customers, here are 8 reasons Utilities are choosing Tait for their critical communications solutions.

1. Resilience during storms

Having a resilient grid is vital for any Utility company. To maintain its resiliency, it’s important to use resilient tools and platforms. One IT Specialist said, “Tait Communications has given us a platform for radio communications for all of our districts. In times of storms, we may be the only folks with communications along with emergency services.”

This ability to communicate, even when all others cannot, is essential for Utilities working to restore power. Another customer, Dennis Buchanan, outlined the importance of resilient and robust system:

We have had numerous major storm outages since the installation of the Tait Network. In each and every case it has been robust in nature and has cut service restoral times significantly.

In one case, the system contributed to the saving of a lineman’s life. The emergency notification system led to his survival because the time of line contact, and notification to Dispatch, to being transported to the hospital was twenty minutes.”

2. Enhanced Worker Safety

Speaking of worker safety, Tait offers more than just an emergency notification system. There are several safety features built into the Tait system that are particularly important for Utilities. One Communications Technician highlighted the easy-to-use talk groups and Man Down capability as important safety features for his organization.

The trunked system from Tait allows groups that travel all over the system to have a virtual private radio system. This lessens listener fatigue and makes it much easier to get hold of the intended party. Groups who take the time to get familiar with the system enjoy this benefit. This system also has an OSHA desired Man down capability, that increases safety.”

3. Increased Efficiency

Not only does the Tait system enhance safety, it also increases efficiency. It’s important to restore power as quickly as possible, and the Tait solution helps do this through both reliable voice and data communications. One engineer put it this way, “The Tait solution has helped increased efficiency and safety, due to the reliable system that meets the needs of end users.”

4. Interoperability

Many Utilities have multiple departments within their own organization, or need to work with neighboring Utilities or Emergency Services. Whatever your situation, Tait open standards and unified critical communications make communication simple. “Tait’s MPT 1327 system has made it possible to have interoperability between our different facilities and it integrates seamlessly with our phone systems. The AVL system provides greater safety to our workers in remote areas.”

5. Easy and Efficient Programming

Keeping your communications system up-to-date is an important job, but we’ve worked to make it as easy as possible. Your team can spend less time waiting on radios that need programming, and more time serving your customers.

An Engineer for a Medium sized Utility put it this way, “It is very easy to add/modify programming to effect changes that occur often in our generation facilities during our massive overhaul of generators. Our users know that within minutes of a technician arriving, new programming will be completed and they can go about their work.”

6. Ease of Migration to Digital

The task of moving from an analog communications network to a digital one can seem daunting. Although digital radio comes with many benefits, some wonder if it’s worth the trouble. The Tait team, however, offer migration planning and several paths to digital, “without the tears.”

One communications technician described the process of migrating with Tait in these words, “Tait migration planning allowed us to keep our analog system running, then switch to digital at the push of a button.”

7. Increased Morale for Users

When making a decision about your communications, you need to think about your users. Keeping them happy and motivated is key to running a successful company. One engineer explained why the Tait system has been great for his users: “Having a quality product to count on during normal work as well as during emergency situations provides a level of comfort that increases morale in the users.”

8. “It just works”

In simple words, the Tait system just works. When someone pushes the talk button on a Tait radio, they can trust their call to go through. Nothing is more frustrating, and even dangerous, than communications that can’t communicate, but customers find the Tait system works with resilience and reliability. “We’ve been operating a DMR Tier III Trunked 800 MHz system for over two years now. It has worked very well overall, and that is noteworthy. Not only would I recommend this product, but I have done so several times.”

If you’d like to learn more about these and other stories, you can find them in our Utility Customer Stories. We encourage you to check them out, and contact us if you’d like to discuss the possibilities around a communications solution for your Utility.


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