Tait Communications

Tait Communications

Type	Trust Structure
Industry	Technology
Founded	1969
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Garry Diack [1]
Products	Two-way radios Network Systems Public Safety solutions Utility solutions Urban Transport solutions
Number of employees	869 (Worldwide 2011)
Website	Tait Communications

Tait Communications is a multinational radio communications company with headquarters in Christchurch, New Zealand. The company has offices in 17 countries and employs 869 staff (2011). Tait develops voice and data radio technologies, exporting about 95% of products from its Christchurch manufacturing base.^[2] Customers include London Buses,^[3] Country Fire Authority^[4] and Basin Electric Power Cooperative.^[5] Competitors include Motorola, Harris Corporation , E.F. Johnson Company, Raytheon, HYT, Selex and EMC spa.

History

Tait Limited (trading as Tait Communications and formerly known as Tait Electronics Ltd) was founded in 1969 by New Zealand electronics innovator and businessman Sir Angus Tait, KNZM, OBE. The company's founding staff of 12 radio technologists^[2] produced the first generation of all-transistor mobile radios in New Zealand.^[6]

• In 1973, Tait released the Mini-phone series of mobile radios, which were adopted as the industry standard in New Zealand.^[6]
• In 1979, Tait launched a range of portable radios and base stations, exporting over 25% of its production. The first wholly owned subsidiary was opened in Huntingdon, UK.
• In 1982, Tait opened facilities in Houston, United States.
• In 1988, Tait opened facilities in Brisbane, Australia.
• In the mid-1980s Tait moved into developing trunking technology. Substantial investment followed in a broad range of trunked products and TaitNet systems based on the open MPT 1327 standard.
• In 1990, the T800 series of modular base station and repeater equipment was on the market. The T700 series also appeared.
• In 1992, the T2000 series of mobile radios was released.
• In 1993, additional offshore subsidiaries were opened and the T3000 series of hand-portables and the Quasi-Sync base station/repeater systems were introduced.
• In 1994, the first in a series of mobile data despatch products for use with the T2000 radios was launched.
• In 1996, the T3000 Series II, an enhanced version of the portable series, went to market.
• In 1997, Tait's T2000 range was updated with the launch of the T2000 Series II.
• In 1998, Tait released the Orca series of portable radios. Additional base-station and system enhancements followed, including the T1810 single-site trunked channel controller, before the release of Tait's portable radio range, the Tait Orca 5000.
• In 2003, the release of the 8000 tier of base stations and mobiles replaced the T800 base station and T2000 mobile.
• In May 2005, Tait launched P25 (Project 25) products based on open standards and open interfaces.
• In 2008, the TP8100 replaced the Orca portable radio.
• In 2010, Tait opened facilities in Vienna, Austria.
• In 2011, Tait opened facilities in Melbourne, Australia^[7] and expanded in Beijing, China. (Office in Beijing has been shutdown)^[8]
• In 2012, Tait Electronics Ltd changed its name to Tait Limited.
• In 2014 the regional office in Huntingdon UK was closed and opened office in Milton, Cambridge UK ^[9]

Technologies

• P25 (Project 25)
• DMR (Digital Mobile Radio)
• MPT 1327
• MPT-IP
• Distribution Automation
• Network Management

Corporate affairs

References

Further reading

• The Best is Yet to Come, Tait Radio Communications, by Dave Wilson, et al., 2004
• Radio Fidelity – The Story of Angus Tait and an Industry Sparked by Loyalty, by Virginia Green. ISBN 978-0-476-01508-1