Emergency communication-services provider SCC Communications on Monday announced that it has acquired Lucent Public Safety Systems (LPSS), an internal venture of Lucent Technologies focused on public safety telecommunications technology.
SCC will buy LPSS for US$29.1 million in stock, and Lucent could receive an additional $32.92 million in preferred stock if certain revenue goals are achieved by the combined forces of SCC and LPSS, the companies said in a statement. SCC Communications' acquisition of LPSS was initially announced in October 2000 and it already has formally closed, said Andy Garman, vice president of Lucent's New Ventures Group.
SCC will now be able to provide more emergency response services, including wireless, IP (Internet Protocol)-based Emergency 9-1-1 services, and location-specific data applications, said George Heinrichs, SCC's chief executive officer, in a statement. The combined company will have more than 600 employees in the U.S., and will retain its LPSS location in Lisle, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.
SCC provides 9-1-1 operation support systems to incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs), integrated communication providers (ICPs) and wireless carriers in the U.S., according to the Boulder, Colorado-based company.
LPSS designs, builds and delivers a range of public safety communications systems and software. Those offerings include database management systems, selective routing systems, public safety call-center software and mapping applications and services, according to the company. LPSS employs approximately 85.
LPSS's primary product is a database software called Palladium, which provides, typically, incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) with information to properly route a 9-1-1 call to the right local emergency services office and provide the emergency services operator with the caller's name, number and address, Garman said. Palladium has been available for about four years and covers an estimated 70 million phone customers in the U.S., he said.
LPSS was an incubator company formed by Lucent's New Ventures Group, which is financed by venture capital, said Lucent spokesman David Bikle. The New Ventures Group has more than 26 active ventures and the group has received $300 million in venture capital, he said.