Mall of America keeps communication open

When your retail operation is already the size of a small city and you’re planning growth, maintaining communications is a critical task.



Bloomington, Minnesota-based Mall of America, which spans four levels and 5.5 million-sq.-ft. of retail space (plus parking ramps, service corridors, etc.) and is seeking to expand, faces that exact situation. The mall, home to 520 stores, more than 50 restaurants, an indoor theme park and other attractions, is switching from an analog communications system to the Motorola Solutions Mototrbo digital two-way radio system.



Mall of America experienced coverage and frequency issues, as well as static and interference which hindered employees’ ability to communicate, with its previous communications system. In the past, radio interference made it difficult for mall dispatchers to know who was calling or to understand messages.



Now, with a radio caller ID feature, users know where a call originates, such as an exterior maintenance vehicle, patrol officer or housekeeper. Mototrbo’s “transmit interrupt” feature allows users to send priority transmissions so they can immediately break into radio traffic and convey instant information.



Mall of America staff worked with Motorola Solutions’ partner Infinity Wireless to upgrade the analog radios to Mototrbo digital communications. Mototrbo XPR 7550, XPR 5500 and SL 7500 Series two-way radios were distributed to employees in security and other departments to provide loud, clear and reliable communications in more rugged, slimmer and lightweight devices.



A multi-million dollar expansion of Mall of America, which will likely include additional retail, attractions, hotel and office buildings, is planned during the life of the contract with Infinity Wireless and Motorola Solutions. The flexibility of the Mototrbo system will allow additional radios to be deployed, and coverage and capacity can be expanded using Mototrbo Capacity Plus to accommodate new users.



“Mall of America operates like a municipality in that our operational entity is vast and our employees can be anywhere and everywhere at any time,” says Chad Martin, communications manager, Mall of America security department. “We need to know that our radio communications are seamless and that as technology advances, we can integrate our radios with other systems such as those used by local public safety agencies. Mototrbo provides that reliability for all departments, from security and engineering to housekeeping and grounds keeping.”