Tieline wins contract for $3m radio project

Perth-based manufacturer Tieline Technology has won a contract to supply audio codecs - a specialist computer chip - to 79 remote Australian communities for the Indigenous Remote Radio Replacement project.

The bid forms part of a total grant of $3 million, allocated to the project by the federal government to replace obsolete radio equipment.

The Tieline codecs, which perform data conversion such as analog to digital or digital to analog in a single chip, will be installed in communities from the north west of Western Australia to Queensland.

Tieline's Australasian business development manager Glynn Sherris said logistically it is difficult for people in remote communities to communicate with each other and initiatives like the IRRR project would provide an opportunity for these communities to learn from each other and share information.

"Initially most communities will connect their codecs over standard phone lines and send packaged audio programs to be rebroadcast to all participating communities," said Mr Sherris.

"As more broadband infrastructure becomes available in remote areas, communities will increasingly use IP and 3G/IP technology for broadcasting."

Tieline was originally established in 1981 as Television Communications to import and distribute broadcast audio and video products into the WA market.

The company developed world class digital audio codecs and in 1995 became Audio Video Communications and expanded into a global distribution network spanning the Americas, Europe, UK, Africa, Asia, Middle East and Australasia.

Deriving its name from the popularity of its award-winning codec line, the company changed its corporate moniker in 2001 from Audio Video Communications to Tieline Technology.