Leave it to America's biggest city to launch an equally big high-speed data network.

The New York City Wireless Network (NYCWiN) was rolled out to 70 percent of the city's police precincts and firehouses on April 1, giving the city's first responders and employees a unique public safety and public service network.

"It's the first network of its scope certainly anywhere in the country in terms of the amount of area we're covering," said Nick Sbordone, spokesman for the city's Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), referring to New York City's 322 square miles.

MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES SELECTION OF NORTHROP GRUMMAN TO BUILD HIGH SPEED WIRELESS DATA NETWORK FOR POLICE OFFICERS, FIREFIGHTERS AND OTHER CITY WORKERS

Network Will Provide Critical Information to First Responders in the Field; Five-Year, $500 Million Contract Is Most Aggressive Public Safety Technology Initiative of Any Municipality

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Administration Edward Skyler and Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) Paul Cosgrave today announced the selection of the Northrop Grumman Corporation to create the Citywide Mobile Wireless Network (CMWN) for public safety personnel and other City agencies.