dPMR 6.25 kHz digital radio is open standard

For those who have watched the global two-way industry evolve in the last 30 years, it’s obvious that the more user-focused manufacturers have learned a lot from listening to professional business and industry users and their fundamental need for flexible, efficient and cost-effective radio communications.

It is this focus on core basic market needs of business enterprises that has inspired the development of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) dPMR, 6.25 kHz digital radio standard.

It is an open standard digital radio technology designed to deliver exceptional performance, yet remain cost effective to meet the expectations of a wide cross-section of today’s most demanding business and industrial users

While one could spend many hours discussing the relative technical merits of FDMA, TDMA and CDMA technologies and the various modulation schemes for this important market segment, as far as most business users are concerned, these debates are often distractions and do not drive their operational decisions.

It’s clear to see that business will invest only if the radio solution does exactly what is required of it, ie, improve business performance and be delivered with professional support and competitive choice.

Like business, dPMR is all about delivering results for today. dPMR solutions focus on taking care of business with a sharp eye on value, while leaving the technical nuances and technology road maps for others to debate.

Based on the premise of delivering exceptional value, the emphasis with dPMR is on providing fully functional radio systems from the simplest two radios in a warehouse to larger corporate business essential systems that seamlessly integrate with IP networks to deliver low-cost, wide-area and multi-office communication systems.

Of course not all business and industry users have the same needs. For this reason dPMR has been specifically designed to be scalable and is divided into three separate functional modes.

Each mode has a price point that not only reflects the tangible benefits delivered but also provides users with choice and competitive procurement.

Mode 3 is the dPMR solution for large business users and government services where single, multi and even national coverage, wide-area, multi-channel trunked networks are called for. The radio equipment can be integrated into existing IT networks with both text messaging and voice calls using the embedded voice and data functionality of dPMR.

Solutions include PC-based remote access of dPMR base stations to give configurable dispatcher functionality.

This mode also offers users the possibility to operate efficiently in ‘direct or simplex mode’ separately from the network or beyond the coverage area of the network for special purposes such as on-scene activities in standard 6.25 kHz channels.

Mode 2 is for smaller businesses and local governmental bodies and provides traditional conventional repeater coverage.

Where needed, this mode can also provide wide-area coverage using its special co-channel multi-repeater functionality. The equipment can also be integrated into existing IT networks with both text messaging and voice calls using the voice and data functionality. This mode also offers users ‘direct or simplex mode’ separately from the network or beyond the coverage area of the network again in standard 6.25 kHz channels.

There are many commercial users in markets such as building, manufacturing, hospitality, mining, transportation, etc, where the use and expense of repeaters are simply not required.

Mode 1 offers the optimum radio functionality for local site coverage at the best possible value. Digital radio technology delivers high-quality voice communications on a single 6.25 kHz channel in areas where analog radios lose contact.

dPMR is an open, non-proprietary standard published by the ETSI. The standard ensures users of dPMR that buying from different manufacturers will not result in operational problems.

More importantly, interoperability will increase the competitive environment ensuring better pricing and functionality, making dPMR a truly cost-effective solution.

The dPMR standard is supported by a MOU group made up of manufacturers and allied support industries who work closely to ensure the development of a variety of dPMR equipment, vertical market-focused options and system implementations.

The MOU group has also agreed on conformance testing to ensure interoperability. In fact, dPMR interoperability tests between different manufacturers have been taking place for the past year.

The radios have come a long way since the very first products defined for European low-power licence-free operation more than three years ago.

The dPMR protocol has matured and now covers every type of PMR application for any valid frequency band at traditional two-way RF power levels.

The current generation of feature-rich conventional dPMR radios is now starting to appear on the world stage, while later in 2011 expect to see the launch of Tier 3 trunking versions.

dPMR MoU Association, Britain

http:// www.dpmr-mou.org