Does RoIP add value to two-way radio?

Radio over internet protocol (RoIP) adds to the value of two-way radio and in many cases replaces telephone calls. It is a technique very similar to voice over IP (VoIP) with both technologies using a network, usually the internet.

Its method of operation is transparent to the user who could well be using a conventional two-way radio network. Under RoIP at least one node of a network is a radio which is then connected, using IP to other network nodes that can also be two-way radios.

As in VoIP, digitising the analog voice signal, encoding and packeting are needed to send a message over a packet-switched network. This provides a cost-effective method of interconnecting radio systems and operators and leads to considerable benefits.

Many organisations already have established LANs or WANs in addition to an internet connection. This means that only the cost of a new radio or console has to be added to an existing infrastructure, and once a system is established, it is relatively inexpensive to upgrade or expand. Buying the hardware such as switches and routers is also relatively cheap as costs of this type of equipment are constantly falling.

However, according to one supplier of RoIP equipment and systems, Perth-based Omnitronics, by far “the biggest cost saving comes from the technology’s ability to replace leased lines and expensive wireless links. Savings from the elimination of analog lines alone should result in a capital payback time within six months - at the most.”

Another advantage of the technology is improved reliability because the connection between radios and consoles is better as they form part of a mesh IP network that is resilient infrastructure without a single point of failure.

Increased interoperability is another benefit, says the company, because once a signal is in the IP domain, it can be routed to virtually any type of radio system, allowing VHF, UHF, HF radios as well as satellites and telephones including mobiles to be easily connected. These can all be combined into a single voice communication so that the much talked about radio interoperability problems disappear or are at least minimised.

Because RoIP is not proprietary or protocol limited, its concept has been built into several systems, some of which, such as EchoLink and IRLP, have been enthusiastically adopted by radio amateurs.

However, the reasons for taking up the technology are often because of the need to cover large geographic areas such as we have in Australia and where there is a requirement to provide a reliable and more easily repairable system. In addition, if there is a need to support many base stations, this technology provides voice communications from stationary users and not so much those using handheld or mobile radios.

In the end it all comes down to cost. Copper or optical fibre lines and microwave links are expensive to rent and are often not that secure so replacing them with RoIP is cheaper and more reliable.

As a communications medium it is still relatively young but with costs a constant concern to providers and the requirements of a fairly narrow bandwidth, it is a technology likely to expand, especially at the expense of POTS. And we must not forget Skype, which is already making inroads into the established telephone network.