Sonim Technologies says SLED accessory will support P25, NXDN, DMR, with separate functionality for TETRA
A Sonim Technologies accessory designed to address key direct-mode and interoperability questions surrounding broadband push-to-talk technology will support communications with a P25, NXDN or DMR system in a single device, and a separate version of the offering will be designed to interoperate with TETRA networks. Bob Escalle, senior director of public-safety and defense markets for Sonim Technologies, announced the NXDN and DMR capabilities of the Sonim LMR Enabled Detachable (SLED) during the recent Wireless Leadership Summit event hosted by the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (EWA) in San Antonio. First demonstrated during the IWCE 2018 event in March, the SLED is designed to attach to a Sonim XP8 rugged LTE smartphone, resulting in an LMR-like form factor and allowing the user to take advantage of high-powered LMR direct-mode communications when a broadband network is not available to support push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) or mission-critical-push-to-talk (MCPTT) services.
Such technology is needed, because the current 3GPP standard for direct-mode communications—known as proximity services (ProSe)—faces numerous technical challenges when trying to deliver range that is comparable to an LMR device that transmits with as much as 5 watts of power with an external antenna, Escalle said.
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