Bridging public safety and military networks
Burnaby, British Columbia- (Market Wire) - Spectrum Signal Processing by Vecima (TSX:VCM) (“Spectrum”), an advanced communications equipment supplier, announced today a partnership with Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC) to port the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Project 25 (P25) public safety waveform to Spectrum’s flexCommTM SDR-4000 software reconfigurable radio. P25 is the latest addition to Spectrum’s expanding waveform portfolio. This waveform is the most popular and widely used public safety waveform in North America. Supporting this waveform on a software reconfigurable radio allows military and other users to more easily communicate with public safety personnel to better co-ordinate joint emergency efforts. A demonstration of this implementation is provided at CANSEC 2009, in Ottawa, and features an industry standard P25 radio talking over-the-air to an SDR-4000.
“Spectrum continues to expand its waveform portfolio, offering its customers more options and applications available with its software reconfigurable technologies,” said Mark Briggs, VP Marketing at Spectrum. “We are pleased to continue working closely with CRC to provide our markets with software defined implementations of waveforms critical to both military and civil user communities.”
“CRC selected the SDR-4000 because it provided the comprehensive hardware, software, and environment required for the P25 port,” said Claude Belisle, VP Satellite Communications and Radio Propagation branch of CRC. “The SDR-4000 also supported the entire Software Communications Architecture (SCA) software operating stack that was critical in making this project successful.”
The SDR-4000 has been proven to support implementations of military waveforms, such as the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Wideband Networking Waveform Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (WNW OFDM), Soldier Radio Waveform Electronic Warfare (SRW EW), and Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS). Adding a public safety waveform such as P25 lays the foundation for interoperability between military and civil agencies.
About the SDR-4000
The SDR-4000 is a multi-purpose software reconfigurable transceiver that combines heterogeneous processing including digital signal processors (DSP), general purpose processors (GPP) and field programmable gate arrays (FPGA). The SDR-4000 is packaged in a small 3U CompactPCI® form-factor and is available in air-cooled for benign environments or conduction-cooled packages for deployments in harsh environments. The SDR-4000 is available with a real-time operating system, hardware abstraction layer, and CRC’s SCARI Software Suite, a complete development environment for the SCA. For more information on the SDR-4000, please visit www.spectrumsignal.com/products/3u.
About the P25 Implementation
P25 is a suite of system standards that define digital radio communications system architectures addressing the needs of public safety and government organizations. P25 involves digital land mobile radio services for local, state/provincial and national public safety organizations and agencies.
The implementation includes the Phase I Common Air Interface (CAI) in Conventional mode at 9.6 kbps. This air interface works with 12.5 kHz channels, allowing the transmission of data or coded voice with the Continuous 4 level FM (C4FM) modulation format. The MAC sublayer performs encapsulation and imbeds frame synchronization information, according to the CAI specification. The Logical Link Control (LLC) sublayer includes both voice and data packets processing, along with their respective interleaving and error correction schemes as specified in the CAI. The implementation is fully compatible with, and has been fully tested under, the SCA framework.
Spectrum and CRC will be demonstrating P25 running on the SDR-4000 during the CANSEC tradeshow happening May 27-28, 2009 in Ottawa, ON. Please visit Booth 3118 in the General Dynamics Hall or contact sales@spectrumsignal.com to find out more.
About Spectrum Signal Processing By Vecima
Spectrum Signal Processing is part of Vecima Networks Inc. Within the Vecima umbrella, Spectrum’s primary focus is to deliver leading edge software defined radios and radio products to both commercial and military customers. Spectrum’s products and services are optimized for satellite communications applications, as well as military communications, signals intelligence, surveillance, and electronic warfare. Key customers include commercial satellite communications providers as well as the US Government, its allies and its prime contractors. For more information on Spectrum and its flexComm product line, please visit www.spectrumsignal.com.
Vecima (TSX:VCM) is a leading designer and manufacturer of products that enable broadband access to cable, wireless and telephony networks. Vecima’s products and solutions allow service providers to rapidly and cost-effectively bridge the network segment that connects the system core network directly to end users by overcoming the bottleneck resulting from insufficient carrying capacity in legacy infrastructures. Vecima is focused on providing leading edge technology to a number of markets, including SDR technology in commercial applications, DOCISIS 3.0 modules and systems like HyperQAM to existing and new customers, deep digital decoding through products such as CableVista to support the ongoing shift towards All Digital Cable Networks, and WiMax products to provide connectivity to end users in underserved markets worldwide. For more information on Vecima, please visit www.vecima.com.
About Communications Research Centre Canada
CRC is the Canadian government’s primary laboratory for research and development (R&D) in advanced telecommunications. R&D is used for public policy purposes and to strengthen the Canadian economy through technology and knowledge transfer. Under its four research branches (Terrestrial Wireless, Satellite Communications and Radio Propagation Research, Broadband Network Technologies and Broadcast Technology), CRC specializes in taking an interdisciplinary approach to longer-term R&D in wireless systems, radio fundamentals, communication networks, photonics and interactive multimedia. More information about CRC is available at www.crc.ca.
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