IDA launches TiDE data-engine platform to continue transformation from a remote-control company

While some industry analysts have questioned whether cellular offerings will erode LMR’s market share, Patel said IDA does not believe that should be the case. At a time when enterprises are increasingly dependent on data, the reliability and resilience of LMR networks should remain attractive, if the radio industry can keep up with customers’ data demands, he said.

“If anybody tells me that LMR is going to be done someday, I will say very emphatically that it won’t, because LMR networks know how to stay up when a disaster strikes an area,” Patel said. “Cellular is still fragile, and it breaks down so easily. It is not the communications of tomorrow yet.

“If you merge the two, with more data communications between them—and we are all going to be slaves of information, because information is everywhere, we just don’t know enough to organize it. That’s what IDA wants to do and is doing with its current products by combining the LMR and cellular worlds together.”

Although IDA is focusing on its data products, the company continues to innovate in the remote-control space. At IWCE 2015, the company launched VoIP Tone Remote (VTR) technology in its Model 24-69, which is the first remote control that can work on an analog network or an IP network—a capability that makes it ideal for operators that expect to make the transition from analog to digital, according to Sanghvi.

IDA’s two recent product announcement are indicative of the company’s capabilities and vision, Patel said.

“VTR is a prime example of what we can do at the grassroots level, and TiDE is an example of what we can do at the top level,” he said.