JPS Interoperability Solutions announces integration of broadband in new offerings

JPS Interoperability Solutions this week will showcase new offerings that leverage more powerful processors to enable interoperable connectivity with broadband solutions, as well as traditional narrowband technology.

JPS Interoperability Solutions President Don Scott said integrating broadband capabilities into the product portfolio is a logical progression of the company’s commitment to interoperable communications.

“We see it all the time: people with a radio in one hand and a broadband device in the other. When one doesn’t have coverage, they call with the other and vice versa,” Scott said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “When you think about it, it’s a natural direction for interoperability to take, because broadband devices are ubiquitous and they carry things that we like, like data, situational awareness, video and still pictures.”

“The broadband world is ubiquitous and is synonymous with more than just voice, but it never really had a push-to-talk capability built into its mentality. But, because it has a situational-awareness component and the ability to backhaul still pictures and other data, we saw broadband as a natural direction that interoperability is taking.”

This philosophy is reflected in current JPS Interoperability Solutions offerings, which will be showcased during IWCE 2017 in Booth 2811.

This includes the ACU-Z1, the latest version of the company popular ACU radio gateways. The ACU-Z1 continues the tradition of modular ACU gear, but it has comes in a smaller form factor and uses less power than its predecessors. In addition, the ACU-Z1 supports real-time transport protocol (RTP) solutions that are expected to play an increasingly large role in broadband communications.

Scott said that the processors in previous versions of the ACU portfolio are “maxed out,” but the ACU-Z1 addresses the issue by including new processors that are more powerful, so they “are not going to max out for decades.”

This processing capability also allows JPS Interoperability Solutions to provide a new interface that customers can use to operate the solution, according to Roman Kaluta, director of interoperability solutions for JPS Interoperability Solutions.

“Our traditional equipment—the ACU-2000, the ACU-M, the ACU-T—all used client-based software,” Kaluta said. “Now, with the Z1 having its own processor, we can use a browser-based interface to operate that system.”

JPS Interoperability Solutions also will unveil the RSP-Z2, which combines the capabilities of the company’s network extension unit (NXU) and analog radio adapter (ARA) products. With a Linux operating system, the RSP-Z2 includes an interface for smartphones and tablets while supporting the SIP, RTP, RoIP, PSTN and LMR connections that are most needed by public-safety agencies, according to a company press release.

“The Z2 works with the Z1 as an extension or as a standalone unit, but it will have the capability of doing two channel versus on,” Kaluta said. “So, you could actually have two audio sources out, which is something our customers have been asking for—they wanted to have the capability for multiple channels in one device.”