Motorola introduces SmartX solution

LAS VEGAS — Motorola announced SmartX, a gateway-based system that is designed to allow roaming between Motorola analog and digital systems, today at the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) annual conference.

SmartX is expected to appeal to public-safety entities that currently use Motorola analog technology and want to migrate to a digital protocol such as Motorola’s Astro 25 system. If the entity cannot afford a digital system throughout the coverage area, SmartX uses gateways to translate older Motorola proprietary protocols such as SmartNet and SmartZone in a manner that lets the Astro 25 network understand them, said Michele Shaughnessy, director of Motorola’s public-safety systems marketing.

“It’s a migration that takes place over time, instead of the big-bang theory,” Shaughnessy said. “This product allows you to mix and match your analog and digital infrastructure.”

Available immediately, the SmartX solution is a key component in plans for Harris County, Texas, to transition from an analog SmartZone system to P25, Harris County CIO Steve Jennings said.

“SmartX allows us to take analog and integrate it into P25 digital,” Jennings said. “This way, we can roam with both analog and digital on the system.”

Shaughnessy noted that the SmartX system only works with Motorola analog and digital systems, not those of other vendors.