RALEIGH, N.C., 18 August 2006. Raytheon's JPS Communications, a leader in radio interoperability technology, has unveiled its Analog Radio Adapter, the ARA-1. Comparable to an analog telephone adapter (ATA), which allows a standard telephone to operate on a session initiation protocol (SIP) network, the ARA-1 provides that same functionality to a radio.
The new ARA-1 extends the coverage and capability of an existing SIP private branch exchange (PBX) by allowing the interface of land mobile radios (LMR) to the system. The radio connected via the ARA-1 is assigned a unique extension that can easily be dialed using any internet protocol (IP) phone, softphone, or other voice communications device associated with the SIP PBX.
Any number of radios, SIP phones, or other audio devices in the network can be conferenced together by the SIP PBX. Since SIP is an open standard, a multitude of services are available including call logging, call recording, and call forwarding. A SIP PBX can also enable video conferencing, document sharing, and text messages between compatible devices.
The addition of radio interface capability using the ARA-1 brings existing radio networks into the SIP arena, and enables SIP-based communications to be extended into areas that are not serviced or cannot be reached using a SIP network. For example, an ARA-1 can be used with an LMR system to extend SIP communications into areas of rugged terrain, across bodies of water, or into tunnels.
SIP is a standards-based open protocol used to create, manage and terminate sessions in an IP based network. SIP enables the convergence of voice, data, and video, allowing equipment with varying media capabilities to be conferenced together.
